Sales manager

Sales managers organise, coach and lead teams of sales representatives to work towards agreed targets.

In this guide

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

In your day-to-day duties you might:

  • recruit and train sales staff
  • allocate areas to sales reps
  • identify new business opportunities
  • develop sales strategies and set sales targets
  • provide feedback and coaching to team members
  • monitor the team's performance and motivate them to reach targets
  • compile and analyse sales figures
  • report back to senior managers
  • keep up to date with products and competitors

Working environment

You could work at a store, in an office, at a client's business or in a contact centre.

Career path and progression

With experience and a good track record, you could take on larger sales areas or be promoted to regional, national or international sales manager.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • the ability to sell products and services
  • customer service skills
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • business management skills
  • leadership skills
  • to be flexible and open to change
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Most relevant

  • Business - Sales managers need a strong understanding of business operations, from setting sales targets and developing strategies to managing budgets and understanding market conditions. They use business management skills daily when planning how their team will approach customers and grow revenue.
  • Mathematics - Sales managers compile and analyse sales figures, set targets, and track performance against forecasts. They need to be comfortable working with percentages, profit margins, and data trends to make informed decisions about where to focus their team's efforts.
  • Economics - Sales managers need to understand how markets work, including supply and demand, pricing strategies, and how economic conditions affect customer spending. This helps them adapt their sales approach and spot new business opportunities before competitors do.
  • English Language - Sales managers communicate constantly – pitching to clients, coaching their team, writing reports for senior managers, and crafting persuasive sales proposals. Being able to speak and write clearly and persuasively is central to almost everything they do.

Also relevant

  • Psychology - Sales managers need to understand what motivates both customers and their own team members. Knowledge of human behaviour helps them coach sales reps effectively, handle objections from clients, and create strategies that tap into what drives people to buy.
  • Accounting - Sales managers work with budgets, revenue figures, and financial reports to track how well their team is performing. Understanding financial statements and key metrics like profit margins helps them make sound commercial decisions.
  • Modern Foreign Languages - Sales managers who work for companies with international clients may need to communicate across different countries and cultures. Speaking a second language can open doors to regional or international sales management roles and help build stronger relationships with overseas customers.
  • Sociology - Sales managers benefit from understanding how different social groups behave as consumers and what influences their purchasing decisions. This helps when developing sales strategies aimed at specific demographics or market segments.

How to become

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • an apprenticeship
  • applying directly
  • training with a professional body

You could do a degree before joining a company as a graduate management trainee. Employers recruit graduates from a range of subjects. Particularly relevant subjects include:

  • sales and marketing management
  • business management
  • retail marketing

For some jobs, like selling hi-tech scientific or engineering equipment, employers may prefer you to have a qualification in that field.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

More Information

You could complete a sales executive higher apprenticeship before applying for a trainee manager job.

For sales manager roles selling to businesses, you could do a business to business sales professional degree apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

More Information

You'll need experience in sales and a record of achieving targets. Most employers will consider your sales and management experience, market knowledge and track record to be more important than your academic qualifications.

You could also be considered for specialist sales management jobs if you have a background in designing or manufacturing the products your team are selling.

You could take a professional qualification like:

  • Level 4 Award in Managing a Sales Team
  • Level 4 Award in Finance for Sales Managers
  • Level 4 Award in Operational Sales Planning

Career tips

In some jobs you could travel around the world to meet customers, so it may be helpful to speak a second language.

Further information

You can find out more about careers in sales through the Institute of Sales Professionals.

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