A Sales Manager is a professional responsible for leading, guiding, and managing a team of sales representatives within an organization. This role is pivotal, as it directly impacts revenue generation and business growth. The manager’s primary objective is to oversee the sales process from start to finish, ensuring the team works cohesively and effectively to meet and exceed set targets. They are the frontline leaders who translate the company’s high-level financial goals into actionable strategies for their team.
The role, sometimes abbreviated internally as Sales M, involves a complex blend of responsibilities. These include strategic planning, people management, performance analysis, and administrative oversight. A sales manager is not just a senior salesperson; they are a coach, a mentor, a strategist, and a critical link between the front-line sales force and the organization’s senior leadership. Their success is not measured by their personal sales, but by the collective success and development of the team they lead.
They collaborate closely with other departments, such as marketing, to ensure the sales team has a steady flow of quality leads. They also work with product teams to provide feedback from the market and with finance to manage budgets and pricing. Ultimately, the sales manager builds and directs the engine that powers the company’s revenue, making it one of the most critical leadership positions in any business.
The Evolution of the Sales Manager Role
The role of a sales manager has transformed significantly over the past few decades. Historically, the position was often awarded to the top-performing salesperson. The underlying assumption was that a great seller could automatically teach others to be great sellers. This “super-rep” model focused heavily on individual skill, intuition, and aggressively closing deals. The manager was the chief deal-closer, swooping in to “save” a sale.
Today, the modern sales manager is far more of a data-driven strategist and-human-centric coach. The rise of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, sales automation tools, and advanced analytics has shifted the focus from intuition to insight. A contemporary manager spends less time closing deals and more time analyzing performance metrics, optimizing the sales process, and developing the skills of their team members.
This evolution is also a response to a more informed customer base. Buyers today have access to vast amountsof information before they ever speak to a salesperson. This change requires a more consultative and value-driven sales approach. The manager’s job has therefore evolved to train their team in these more complex, relationship-focused sales methodologies, moving from a “boss” to an “enabler” who removes obstacles and empowers their team.
The Critical Leap: From Salesperson to Manager
The transition from a high-performing sales representative to a sales manager is one of the most challenging career steps in the business world. The skills that make an excellent salesperson, such as individual competitiveness, a “hunter” mentality, and a focus on personal quotas, are often an-antithesis to the skills needed for management. A great salesperson is an individual contributor; their success is their own.
When that person becomes a manager, their entire definition of success must change. Their new goal is not to be the top seller but to create a team of top sellers. Their success is now measured by the collective output of their team. This requires a profound mindset shift, moving from “I” to “we.” They must learn to delegate, to trust their team, and to find satisfaction in the achievements of others rather than their own.
Many new managers struggle with this. They may be tempted to micromanage or, in a moment of pressure, jump in and take over a difficult deal themselves. This “superhero” approach undermines the team’s confidence and prevents them from learning. The most difficult, and most crucial, part of the transition is learning to let go of the individual sale and embrace the new role as a leader, coach, and strategist.
The Manager as a Strategic Bridge
A sales manager serves a vital function as a strategic conduit within the organization. They operate at the intersection of executive leadership and the front-line sales force, translating high-level objectives into ground-level execution. Senior leadership, such as the Vice President of Sales or the CEO, will set broad company goals, for example, “increase annual recurring revenue by 20%” or “expand into the healthcare sector.”
It is the sales manager’s job to take these abstract, high-level targets and deconstruct them into tangible, actionable plans for their team. This involves breaking down the annual revenue goal into quarterly and monthly team quotas, assigning specific territories or market segments, and defining the key activities (like calls, demos, or proposals) required to meet those goals. They provide the “why” behind the “what.”
Conversely, the sales manager is also the voice of the market to the leadership. They are responsible for gathering, synthesizing, and reporting on-the-ground intelligence from their team. This includes feedback on customer needs, objections to pricing, competitor activities, and emerging market trends. This upward flow of information is critical for senior leaders to make informed, strategic decisions about products, pricing, and overall company direction.
Overseeing the Entire Sales Funnel
The sales manager is responsible for the health and performance of the entire sales funnel or pipeline. This funnel represents the customer’s journey from an initial prospect to a paying client. The manager must oversee each stage, ensuring there is a smooth and efficient flow of opportunities and that conversion rates between stages are optimized.
At the top of the funnel, they collaborate with the marketing department to define what constitutes a “quality lead.” They ensure the team is supplied with a sufficient volume of prospects to work with. They might also be involved in outbound prospecting strategies, helping the team identify and target potential new markets or customer profiles.
In the middle of the funnel, the manager coaches the team on qualifying leads, conducting effective discovery calls, presenting compelling product demonstrations, and handling objections. They will often join important calls to provide support or listen in to provide feedback later. They are responsible for making sure the team is building value and nurturing relationships effectively.
At the of the funnel, the manager assists with complex negotiations, reviews proposals, and helps strategize to close key deals. After the sale is won, their responsibility does not end. They must ensure a smooth handoff to the customer success or account management team to promote retention and identify future upsell or cross-sell opportunities, thus feeding the long-term health of the business.
The Primary Mandate: Driving Revenue
While the role is multifaceted, the sales manager’s primary and most important mandate is to drive revenue for the organization. All their other responsibilities—coaching, hiring, reporting, strategizing—are in service of this fundamental goal. The sales manager is ultimately accountable for their team’s sales numbers. This makes it a high-pressure, high-visibility, and high-impact position.
This responsibility goes beyond just “hitting the numbers” at the end of the quarter. A key part of this mandate is creating predictable and sustainable revenue. A great sales manager does not rely on a few “hero” salespeople to have a lucky month. Instead, they build a consistent, repeatable sales process that the entire team can follow to produce reliable results, month after month.
This involves meticulous sales forecasting, where the manager analyzes the team’s pipeline and predicts, with a high degree of accuracy, how much revenue the team will close in a given period. This forecast is critical for the rest of the business, as it informs budgeting, hiring plans, and overall financial planning. The ability to accurately forecast and consistently deliver on that forecast is a hallmark of an effective sales manager.
Key Responsibilities: A High-Level Overview
The sales manager’s job can be broken down into three main pillars of responsibility: team management, strategic planning, and sales operations. Each of these pillars is essential for building a successful, high-performing sales function.
