Being a sales manager isn’t just about closing deals—it’s about setting goals, and driving business growth.
As a sales manager, your role is crucial in shaping the success of your company.
From developing strategies to motivating your team, sales managers wear many hats to ensure targets are met and customers stay happy.
In this article, we’ll break down the top roles and responsibilities of a sales manager, helping you understand what it takes to thrive in this position and keep customers happy and returning.
Top 11 Sales Manager Roles and Responsibilities
- Setting sales targets and goals
- Developing sales strategies and plans
- Managing and leading the sales team
- Training, and mentoring sales representatives
- Monitoring sales performance and analyzing metrics
- Building and maintaining customer relationships
- Collaborating with other departments (e.g., marketing, finance)
- Forecasting sales and market trends
- Ensuring customer satisfaction and addressing complaints
- Managing budgets and resources effectively
- Staying updated on industry trends and competitors
1. Setting sales targets and goals
Setting sales targets and goals is one of the key sales manager roles and responsibilities because it gives the sales team a clear direction and something to work towards.
Without goals, the team wouldn’t know what success looks like or how to measure their progress. Good sales targets help keep everyone focused, motivated, and accountable.
Practical example:
Imagine a sales manager at a software company sets a goal for the team to sell 100 subscriptions in the next quarter.
They break this down further by assigning each salesperson a target of 25 subscriptions.
This way, everyone knows their individual goal and can plan their efforts accordingly, such as reaching out to more leads or improving their sales pitch.
Tool(s): Use Call tracking– a feature of a Virtual phone number, to measure how well the sales targets that were set were achieved
2. Developing sales strategies and plans
Developing sales strategies and plans is an important responsibility of a sales manager because it helps the team know how to achieve their sales goals. A good strategy outlines the steps and methods the team should follow to attract customers, close deals, and increase revenue.
It includes things like identifying the right target audience, choosing the best sales channels, and deciding how to approach potential customers. Without a solid plan, the team might waste time and effort on the wrong activities.
Practical example:
Suppose a sales manager at a clothing brand wants to boost online sales.
They create a strategy that includes offering discounts to first-time buyers, running social media ads targeting young adults, and partnering with influencers to promote products.
This plan gives the sales team a clear roadmap to follow and increases their chances of success.
Tool(s): Call tracking also helps measure sales conversion and identify the strategy that needs to be adjusted
3. Managing and leading the sales team
Managing and leading the sales team is another one of the key sales manager roles and responsibilities because it ensures that everyone is working together effectively to achieve sales goals.
A good sales manager provides guidance, support, and motivation to help the team perform at their best.
This includes organizing team meetings, solving problems, and making sure each salesperson knows their role and responsibilities. Without strong leadership, the team might feel lost or unmotivated.
Practical example:
Imagine a sales manager at a tech company notices that their team is struggling to meet monthly targets.
They step in by organizing a team meeting to discuss challenges, provide tips on improving sales techniques, and introduce a small incentive program to reward top performers.
This motivates the team and helps them refocus on their goals.
Tool(s): Again, call tracking helps you track the KPIs of your sales team based on call duration and customer satisfaction levels.
4. Training, and mentoring sales representatives
Training and mentoring sales representatives is an important responsibility of a sales manager because it helps the team develop the skills they need to sell effectively.
A good sales manager provides guidance, teaches new techniques, and helps sales reps improve their performance over time.
This can include regular training sessions, one-on-one coaching, and giving feedback to help them grow. Without proper training and mentoring, sales reps might struggle to close deals or handle customer objections.
Practical example:
Suppose a sales manager at a real estate agency notices that new team members are having trouble convincing potential buyers.
The manager organizes a training session to teach them better communication skills and shares tips on how to highlight key selling points of the properties.
They also mentor them by providing feedback after customer interactions, helping them improve with each sale.
Tool(s): Leverage call recording to review conversations between your sales team and clients, make your observations and suggest improvements.
5. Monitoring sales performance and analyzing metrics
Monitoring sales performance and analyzing metrics is another one of the important sales manager roles and responsibilities because it helps track progress and identify areas for improvement.
By looking at key numbers—such as total sales, conversion rates, and customer feedback—a sales manager can see what’s working and what needs to change.
This allows them to make better decisions, adjust strategies, and help the team stay on track to meet their goals.
Without tracking performance, it’s hard to know if the team is succeeding or falling behind.
Practical example:
Imagine a sales manager at an online store checks the team’s monthly sales reports and notices that many potential customers are abandoning their carts before checkout.
By analyzing this data, they realize that the checkout process is too complicated.
The manager works with the team to simplify it, leading to an increase in completed purchases and better sales performance.
Tool(s): Call tracking also helps you understand what marketing strategy drove the most conversions and identify the strategy that needs to be adjusted
Boost your Sales Conversions with PressOne!
PressOne is your surest bet for boosting sales conversions and keeping your customers happy and coming back.
