How to Become a Sales Manager

Who is a Sales Manager?

A sales manager plays the role of a leader and guides their team towards completing a task or reaching a goal. A group of sales people work under the sales manager who is in charge of keeping the team organised.

The  sales manager is in charge of setting the team’s sales goals and quotas. They also play a role in creating a sales plan, looking at the data from sales and creating an overall plan.

They work closely with their team to assign tasks and mentor sales people. Their organisational roles include assigning sales training and sales territories. They also play an important part in hiring the right people and also letting go of unsuitable employees.

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How to become a sales manager without degree

The field of sales management comes with many duties and tasks:

1. Their first duty is to their sales team. They oversee the tasks of their team and allot tasks and resources accordingly.
2. When a complaint is escalated, they take over from their sales people and resolve the issue. When a customer asks to ‘talk to the manager’, the call is usually forwarded to the sales manager.
3. They allot resources - both with manpower and with finances. They decide where funds will be utilised and create budgets for the same.
4. Sales managers use customer feedback and data from users to understand the preferences of customers.
5. They need to be able to analyse sales statistics and direct their efforts accordingly.
6. As their sales team is their priority, they must plan training programmes to ensure the team is up to date with sales tactics in order to meet sales quotas.
7. They are also the connection between the sales team and the upper management.

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How to become a sales manager without experience

A sales manager, above all else, must be a ‘people person’. As they are the leader of a team, they must be able to understand their subordinates, especially their strengths and weaknesses. Other skills also include:

1. Strong Analytical Skills

With every sales meeting or call, there is certain data that comes in. This data shows how sales people are conducting their calls. It also reflects the effectiveness of sales calls. A sales manager uses their analytical skills to look at the data and understand how their team is performing.

2. Ability to Plan

Once data is available, a sales manager can plan their resources appropriately. They know their team and numbers best and can create the most effective future plan going forward.

3. Effective Collaboration Skills

A sales manager needs to be able to work with individuals across the company to collaborate and ensure their team performs well. Teams across the board - such as the marketing and client services teams must work together to ensure success.

4. Can Delegate Easily

Team leaders often find themselves taking on the task of their team members instead of delegating. This type of micromanagement isn’t productive and a good team lead must learn to delegate. They should trust their teams enough to have faith in their work and abilities.

5. Great Communication Skills

Any good team leader needs to have impeccable communication skills. As they are the connection between the sales team and the upper management, they must maintain clarity. They must be calm and collected while working with both the teams.

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What Are the Benefits of Being a Sales Manager?

Sales managers are already at the top of their game, having reached a managerial position. However, there are some fruitful benefits of being in the position:

1. Chance for Upward Mobility

A sales manager does have the chance, through hard work and dedication, to rise to the role of Vice-President or eventually President too. They can also leverage their positions and salaries to get better jobs at bigger companies.

2. Opportunities for More Responsibilities

A high performing sales manager has the possibility of being promoted to an area sales manager or a regional sales manager as well.

3. Possibility to Earn Above Salary

Sales managers have the chance to earn commissions and bonuses above their salaries based on performances.

4. Expand Networks

There are interesting people at every turn for sales managers. A highly social job such as this makes for interesting interactions. A sales manager has the opportunity to expand their professional circle. This comes in handy later when they want to switch jobs or need professional advice or favours.

5. Demand for More Sales Managers

A skilled sales manager is in high demand and as such, competitive salaries are available for the role. If a candidate markets themselves well and aces interviews, they are on their way to a handsome salary package.

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How to Become a Sales Manager in India

Earlier, it was possible for candidates from an undergraduate degree such as a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) or a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) to find work as sales managers. However, with the increase in the demand for such individuals, companies now require most candidates to have an MBA as well. How to go about becoming a sales manager is charted out below.

Undergraduate Courses

Companies are increasingly preferring candidates with undergraduate backgrounds in a BBA or a B.Com along with an MBA. Some of the subjects studied in each of the degrees are:

Bachelor of Business Administration 

1. Management Concepts and Practices
2. Business Organisation
3. Fundamentals of Accounting
4. Business Communication
5. Management Accounting
6. Business Environment

Bachelor of Commerce

1. Financial Accounting
2. Business Environment
3. Business Laws
4. Corporate Accounting
5. Portfolio Management
6. Capital Markets

Best Colleges for Undergraduate Studies

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Postgraduate Courses

In order to move into the field of becoming a sales manager, companies are increasingly hiring MBA graduates. Here are a few things you should know about an MBA degree:

What is the Full Form of MBA?

The MBA full form is Master of Business Administration.

Is There Only One Type of MBA?

There are many types of MBA courses one can apply for, such as:

• MBA in Finance
• MBA in Marketing
• MBA in Human Resource Management
• MBA in International Business
• MBA in Rural Management

What Are Some of the Subjects in MBA?

There are some common subjects in the MBA syllabus. Some of the core subjects studied in an MBA degree are:

• Accounting and Financial Management
• Business Economics
• Corporate Finance
• Human Resource Management
• Leadership and Entrepreneurship

Some of the Best Colleges to Pursue an MBA

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Sales Manager Educational Qualification

Here are some of the fee breakdowns for courses (both undergraduate and postgraduate, including MBA fees) to become a sales manager:

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Loans for Sales Manager Courses

There are a variety of loans available for students wishing to study business/management courses or to cover MBA fees. Some of the banks and their loan rates are:

There are also organisations such as Propelld offering 100% digitised private student loans. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Sales Managers

What is the importance of sales management?

Sales managers are able to target profitable markets, customers, and schemes. This in turn, earns a company more profits and business. They also lead salespeople to achieve the best they can and ensure everything runs smoothly.

What can a person do after becoming a sales manager?

There is the chance to be promoted to have a wider umbrella of responsibilities for a sales manager. They can become an area manager and be in charge of more salespeople. They can also be promoted to regional manager and have the responsibility of having several area managers under them.

‍What is the salary of a sales manager?

The average salary of a sales manager, according to AmbitionBox, is ₹4.1 lakh per annum. However, salaries can go up to ₹14 lakh per annum as well.

‍Which industries need sales managers?

Almost every industry requires sales managers, with the top ones being:

• Technology and Software
• Healthcare
• Consumer Packaged Goods