The team management pillar is the human side of the role. This includes recruiting and hiring the right salespeople, designing and implementing effective onboarding and training programs, and providing continuous coaching and professional development. It also involves motivating the team through incentives, fostering a positive and competitive culture, and managing performance, which includes both rewarding top performers and addressing underperformance.
The strategic planning pillar involves the “big picture” thinking. This is where the manager sets the sales targets and quotas for the team. They analyze market data, identify target customer segments, and develop the sales strategies and tactics the team will use. This also includes territory planning, ensuring the sales reps are allocated in a way that provides optimal market coverage.
The sales operations pillar covers the administrative and analytical aspects of the job. This includes managing the team’s use of the CRM software to ensure data is clean and accurate. It involves tracking key performance indicators (KPIs), analyzing sales reports to identify trends, and providing regular performance updates and forecasts to senior management. This operational rigor is what enables the strategic and team-management pillars to function effectively.
The Impact of Effective Sales Management
An effective sales manager is a powerful multiplier for an organization. Their impact is not additive; it is exponential. A great manager does not just add their own sales contribution; they elevate the performance of every single person on their team. By providing the right coaching, motivation, and tools, they can turn average salespeople into good ones, and good salespeople into great ones.
This leads directly to increased revenue, higher win rates, and larger deal sizes. Beyond the numbers, a great manager builds a stable, professional, and engaged sales team. They create a culture of success and continuous improvement where people feel supported and are motivated to do their best work. This leads to significantly lower employee turnover, which is a massive cost-saving for the company.
Conversely, the impact of poor sales management can be devastating. A bad manager—whether they are a micromanager, unsupportive, or disorganized—can quickly demotivate a high-performing team. This leads to a toxic culture, high turnover of the best reps (who know they can get a better job elsewhere), missed sales targets, and unpredictable revenue. This demonstrates why the sales manager role is so critical to business health.
Setting Sales Targets and Goals
One of the most fundamental responsibilities of a sales manager is to establish achievable and motivating sales targets for the team. This process is far more than just picking a high number. It requires a careful balance of art and science. The manager must start by understanding the organization’s top-level financial objectives, which are typically set by senior leadership.
Once they have the overall revenue goal for their department, the manager must break it down into smaller, manageable pieces. This often involves assigning individual quotas to each sales representative. These quotas must be both challenging and realistic. If targets are set too low, the team may become complacent and underperform. If they are set impossibly high, the team will become demoralized, frustrated, and may even burn out or quit.
To set these goals effectively, the manager analyzes historical sales data, considers the individual rep’s tenure and territory potential, and factors in current market conditions. They must clearly communicate these targets and, just as importantly, the “why” behind them. A good manager ensures that every team member understands what their individual goal is, how it contributes to the team’s success, and how it aligns with the company’s overall mission.
This goal-setting process is not a one-time event. The manager must continuously track progress against these targets. They conduct regular check-ins with their reps to see where they stand, identify any obstacles, and provide the support needed to get them back on track. This ongoing performance monitoring is essential to ensure the team has a clear path to success and that any problems are addressed early.
Developing Sales Strategies
After setting the “what” (the sales targets), the sales manager is responsible for defining the “how” (the sales strategy). This involves creating a comprehensive plan of action that outlines how the team will meet or exceed its goals. This strategy must be tailored to the company’s specific products, industry, and target market. It serves as the playbook for the entire sales team.
The strategy development process begins with analysis. The manager must analyze the market to identify target customer segments, or “ideal customer profiles.” They research competitors to understand their strengths, weaknesses, and sales tactics. This competitive analysis helps the manager position their own team’s product or service more effectively, highlighting its unique value proposition.
Based on this analysis, the manager defines the specific sales tactics the team will use. This could include focusing on a particular vertical, implementing an account-based selling approach for high-value clients, or developing specific scripts and talk tracks for handling common objections. The strategy also dictates how resources, such as sales support staff or travel budgets, are allocated to maximize their impact.
The sales manager must clearly communicate this strategy to the team and ensure they have the training and tools to execute it. A strategy is not a “set it and forget it” document. The business environment is always changing. An effective manager constantly monitors the strategy’s performance and is adaptable, making adjustments as needed in response to new market trends or competitive pressures.
Sales Forecasting and Reporting
A critical operational duty for any sales manager is sales forecasting. Forecasting is the process of predicting future sales revenue over a specific period, such as a month, quarter, or year. Accurate forecasting is vital for the entire organization. The finance department uses these forecasts for budgeting, the operations team uses them for resource planning, and senior leadership uses them to gauge the health of the business.
To create a forecast, the manager relies heavily on the team’s sales pipeline, which is typically managed within a CRM system. They assess each opportunity in the pipeline, considering its value, the sales stage it is in, and the probability of it closing. They will have regular “forecast calls” with their reps to review these deals and challenge their assumptions, helping to create a more realistic and accurate number.
This data is then compiled into regular reports for senior management. These reports go beyond just the final forecast number. They provide a detailed analysis of the sales pipeline, track key performance indicators (KPIs), and highlight any significant wins, losses, or risks. This reporting provides the transparency and accountability that leadership needs to make informed strategic decisions.
The manager also uses these reports for their own team. By analyzing sales data, they can identify positive trends to replicate and negative trends to correct. For example, if they notice that deals from a certain lead source are closing at a much higher rate, they can ask marketing to invest more in that channel. This analytical aspect of the role is key to optimizing the sales process.
Performance Monitoring and KPIs
A sales manager cannot manage what they do not measure. A core responsibility is to continuously monitor the performance of individual sales representatives and the sales team as a whole. This is achieved by defining and tracking a set of Key Performance Indicators, or KPIs. These metrics provide an objective look at how the team is functioning and where improvements are needed.
KPIs can be broken into two categories: activity metrics and outcome metrics. Outcome metrics are the “lagging indicators” that show past results, such as total revenue closed, number of new customers acquired, or the average deal size. These are the ultimate measures of success.
However, a manager cannot directly control outcomes. What they can control is the team’s behavior. This is where “activity metrics” come in. These are the “leading indicators” that measure the day-to-day work of the sales team. Examples include the number of calls made, the number of emails sent, the number of product demos conducted, or the number of new opportunities created.
