Sales Management
Sales management is the process of achieving the sales goals through the activities of planning, training, staffing, leading, and controlling the sales force. Increasing sales productivity is an important part of an organization and the best person to do the job is a sales manager. Managing the sales department includes motivating sales executives to achieve sales target so that they can perform to their best.
Study of Sales Management includes marketability of the product and measures adopted to enhance sales. The institutes imparting training in sales management focus on subjects like Market Research, Advertising Management, Consumer behavior, Brand Management, Distribution Management, Industrial Marketing and International Marketing. The diploma programs are usually of 2 years duration while shorter courses range from six months to one year. Some institutes combine marketing with sales thereby making their students more marketable in the industry.
Small companies employ one or two sales managers while larger companies employ more sales mangers depending upon the level of sales operation.
Sales managers can find employment in any sector that requires a product or a service to be sold.
Profile of Sales Mangers:
- Train, direct, and supervise sales staff
- Sets goals and establishes territories, and quotas for sales workers
- Analyses the market and determines customer preferences
- Schedules prices of products and approves budgets for product development
- Performance appraisal of sales workers
- Represent their companies at trade association conventions and seminars
Skills of a Sales Manager:
- Strong leader
- Good with numbers
- Strong motivator
- Excellent team player and interpersonal skills
- Good report writing skills