Sales Manager

Typical Salary

£22,000 To £70,000

Typical Hours

38 to 40 a week

evenings / weekends attending events or appointments

How To Become a Sales Manager

You can get into this job through:

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

College / University

You could do a degree before joining a company as a graduate management trainee. Subjects include:

sales and marketing management
business management
retail marketing

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

Apprenticeship

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

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

Routes into this Career

Routes into this Career are not listed for this job.

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.

Other Routes

You could take a professional qualification like those offered by the Institute of Sales Management.

Qualifications include:

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

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

Day To Day Tasks

In your day-to-day duties you might:

recruit and train sales staff
allocate areas to sales reps
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 & Progression

Career Path & Progression are not listed for this job.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

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 becoming a sales manager through the Institute of Sales Management.

Restrictions & Requirements

Restrictions & Requirements are not listed for this job.