By tracking these activity metrics, a manager can identify potential problems before they impact the final revenue numbers. For example, if a rep is making hundreds of calls but booking no demos, the manager knows to step in and provide coaching on their call script or prospecting technique. This data-driven approach to performance management allows for early intervention and targeted coaching.
This performance data is also the basis for formal performance reviews. The manager uses these objective metrics to have constructive conversations with their reps, celebrate successes, identify areas for improvement, and set goals for the next period. This removes subjectivity and ensures feedback is fair, specific, and actionable.
Recruiting and Hiring the Sales Team
The success of a sales manager is entirely dependent on the quality of their team. Therefore, recruiting and hiring the right salespeople is one of the most high-leverage activities a manager can perform. A single bad hire can be incredibly costly, not just in lost salary and training time, but also in missed opportunities and damage to team morale.
The process starts with the manager defining a clear “ideal candidate profile.” They must determine the specific skills, experience level, and personality traits that correlate with success in their specific sales environment. A person who excelled at high-velocity, transactional sales might not be the right fit for a role involving long, complex, enterprise-level sales cycles.
The manager is heavily involved in the entire hiring process. They will review resumes, conduct initial screening calls, and lead in-depth interviews. Great sales managers are skilled interviewers. They know how to ask probing questions that go beyond the resume to uncover a candidate’s true sales acumen, problem-solving skills, and “coachability.”
Many managers use role-playing exercises or case studies during the interview to see a candidate’s skills in action. They might ask the candidate to “sell” them the product or to handle a difficult objection. This practical assessment is often more telling than a simple conversation. Building a high-performing team starts with a rigorous and disciplined approach to finding and selecting the right talent.
Training, Coaching, and Mentoring
Hiring a great salesperson is only the first step. The sales manager is then responsible for their ongoing development through continuous training, coaching, and mentoring. This is perhaps the most important “people” part of their job. The goal is to elevate the skills of the entire team, turning good reps into great ones.
Training often begins with a structured onboarding program for new hires. The manager ensures that the new rep is trained on product knowledge, the company’s sales process, and the use of essential tools like the CRM. This foundational training gets them ramped up and productive as quickly as possible.
However, the real development happens through ongoing coaching. Coaching is the day-to-day, hands-on guidance the manager provides. This can take many forms. The manager might listen in on live sales calls and provide immediate feedback. They might conduct weekly one-on-one meetings to review the rep’s pipeline and strategize on key deals. They might also run “film reviews,” where the team listens to a recorded call together to break down what went well and what could be improved.
Mentoring is a longer-term, more holistic form of development. The manager acts as a career guide, helping their reps identify their long-term professional goals and creating a plan to achieve them. This investment in their team’s personal growth not only improves performance but also builds immense loyalty and reduces employee turnover.
Leveraging CRM and Sales Technology
In the modern sales environment, the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is the team’s central nervous system, and the sales manager is its chief administrator. A core responsibility is to ensure the entire team uses the CRM effectively and consistently. This is often a significant challenge, as many salespeople view “admin work” as a distraction from selling.
The manager must champion the CRM by demonstrating its value. It is not just a tool for “big brother” to watch them; it is a tool that helps them sell more effectively. A well-maintained CRM provides a single source of truth for all customer interactions, prevents important follow-ups from being missed, and gives them the data they need to manage their own pipeline.
The manager is responsible for “pipeline hygiene.” This means regularly reviewing the CRM data to ensure it is accurate and up-to-date. They push their reps to update deal stages, log their activities, and remove “dead” or “stale” opportunities. Without accurate data, the manager’s sales forecasts will be worthless, and their analysis will be flawed.
Beyond the CRM, the manager is also responsible for evaluating and implementing other sales technologies. This could include tools for sales automation, lead prospecting, or conversation intelligence. They must leverage these advanced tools to make their team more efficient, more effective, and more productive, ultimately helping them promote sales operations and close more deals.
Customer Relationship Management
While the entire team is responsible for managing customer relationships, the sales manager often handles the most important or most difficult situations. They are responsible for building and maintaining strong relationships with the company’s key customers and clients. This involvement from leadership shows the client that they are valued.
In a B2B environment, the sales manager may be the “executive sponsor” for the largest accounts. They will join their sales reps on quarterly business reviews with these clients to discuss their goals, ensure they are getting maximum value from the product, and identify opportunities for expansion.
The sales manager also serves as a critical escalation point. When a key customer has a serious problem or concern that the sales rep cannot resolve, the manager steps in. They must address the client’s needs, coordinate with other departments (like technical support or product) to find a solution, and ensure the relationship is repaired. Their ability to handle these high-stakes situations is vital for customer satisfaction and long-term retention.
This focus on key relationships is not just about problem-solving; it is also about growth. By staying close to major clients, the manager can identify trends and gather feedback that can lead to new product features or services. This strategic account management is crucial for ensuring customer loyalty and maximizing the lifetime value of each client.
Market Research and Competitive Analysis
A sales manager cannot create an effective strategy in a vacuum. They must be the team’s expert on the market, the customer, and the competition. A significant part of their job involves conducting regular market research and competitive analysis to stay ahead of emerging trends.
This research helps to identify new opportunities. The manager might analyze market data to find a new industry vertical that is a good fit for their product or a new geographical region to expand into. They must understand the evolving needs and preferences of their target customers, ensuring the team’s sales pitch remains relevant and compelling.
Analyzing the competition is equally important. The manager must know who their key competitors are, what their products do, how they are priced, and what their common sales tactics are. They are responsible for creating “battle cards” and other sales enablement materials that equip their reps to handle objections and effectively position their product against these competitors.
This information is gathered from many sources. They will talk to their team about what they are hearing on calls, read industry news, attend trade shows, and even analyze competitor’s marketing materials. This continuous “ear to the ground” approach allows the manager to be adaptable and flexible, adjusting their strategies to maintain a competitive edge.
The Manager as a Coach and Mentor
One of the most profound shifts when moving from sales rep to sales manager is the change in focus from personal achievement to team development. A manager’s primary role is that of a coach and mentor. While a “boss” gives orders and a “manager” organizes tasks, a “coach” develops people. This is the single most important factor in building a sustainable, high-performing sales team.
Coaching is an active, hands-on, and continuous process. It is not something reserved for an annual performance review. It happens in the moment. An effective sales manager will regularly listen to their team’s sales calls, either live or by reviewing recordings. They will then provide specific, actionable feedback in a constructive manner. Instead of just saying “that was a good call,” they will say, “The way you handled that pricing objection by refocusing on value was excellent. Next time, try asking one more discovery question about their budget before you give the price.”