Here are the benefits you get to enjoy with PressOne features as a sales manager:
- Welcome greetings: Make a stellar first impression, greet customers with a customizable professional greeting
- Call Routing/IVR: Route customers instantly to other sales representatives or to another staff or department based on their requests
- Call Tracking: Track the KPIs of each sales representative easily based on the performance of their calls
- Call Notes: Leave notes as comments on calls for review and training
- Call Recording: Review interactions between customers and sales staff to improve their sales script
- Call Analytics: Understand your call patterns- learn when customers call the most and make staff always available based on this- never miss a sale
Ready to boost your sales conversions?
6. Building and maintaining customer relationships
Building and maintaining customer relationships is an important responsibility of a sales manager because happy customers are more likely to stay loyal and recommend the business to others.
A good sales manager ensures that customers feel valued by staying in touch, addressing their concerns, and offering solutions that meet their needs.
Strong relationships help build trust and lead to repeat business. Without good customer relationships, a company might lose customers to competitors.
Practical example:
Imagine a sales manager at a software company regularly checks in with existing clients to see if they are satisfied with the product.
They send personalized emails, offer special discounts, and quickly solve any issues the clients face.
As a result, customers feel valued and are more likely to renew their subscriptions and refer others.
7. Collaborating with other departments (e.g., marketing, finance)
Collaborating with other departments, like marketing and finance, is one of the top sales manager roles and responsibilities because it helps ensure that everyone is working towards the same goals.
The sales team needs support from other departments to succeed—marketing helps bring in leads, finance sets budgets, and customer service handles support.
By working together, the business can run smoothly and grow faster. Without good collaboration, there can be confusion and missed opportunities.
Practical example:
Imagine a sales manager at a fitness equipment company works closely with the marketing team to create a special promotion for a new product.
The marketing team runs ads and social media campaigns, while the sales team follows up with interested customers.
At the same time, the finance department ensures the pricing is profitable.
This teamwork helps the company attract more customers and increase sales.
8. Forecasting sales and market trends
Forecasting sales and market trends is an important responsibility of a sales manager because it helps the company prepare for the future.
By looking at past sales data and market trends, a sales manager can predict how much the team is likely to sell in the coming months.
This helps in planning inventory, setting realistic goals, and making smart business decisions.
Without good forecasting, the company might face problems like too much stock or missing sales opportunities.
Practical example:
Imagine a sales manager at a phone accessories company notices that demand for wireless earbuds increases before the holiday season every year.
Based on this trend, they forecast higher sales and work with the team to stock up on inventory and launch special offers.
As a result, they are well-prepared to meet customer demand and boost profits.
9. Ensuring customer satisfaction and addressing complaints
Ensuring customer satisfaction and addressing complaints is one of the most important sales manager roles and responsibilities because happy customers are more likely to return and recommend the business to others.
A sales manager needs to make sure that customers are pleased with the product or service and quickly handle any issues they may have.
Addressing complaints helps build trust and prevent negative experiences from affecting the business.
Without focusing on customer satisfaction, a company could lose customers and damage its reputation.
Practical example:
Imagine a sales manager at an electronics store receives feedback from a customer who is unhappy with a faulty product.
The manager personally reaches out to apologize, offers a replacement, and even provides a discount on the next purchase. By addressing the complaint quickly and professionally, the customer feels valued and is more likely to return and share a positive experience with others.
Tool(s): Leverage our Customer Relationship Management Software (CRM) to easily understand customer needs, preferences, behaviour and attend to their issues as possible.
10. Managing budgets and resources effectively
Managing budgets and resources effectively is an important responsibility of a sales manager because it ensures the team has what they need to succeed without overspending.
A sales manager must allocate the budget wisely, whether it’s for marketing campaigns, training, or tools to help the team sell better.
By using resources efficiently, the business can grow while keeping costs under control.
Without proper management, the company might waste money or not have enough to support important activities.
Practical example:
Imagine a sales manager at a car dealership is given a set budget for the quarter.
Instead of spending all of it on a single, large advertising campaign, the manager divides the budget to fund local ads, a special event, and new sales software.
This way, they reach more potential customers and improve team performance without exceeding the budget.
The result is better sales and a higher return on investment.
11. Staying updated on industry trends and competitors
Staying updated on industry trends and competitors is one of the underrated sales manager roles and responsibilities because it helps the business stay competitive and relevant.
By knowing what’s happening in the market, including new trends, technologies, or products, a sales manager can make smarter decisions and adjust strategies.
Keeping an eye on competitors also helps in understanding what they’re offering and finding ways to stand out.
Without this knowledge, the company might fall behind or miss opportunities.
Practical example:
Imagine a sales manager at a software company regularly checks what new features their competitors are adding to their products.
They notice that one competitor has introduced a new user-friendly interface.
The manager then works with the product team to improve their own software’s interface, giving their product a competitive edge and attracting more customers.
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