Here’s Your One Stop Guide to Become a Sales Manager

Aren’t there some important advantages and perks to being a manager or boss in a reputable and expanding company? Although the renowned title comes with a lot of responsibility, it also comes with a lot of benefits too. The arrangements may differ from business to business, but most salesmen would leap at the opportunities to pick up on a leadership role or eventually become a sales manager. If you are searching for the right answer on how to become a sales manager, then you have just landed up at the right place. Here’s a step-by-step guide that will help aspirants to become sales managers!

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Who is a Sales Manager?

A sales manager is in charge of developing and guiding a company’s sales force. To help representatives’ professional growth and accomplish company objectives, they frequently set sales goals and arrange training programmes. Sales managers can work in business to business (B2B) sales, which involves selling products from one company to another, or in business to consumer (B2C) sales, which involves selling a company’s products/services to consumers.

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Job Role of a Sales Manager 

A sales manager’s regular tasks and responsibilities include the following:

• Managing the sales of the company and achieving the daily, bi-annual and annual targets
• Recruiting, hiring, and terminating employing members in the sales team
• Assigning sales regions to salespeople
• Setting sales quotas and assessing how well team members are meeting their objectives
• Organizing and directing sales training programmes
• Analyzing sales data to determine consumer preferences, inventory needs, and prospective sales
• Assessing the customer satisfaction levels and finding ways for improving them 
• Developing sales plans to identify sales objectives, target clients, and sales techniques
• Creating acquisition strategy for consumers or clients
• Collaborating on sales techniques with the marketing department

Skills Required to Become a Good Sales Manager

To become a sales manager, one must first grasp their work duties and designations, which may come in a variety of forms and sizes. Some of the basic attributes and career skills that enable a sales manager to function well are given below:

• Effective communication 
• Analytical thinking 
• Persuasive attitude 
• Goal-oriented 
• Strong leadership qualities 
• Resilience 
• Agility 
• Conflict management skills 
• Customer service skills 
• Attention to detail 

Step by Step Guide to Become a Sales Manager 

Given below is a detailed step-by-step guide that will help aspirants to become sales managers in future: 

Step 1: Choose Commerce Stream after Class 10th 

If you want to work as a sales manager one day, you should take and study commerce once you finish your 10th grade. Choosing the commerce stream after 10th grade will help you make up your decision early in life and will educate you on topics such as economics, sales, marketing, and more.

Step 2: Obtain a Relevant Bachelor’s Degree

Aspirants who want to be sales managers should seek a suitable degree after passing their 12th grade in commerce or any other subject. Candidates with a bachelor’s degree in sales and marketing or a related subject are preferred by most organisations. Marketing, accounting, economics, and finance are some of the subjects to look up to during your bachelor’s program. A bachelor’s degree normally takes 3-4 years to finish, and during that time you can gain the skills and knowledge required for entry-level sales positions.

Step 3: Gain Some Work Experience

As a student, you might wish to look for part-time work or internships to get essential or significant sales experience. Students can work as retail sales associates or sales interns to get customer service experience, or they can join a company’s sales team for a summer internship too. These experiences can help you prepare for entry-level sales positions and gauge your passion in the field.

Step 4: Apply for Entry-Level Roles 

Sales management isn’t an entry-level career, and hiring an inexperienced college graduate for one is highly unusual. Aspiring sales managers must obtain practical and industrial experience after graduating from university. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree, you can begin your career by applying for entry-level sales positions. As a sales representative or sales agent, you can begin your career where you can learn how to conduct the day-to-day tasks of sales employment in these positions, as well as gain experience that will help you lead teams as a sales manager. These encounters can also assist you in determining which parts of sales you love the most.

Step 5: Consider a Master’s Degree 

Although a master’s degree is not necessarily required of sales manager candidates, it may help you stand out from the crowd. A master’s degree, such as an MBA, MSc Marketing, MBA Marketing, PGDM, Digital Marketing or other equivalent degrees, usually takes 2 to 3 years to finish. The training in MBA programmes covers a wide range of business disciplines, including communication, management, strategic thinking, and entrepreneurship. This knowledge can help you improve your sales and management abilities. An MBA can show that you have the advanced qualifications needed to manage sales teams and direct and build plans when combined with your professional experience.

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Step 6: Understand the Importance of Professional Certifications 

Many sales managers pursue professional certification as a method to further their education and exhibit competence after getting their master’s degree. These certificates, which are offered through professional associations, are a peer-reviewed mark of distinction that may propel one’s resume to the top of the pile and persuade employers of one’s dedication to best practices. You may look up credentials that are related to your career or interests to see which ones best suit your needs, timetable, and expense.

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Top Colleges Abroad to Pursue Career as Sales Manager

Here are some of the best colleges abroad for aspirants to pursue a career as a sales manager in future:

1. Arizona State University 
2. University of Illinois, Chicago
3. Florida International University
4. Northeastern University
5. University of Glasgow
6. Loughborough University
7. Nottingham Trent University
8. University of Southampton
9. Humber International Graduate School
10. University of Winnipeg 

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Top Colleges in India to Pursue Career as Sales Manager 

Here are some of the top colleges in India that are offering programs related to sales and marketing or other relevant courses for aspirants to study: 

1. IIMs
2. Indian School of Business 
3. Faculty of Management Studies 
4. National Institute of Securities and Markets 
5. MICA 
6. Gujarat University
7. University of Technology, Jaipur
8. New Horizon Institute of Management Studie
9. School of Management, Dr DY Patil University
10. IGNOU

Salary Trends 

In India, the average annual income for a sales manager is INR 4.5 – 5 lakhs. In this industry, beginners may expect to earn roughly INR 2.49 lakh per year. Apart from the fixed annual income, aspirants working in the sales industry also earn additional incentives ranging from INR 10,000 to INR 2 lakhs. Sales managers operate in a variety of sectors due to the nature of their job. The highest salary for sales managers in India is around INR 10 lakh per year after having appropriate job experience, essential abilities, skills, and expertise. This average salary is made up of a base salary, shared profits, commission, and bonuses. Moreover, your joint earnings as a sales manager may reach INR 7 lakhs per year, while your shared commission could reach INR 2.5 lakh per year. Let’s also check out the average estimated annual salary of sales manager in some of the top study abroad destinations:

Countries	Estimated Average Annual Salary of a Sales Manager in INR
USA	53.9 lakhs
UK	47.5 lakhs
Canada	38 lakhs
Australia	40.8 lakhs
New Zealand	42.3 lakhs
Germany	46.7 lakhs

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Important Tips to Consider 

Taking on new duties is a need for advancing in your career. You can utilise the following tips to effectively handle the position of sales manager and its responsibilities:

• Utilize feedback
• Show interest in your team members
• Improve time management skills
• Develop sales plan techniques
• Know how to be a team player 
• Take up more responsibilities
• Study and observe your seniors and other sales managers 
• Build your network 

This was everything that you would need to know in order to become a successful sales manager. A relevant degree from a prestigious university abroad can boost your chances to become a sales manager. Hence, get in touch with a Leverage Edu expert at 1800572000 to kickstart your study abroad journey in no time!