Mentoring is the longer-term, more holistic side of this responsibility. While coaching focuses on the “what” and “how” of the job, mentoring focuses on the “who” and “why” of the person. A great sales manager takes a genuine interest in the career aspirations of their team members. They help their reps identify their strengths, weaknesses, and long-term goals, and then work with them to create a development plan to get there.
This commitment to personal and professional growth builds incredible loyalty. When team members know their manager is invested in their success, not just in their quota, they are more motivated, more engaged, and far less likely to leave the organization. This coaching and mentoring function is what separates an average sales manager from a truly great sales leader.
Recruiting and Hiring Top Sales Talent
A sales manager is like the coach of a sports team; they can only win if they have good players on the field. Therefore, recruiting and hiring are among the most high-leverage and high-stakes responsibilities a manager has. The success or failure of their entire tenure can often be traced back to the hiring decisions they make. A team of “A-players” can make a manager look brilliant, while a team of “C-players” will lead to missed targets and constant firefighting, no matter how good the manager is.
The process begins long before an interview. The manager must first develop a deep, clear understanding of the “ideal candidate profile” for their specific team. This profile goes beyond just years of experience. It includes the personality traits, the “soft skills,” and the intrinsic motivations that lead to success in their company’s specific sales environment. For example, a role requiring complex, long-cycle enterprise sales needs a candidate with patience, strategic thinking, and strong relationship-building skills.
During the interview process, experienced managers look for key indicators. They prize “coachability”—the candidate’s willingness to accept feedback and adapt. They test for “curiosity” by seeing if the candidate asks insightful questions about the business. They assess “resilience” by asking how the candidate has handled past failures or difficult situations.
Many top managers use structured, practical interviews. They might ask a candidate to perform a mock sales call or present a case study. This allows them to see the candidate’s skills in action, rather than just taking their word for it. They understand that a bad hire is incredibly costly, both in lost revenue and in damage to team morale, so they are exceptionally rigorous in their selection process.
Effective Onboarding and Training
Once a new salesperson is hired, the sales manager’s development responsibilities begin immediately with onboarding. The first ninety days are a critical period that can determine a new hire’s long-term success and tenure. A structured, comprehensive onboarding program is essential to get the new rep ramped up and productive as quickly as possible. A poor onboarding experience leaves new hires feeling confused, unsupported, and overwhelmed.
The manager is responsible for overseeing this entire process. This includes foundational training on several key areas. First is product knowledge; the rep must understand what they are selling inside and out, including its features, benefits, and competitive positioning. Second is process training; the rep must learn the company’s specific sales methodology, sales stages, and rules of engagement.
Third, and critically, is systems training. The manager must ensure the new hire is proficient in all the tools they will be expected to use, especially the CRM. They must learn how to log activities, manage their pipeline, and find the information they need. Finally, onboarding should include “culture” training, integrating them with the team and helping them understand the team’s values and norms.
This training does not end after the first month. The sales manager is responsible for continuous skill development for their entire team, not just the new hires. This involves organizing regular training sessions, perhaps on a new negotiation tactic, a product update, or a new sales tool. They are constantly looking for ways to upskill their team.
Motivating and Inspiring the Sales Team
Sales is a uniquely challenging profession. It is a rollercoaster of emotional highs and lows, filled with rejection, pressure, and stress. A salesperson might face nine rejections in a row before getting one “yes.” Because of this, motivation is a critical, and often delicate, component of a sales manager’s job. They must be the team’s chief motivational officer.
This responsibility goes far beyond just the commission check. While financial compensation is a primary driver, it is often not enough to sustain high performance over the long term. A great sales manager understands the different intrinsic motivators of their team members. Some reps are driven by public recognition, others by competition, and others by a sense of purpose or mastery.
The manager must create a positive, energetic, and supportive work environment. This involves recognizing and celebrating achievements, both big and small. They might ring a bell for a closed deal, give shout-outs in team meetings, or run friendly competitions. This public praise fosters a culture of success and makes people feel valued.
At the same time, the manager must be an empathetic leader. When a rep is in a slump, a good manager does not just apply more pressure. They act as a support system, listening to the rep’s frustrations, reminding them of their past successes, and working with them to build a plan to get back on track. This balance of encouragement, support, and accountability is key to maintaining a motivated team.
Creating a Winning Sales Culture
The sales manager is the primary architect and guardian of the team’s culture. The “sales culture” is the set of shared values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that define the team’s environment. This culture can be the team’s greatest asset or its worst liability. A winning culture is one of high energy, collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement. A toxic culture is one of fear, infighting, or complacency.
The manager sets the tone for this culture every single day through their own actions. They must lead by example. If the manager wants a culture of accountability, they must be accountable themselves. If they want a culture of positivity, they must remain positive and resilient in the face of setbacks. The team will always mirror the behavior and attitude of its leader.
A strong culture is built intentionally. The manager fosters collaboration by encouraging reps to share best practices and help each other with difficult deals, rather than hoarding information. They promote a growth mindset by treating failures as learning opportunities, not as reasons for punishment. They create a culture of transparency by communicating openly about team goals, company performance, and any upcoming changes.
This positive and professional environment becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. A winning culture not only elevates the performance of the current team, but it also helps to attract other high-performing salespeople. Top talent wants to be part of a thriving, supportive, and successful team, making the manager’s job of recruiting much easier.
Performance Reviews and Feedback
A formal system for managing performance is a cornerstone of effective sales leadership. While daily coaching is informal and ongoing, formal performance reviews provide a structured opportunity to discuss a sales representative’s performance over a set period, such as a quarter or a year. The sales manager is responsible for conducting these reviews in a fair, constructive, and thorough manner.
A good performance review should never contain surprises. If the manager has been coaching effectively, the rep should already be well aware of their strengths and their areas for improvement. The review is a formal documentation of these conversations, grounded in objective data. The manager uses the KPIs and sales results tracked over the period as the foundation for the discussion.
During the review, the manager provides balanced feedback. They start by recognizing and celebrating the rep’s specific achievements and contributions. They then clearly and respectfully identify the areas where the rep did not meet expectations. For these areas, the manager does not just criticize; they work with the rep to build a tangible plan for improvement.
These reviews are also a two-way conversation. The manager should ask the rep for feedback on their own performance as a leader. What could the manager do to provide better support? What obstacles can the manager remove? This process ensures the rep feels heard and reinforces the manager’s role as a partner in their success, not just a judge.
Managing Underperformance
One of the most difficult, but necessary, parts of a sales manager’s job is addressing underperformance. It can be tempting to avoid these difficult conversations, but failing to act is detrimental to the entire team. It sends a message that mediocrity is acceptable, which demotivates the high performers who are working hard to meet their goals. It also consumes the manager’s time and energy, which could be spent coaching the “B-players” into “A-players.”
When a manager identifies a rep who is consistently failing to meet targets, they must intervene early and decisively. The first step is to diagnose the root cause of the problem. Is it a skill issue? A motivation issue? An organizational obstacle? The manager must investigate by reviewing their activity metrics, listening to their calls, and having an open, honest conversation.
Once the cause is identified, the manager must co-create a “Performance Improvement Plan” or PIP. This is a formal document that clearly outlines the specific areas of underperformance, the tangible, measurable goals the rep must achieve, and the timeframe they have to achieve them (e.g., 30, 60, or 90 days). The plan also details the extra support and training the manager will provide.
This plan provides absolute clarity for the rep. It gives them a fair opportunity to turn their performance around. If the rep successfully meets the plan’s goals, it is a win for everyone. If they fail, the manager has a clear, documented, and fair process to follow, which may ultimately lead to terminating the employee. Handling this process professionally is a true test of a manager’s leadership.
Fostering Team Cohesion and Communication
The sales manager is responsible for making the team feel like a team, rather than just a collection of individuals working in silos. While sales can be a very independent role, fostering a sense of cohesion and collaboration can significantly improve results. A team that communicates well shares best practices, helps each other out, and builds a stronger, more resilient culture.
The primary tool for this is the “sales meeting.” The manager must plan and lead regular team meetings that are engaging, informative, and valuable. A bad sales meeting is a one-way monologue where the manager just reads off numbers and pressures the team. A good sales meeting is an interactive forum for an-energetic.
In these meetings, the manager might facilitate a “win of the week” session, where a rep shares a recent success and the strategy they used. They might run a role-playing session to practice handling a new objection. They might invite a guest speaker from the marketing or product department to share updates. The goal is to make the meeting a time of learning and connection.
Beyond formal meetings, the manager encourages open lines of communication. They might use a team chat channel for quick updates and to celebrate wins in real-time. They also facilitate communication between their team and other departments, ensuring that salespeople know who to talk to in marketing, finance, or support to get the answers they need to move their deals forward.
The Skillset of an Effective Leader
A successful sales manager requires a diverse and sophisticated set of skills. This skill set is markedly different from that of a frontline salesperson. While a salesperson excels in execution and individual contribution, a manager must excel in leadership, strategy, and multiplication of effort. These skills can be broadly grouped into several categories: strategic skills, analytical skills, technical skills, and, perhaps most importantly, interpersonal and leadership skills.
This first part of our skills discussion will focus on the foundational, high-level competencies that form the bedrock of a sales manager’s ability to lead. These are the skills that allow them to build a vision, create a plan, and communicate that plan in a way that inspires their team to act. They include true leadership, advanced communication, strategic thinking, and a sharp analytical mind. Without these core skills, a manager cannot effectively deploy the more specific, technical skills of the job.
It is important to note that these skills are not innate; they are developed over time through experience, mentorship, and a commitment to continuous learning. The best sales managers are perpetual students of their craft, always working to sharpen their abilities in these key areas. They understand that their team’s performance is a direct reflection of their own leadership competence.
Leadership: The Core Competency
The most crucial skill, which underpins all others, is leadership. Leadership is the intangible ability to inspire, motivate, and guide a team toward a common goal. It is distinct from “management,” which is about organizing tasks and processes. A sales manager must be both a manager and a leader. They manage the pipeline, but they lead the people.
Strong leadership is about providing a clear vision and direction. The team must understand the “why” behind their targets. The manager must be able to articulate how the team’s hard work contributes to the organization’s larger mission. This sense of purpose is a powerful motivator that goes beyond a simple commission check.
Leadership is also about setting a high standard and leading by example. A sales manager cannot expect their team to be professional, resilient, and accountable if they do not embody those traits themselves. They must be the most positive and resilient person in the room, especially when the team is facing setbacks. They take responsibility for the team’s failures and give credit to the team for its successes.
This skill also encompasses the ability to make tough decisions. A sales leader must decide how to allocate resources, when to walk away from a bad deal, and how to manage underperformance. They must do so with fairness, transparency, and confidence, earning the trust and respect of their team.
Verbal Communication and Presentation Skills
A sales manager must be an exceptional communicator. They are a central hub of information, and their ability to convey that information clearly and persuasively is paramount. This starts with their one-on-one verbal communication with their team members. They must be able to give coaching feedback that is specific, actionable, and constructive, without demoralizing the recipient.
This skill extends to their presentation abilities. The sales manager is responsible for leading team meetings, presenting performance reports to senior leadership, and sometimes joining their reps on high-stakes sales presentations to key clients. In each of these scenarios, they must be able to command a room, structure a compelling narrative, and communicate with clarity and confidence.
When presenting to their team, they must be engaging and motivational. When presenting to leadership, they must be concise, data-driven, and strategic. When presenting to a client, they must be polished, credible, and customer-focused. This ability to adapt their communication style to different audiences is a hallmark of an advanced leader.
Clear verbal skills also prevent ambiguity. A manager who gives vague instructions or sets unclear expectations will create a team that is confused and inefficient. An effective manager ensures that every team member knows exactly what is expected of them, what the team’s goals are, and how their performance is being measured.
Written Communication Skills
While verbal skills are often emphasized in sales, written communication is an equally critical, and often underdeveloped, skill for sales managers. A significant portion of their day is spent communicating through email, in the CRM, in chat applications, and in formal reports. Clarity and professionalism in their writing are essential.
When communicating with their team, a manager’s written instructions must be clear and unambiguous. This could involve an email detailing a new commission plan, a memo outlining a change in sales strategy, or a feedback summary following a performance review. Poorly written communication can lead to confusion, mistakes, and frustration.
This skill is even more critical when communicating with senior leadership. The sales manager is responsible for writing regular reports and updates on team performance. These documents must be professional, concise, and data-driven. A manager who can clearly summarize their team’s results, analyze key trends, and articulate their strategic plan in writing will be perceived as far more competent and credible by executives.
Finally, the manager often drafts or reviews customer-facing documents, such as sales proposals or follow-up emails for major deals. Their ability to write persuasively and professionally can directly impact the team’s ability to win business. They must be able to coach their team on how to improve their own written communication with clients.
The Power of Active Listening
Perhaps the most overlooked component of communication is active listening. In a high-pressure sales environment, it is easy to focus on what you are going to say next rather than what the other person is actually saying. An effective sales manager must be a world-class listener. This skill is vital in all their interactions: with their team, with their leadership, and with customers.
When coaching a team member, active listening allows the manager to truly understand the root cause of a problem. A rep might say they are “in a slump,” but an active listener will hear the frustration, fear, or burnout behind those words. They will ask probing, open-ended questions to uncover the real issue, rather than just jumping in with a generic solution like “make more calls.”
When talking to customers, active listening is the key to understanding their true needs, motivations, and pain points. A manager who models this skill teaches their team to stop “pitching” and start “consulting.” This is the foundation of a value-driven, successful sales methodology.
Finally, when receiving feedback from their own team or their superiors, active listening demonstrates humility and “coachability.” A manager who listens defensively will quickly lose the respect of their team. A manager who actively listens to feedback and acts on it creates a culture of trust and continuous improvement.
Strategic Thinking and Planning
A sales manager cannot just be a good people-person; they must also be a sharp strategic thinker. Strategic thinking is the ability to see the “big picture,” to understand the complex interplay of market forces, and to create a long-term plan for success. It is the skill of “playing chess, not checkers.”
This starts with developing the sales strategy. The manager must analyze the market, the competition, and the company’s own strengths to decide where the team should focus its efforts. Should they target a new industry? Should they focus on upselling existing customers? Should they lead with a new product? These are strategic decisions that have a massive impact on the team’s results.
Strategic planning also involves resource allocation. The manager has a finite amount of resources—including their team’s time, the company’s budget, and their own attention. They must strategically decide how to deploy these resources for maximum return. This might mean assigning their top salesperson to the highest-potential territory or investing in a new sales tool that will automate administrative work.
A strategic manager is always thinking one or two quarters ahead. While the team is focused on hitting the current month’s quota, the manager is already planning how they will hit their number six months from now. This forward-looking perspective is what separates a reactive “firefighter” from a proactive, strategic leader.
Analytical and Data-Driven Decision Making
In the modern sales world, intuition is no longer enough. The best sales managers are highly analytical and use data to make informed decisions. The sales function produces a massive amountof data, from CRM entries and call logs to win-loss reports. A key skill is the ability to analyze this data to find actionable insights.
This analytical skill is applied to all aspects of the job. In performance management, the manager analyzes a rep’s KPIs to pinpoint specific weaknesses. For example, they do not just see that a rep’s revenue is low; they see that their “demo-to-close” conversion rate is half the team average, which indicates a specific problem with their closing skills.
In sales forecasting, the manager uses historical data and pipeline conversion rates to create a forecast that is based on statistical probability, not just on a rep’s “gut feeling.” This makes their forecast far more accurate and reliable.
This skill also applies to sales strategy. The manager analyzes win-loss reports to understand why the team is winning and why it is losing. Are they losing to a specific competitor? Are they losing on price? Are they losing in a certain industry? By analyzing the data, the manager can spot these trends and make strategic adjustments, such as refining the sales pitch or providing the team with new competitive “battle cards.”
Business Acumen
Business acumen is the keen understanding of how a business operates and makes money. A sales manager cannot be effective if they only understand the sales department. They must understand how their team’s actions impact the entire organization, including marketing, product, finance, and operations.
A manager with strong business acumen can speak the language of other departments. They can have an intelligent conversation with the finance department about profit margins and customer acquisition costs, not just about top-line revenue. They can provide the product team with insightful, prioritized feedback from customers that is tied to business opportunities.
This holistic understanding allows them to make better decisions for the company, not just for their team. For example, they might coach their team to not sell to a certain type of customer, even if it is an easy sale, because they know that customer profile has a high churn rate and is ultimately unprofitable for the business.
This skill also builds credibility with senior leadership. When a manager can demonstrate that they understand the company’s overall business objectives and are aligning their team’s strategy accordingly, they earn a “seat at the table” and are seen as a true business partner, not just a sales leader. This is essential for long-term career advancement.
Adaptability and Change Management
In today’s fast-paced business environment, change is the only constant. New competitors enter the market, customer preferences evolve, new technologies are introduced, and economic conditions shift. A sales manager must possess a high degree of adaptability and be able to lead their team through these changes effectively. A manager who is rigid and resistant to change will quickly find their strategies are obsolete.
Adaptability is the ability to adjust the sales strategy and team’s approach in response to new information. If a key competitor slashes their prices, the sales manager must quickly devise a new plan, perhaps by retraining the team to sell on value rather than price. If a new market opportunity emerges, they must be flexible enough to pivot resources to capture it.
Even more challenging is “change management.” This is the skill of guiding the team through a change, such as the implementation of a new CRM system or a reorganization of sales territories. People are naturally resistant to changes that disrupt their workflow. The manager must be ableto “sell” the change internally.
This involves clearly communicating the “why” behind the change, explaining the benefits to the team, and providing the necessary training and support. They must listen to the team’s concerns, show empathy, and manage the transition process smoothly. A manager who can champion change rather than resist it will maintain a competitive and resilient team.
Technological Proficiency and CRM Mastery
The modern sales manager must be technologically proficient. The sales technology “stack” has become increasingly complex, with tools for everything from prospecting and email automation to call recording and data analysis. At the center of this stack is the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. A sales manager cannot be effective without being a power-user and champion of their CRM.
CRM mastery means understanding the system’s capabilities far beyond just a digital address book. The manager must know how to build custom reports, create dashboards to track KPIs, and use the data to analyze pipeline health. They are responsible for ensuring the entire team uses the CRM consistently, as the “garbage in, garbage out” principle applies. If the data is bad, the manager’s forecasts and strategic insights will be worthless.
This proficiency extends to other sales tools. They must understand how sales automation platforms can make their team more efficient. They should leverage conversation intelligence software to review calls and provide better coaching. They are responsible for evaluating new technologies and making a business case for tools that will provide a strong return on investment.
This technical skill is not about being an IT expert. It is about understanding how to leverage technology as a strategic asset to make the sales process more efficient, more measurable, and more effective. A manager who ignores technology will be leading a team that is outgunned and inefficient.
Time Management and Prioritization
A sales manager’s job is a constant barrage of interruptions, requests, and competing priorities. On any given day, they may have to deal with a customer escalation, a rep needing coaching, a report due for leadership, and an urgent hiring need, all while trying to strategize for the next quarter. Without exceptional time management and prioritization skills, they will drown in the “urgent” and never get to the “important.”
Effective prioritization is the key. The manager must be ableto quickly assess every task and decide where it falls on the “urgent vs. important” matrix. Coaching their team is “important.” Answering a random internal email is often “urgent” but not important. A great manager ruthlessly protects their time for the high-leverage activities that truly drive results: coaching, recruiting, and strategizing.
This involves effective delegation. A new manager, especially one promoted from a rep role, often tries to do everything themselves. A skilled manager knows how to delegate tasks that are not the best use of their time. This might involve giving a senior rep responsibility for helping to onboard new hires or assigning administrative tasks to a sales operations team.
This skill also means managing the team’s time. The manager is responsible for running meetings that are efficient, focused, and have a clear purpose. They teach their team how to prioritize their own day, focusing on “revenue-generating activities.” By mastering their own time, they model an essential skill for their entire team.
Problem-Solving Skills
A sales manager is, at their core, a problem-solver. Each day presents a new set of complex challenges. A key deal is stalled. A top rep is in a slump. The marketing department is not sending enough qualified leads. The product is missing a key feature a competitor has. The manager’s job is to analyze these problems, identify the root cause, and devise a solution.
This requires a structured and analytical approach. A good manager does not just react; they investigate. If a deal is stalled, they will ask their rep a seriesof probing questions: “Who is the decision-maker? What is their primary objection? What is our action plan?” They help the rep diagnose the problem and brainstorm a path forward.
This skill is also critical for inter-departmental issues. If the lead quality from marketing is poor, an ineffective manager will just complain. An effective manager will schedule a meeting with the marketing leader, bringing data to the conversation. They will show why the leads are not qualified and work with marketing to find a collaborative solution, such as refining the definition of a “marketing-qualified lead.”
They must be resourceful and creative, finding solutions even when there is no clear playbook. This “figure it out” mentality is what separates proactive managers from reactive ones. They see obstacles as puzzles to be solved, not as roadblocks.
Negotiation and Persuasion
While a sales manager may not be the primary person negotiating and closing deals anymore, they must still be a master of negotiation and persuasion. These skills are now applied in a different context: internally. A sales manager is constantly “selling” their ideas to their team, their peers, and their leadership.
They must persuade their team to adopt a new sales process or to trust in a new strategy, even if it is uncomfortable at first. They must motivate their reps to push a little harder at the end of the quarter. They are the team’s chief advocate and must negotiate internally for what their team needs.
This might mean negotiating with the finance department for a better commission plan, with the product team to get a key feature prioritized, or with the marketing team for a larger budget for a trade show. In each of these cases, the manager must build a strong, data-driven business case and persuasively present their argument.
They also act as a coach for their team on high-stakes negotiations. When a rep is dealing with a difficult procurement department or a client demanding a steep discount, the manager will step in to help strategize. They will role-play the conversation, provide tactics, and sometimes join the call as the “senior” presence to help get the deal across the line on favorable terms.
Customer Relationship Management Skills
While a sales manager delegates most day-to-day customer interactions to their reps, they are ultimately responsible for the health of the team’s client relationships. This requires a high-level, strategic approach to customer relationship management. The manager must ensure their team is not just focused on “hunting” new business, but also on “farming” and nurturing existing accounts.
This skill is particularly important for key accounts. The manager will often act as the “executive sponsor” for the company’s largest and most strategic clients. They will build relationships with senior-level executives at those client companies. This ensures the relationship is not dependent on a single sales rep and provides a high-level channel for strategic communication.
A manager with strong CRM skills also knows how to leverage customer relationships for growth. They coach their team to conduct regular quarterly business reviews, to ask for referrals, and to identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities. They are focused on maximizing the long-term lifetime value of a customer, not just the initial transaction.
This skill also involves being the final escalation point. When a key customer is unhappy and threatening to leave, the manager must have the poise and skill to step in, listen to their concerns, and manage the situation to a positive resolution. This ability to save a critical relationship is an invaluable managerial skill.
Empathy and Emotional Intelligence
Finally, a sales manager must possess high emotional intelligence, or EQ. Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions, and to recognize and influence the emotions of others. In a high-stress, high-rejection field like sales, EQ is arguably more important than IQ. A manager with high EQ can build a team that is resilient, trusting, and psychologically safe.
Empathy is the cornerstone of EQ. It is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. An empathetic manager understands the pressure their reps are under. When a rep loses a big deal, an empathetic manager does not yell; they listen, validate their feelings, and then help them analyze what they can learn from the experience. This approach builds loyalty and resilience.
High EQ also means being self-aware. The manager must recognize their own emotional triggers. If they are feeling stressed about hitting the team’s number, they must know how to manage that emotion so they do not pass their panic on to their team. The team needs their leader to be a “thermostat, not a thermometer”—someone who sets the emotional temperature, rather than just reflecting it.
This skill is the “glue” that holds all the others together. It allows the manager to communicate more effectively, coach more compassionately, and build stronger, more trusting relationships with their team, their peers, and their customers. A technically brilliant manager with low EQ will almost always fail as a leader.
The Typical Career Trajectory
The path to becoming a sales manager is rarely a direct-entry position. It is a leadership role that requires a significant foundation of in-the-field experience. The most common and traditional trajectory begins with a role as a frontline sales representative. This is where individuals learn the fundamentals of the sales profession from the ground up.
An individual will typically start as a Sales Development Representative (SDR) or Business Development Representative (BDR), focusing on prospecting and qualifying leads. From there, they advance to a closing role, suchas an Account Executive or Account Manager, where they are responsible for the full sales cycle and carry their own individual quota.
After several years of consistent, high-level performance as an individual contributor, a salesperson may be promoted to a “team lead” or “senior” role. This is often a hybrid position where they still carry a quota but also take on informal leadership responsibilities, such as mentoring new hires or assisting the manager with pipeline reviews.
The final step is the formal promotion to Sales Manager. This transition moves them officially out of an individual contributor role and into a full-time management position, where their compensation and success are tied to the performance of the team they lead. This progression ensures that the manager has a deep, practical understanding of the job they are asking their team to do.
Gaining the Right Field Experience
Simply being a salesperson for several years is not enough to qualify for a management role. The quality and nature of that experience are what truly matter. To be considered for a promotion, a sales representative must first demonstrate mastery of their current role. This means consistently meeting or exceeding their sales targets. No company will promote a struggling rep to lead others.
Beyond just hitting their numbers, an aspiring manager must demonstrate that they are a team player. They should be the person who willingly shares their best practices, helps new hires, and contributes positively to the team’s culture. They must show that they are motivated by team success, not just their own commission check.
A crucial way to gain relevant experience is to proactively seek out leadership opportunities. This might involve volunteering to mentor a junior rep or offering to lead a training session on a topic they excel at. They can ask their current manager for “stretch projects,” such as helping to analyze a new market segment or test a new sales tool.
This “acting like a manager before you are one” approach serves two purposes. First, it provides a safe environment to practice and develop essential management skills like coaching and strategic thinking. Second, it demonstrates to senior leadership that the individual has the aptitude and ambition for a leadership role, making them the obvious choice when a position opens up.
Educational Foundations and Qualifications
While hands-on experience is the most important qualification, a solid educational foundation can provide a significant advantage. Many companies prefer their sales managers to have at least a bachelor’s degree. Common and relevant fields of study include business administration, marketing, finance, or communications.
A business or marketing degree provides a solid theoretical understanding of how organizations work, how to analyze markets, and the principles of management. This academic knowledge can be a powerful complement to the practical skills learned in the field. It helps an aspiring manager think more strategically and understand the “why” behind business decisions.
In recent years, formal education in sales has become more common. Some universities now offer specialized sales programs or certifications. These programs teach advanced sales methodologies, negotiation tactics, sales management principles, and the use of sales technology. Pursuing such a certification can show a strong commitment to the sales profession.
However, it is important to state that experience often trumps education in this field. A candidate with a ten-year track record of sales excellence and demonstrated leadership potential will almost always be chosen over a candidate with a master’s degree but no real-world sales experience. The degree is a foundation, not a substitute for field-tested skill.
The Importance of Continuous Learning
The sales profession is in a constant state of evolution. New technologies, new buyer behaviors, and new sales methodologies emerge every year. A sales manager who stops learning will quickly find their skills and strategies are outdated. Therefore, a commitment to continuous learning is a vital trait for success.
This learning can take many forms. A successful sales manager is almost always a voracious reader. They read books on sales, leadership, psychology, and business strategy. They follow industry-leading blogs and publications to stay current on emerging trends. They listen to podcasts featuring other successful sales leaders.
Professional development courses are also crucial. Many organizations offer specialized training workshops or certifications in sales management. These programs can sharpen a manager’s skills in specific areas like coaching, forecasting, or strategic account management. Attending industry conferences is another way to learn from peers and experts.
This commitment to learning also extends to technology. The sales manager must stay up-to-date on the latest sales tools. They should be actively exploring new CRM features, automation platforms, and analytics tools that can give their team a competitive edge. This “growth mindset” is essential for long-term effectiveness in the role.
Building a Strong Professional Network
For an aspiring or current sales manager, building a strong professional network is invaluable. This network serves as a source of knowledge, a support system, and a pipeline for future opportunities. The sales world can be demanding, and having a group of peers to share challenges and best practices with is a significant advantage.
This network should be built both internally and externally. Internally, an aspiring manager should build strong, collaborative relationships with leaders in other departments, such as marketing, product, and finance. This cross-functional network will be essential when they become a manager and need to work with these departments to get things done.
Externally, they should connect with other sales managers and leaders in their industry. This can be done through professional networking sites, by attending local industry meetups, or by joining professional organizations. This external network provides a “sounding board” outside of their own company.
This network is also a key part of career progression. Many sales management positions are filled through referrals. A strong reputation and a wide network mean that an individual is more likely to hear about opportunities and to be recommended for them. It also becomes a critical talent pool; managers often hire the best people from their own trusted networks.
Making the Transition: Key Challenges
The transition from being a top sales rep to a new sales manager is notoriously difficult. Many new managers fail within their first eighteen months because they are unprepared for the profound changes in the role. One of the biggest challenges is the shift in identity. Their success is no longer measured by their own “wins.” They must learn to delegate, and they often struggle to “let go.”
Another major challenge is time management. A rep’s day is relatively structured: prospect, demo, follow-up, close. A manager’s day is chaotic, reactive, and filled with meetings, administrative tasks, and interruptions. Learning to prioritize and manage this new workflow is a significant hurdle.
Perhaps the most difficult challenge is managing former peers. It can be very awkward to suddenly be the boss of people who were, just last week, your teammates and friends. The new manager must learn how to establish authority, have difficult performance conversations, and make unbiased decisions, all while maintaining a positive relationship. This requires a new level of maturity and professionalism.
Conclusion
Succeeding as a sales manager requires a long-term focus on three key areas: the team, the process, and the strategy. First and foremost, a successful manager is a “servant leader.” They understand that their primary job is to serve their team, to remove obstacles, and to provide them with the coaching, tools, and motivation they need to be successful. They put their team’s success ahead of their own.
Second, they are disciplined process managers. They do not just rely on “hero” reps. They build, implement, and continuously refine a scalable, repeatable sales process. They are masters of the CRM, and they use data to make every stage of the sales funnel more efficient and more effective. This process-driven approach is what creates predictable, sustainable revenue.
Third, they are always thinking strategically. They are not just focused on this month’s quota; they are looking at the next quarter and the next year. They understand the market, they know their competitors, and they are always adjusting their strategy to maintain a competitive advantage.
Ultimately, flexibility, adaptability, and a genuine passion for developing people are the key traits for success. The field of sales is always changing, and the best managers are the ones who are humble enough to keep learning and agile enough to adapt.