Sales Managers

Sales & Account Management

Level 5540 of 1200 points

Job description

Sales Managers

Job purpose

To plan, direct and coordinate the sale and distribution of the organisation's products or services, establishing sales territories, quotas and goals, overseeing regional and local sales managers and their staff and analysing sales statistics and customer preferences, so that sales targets are met profitably and customers are properly served.

Skills

Command of sales and marketing principles — marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques and sales control systems — with customer service and satisfaction measurement, business and management principles covering strategic planning and resource allocation, personnel practice, training design, and enough economics and accounting to project sales and assess profitability. Bachelor's degree is the norm, with a further group holding some college courses, together with several years of related experience.
Sells and influences continuously: confers with potential customers on their equipment needs and advises them on what to buy, resolves customer complaints about sales and service, visits franchised dealers to stimulate interest in leasing programmes, advises dealers and distributors on operating procedures, and represents the organisation at trade association meetings. Internally, guides, motivates and coaches sales staff, delivers training, builds teams and consults department heads on advertising and customer specifications.
Determines the focus of sales effort from monitored customer preferences, reviews operational records and reports to project sales and determine profitability, and sets price schedules and discount rates. Judgements rest on incomplete information about competitor and customer behaviour in a strongly competitive market, and their consequences fall on company results.
Establishes long-range objectives and the strategies to achieve them, sets sales territories, quotas and goals, plans and directs staffing, training and performance evaluation to develop and control sales and service programmes, prepares budgets, and schedules the work of others. Priorities are largely self-determined but bounded by quota periods and time pressure.
Work is carried out at a desk and in meetings using computer systems, with travel by enclosed vehicle to customers, dealers and trade meetings. No manual handling demands.

Responsibilities

Manages the sales function through regional and local sales managers and their staff, directing staffing, training and performance evaluation, recruiting and selecting, and coaching individuals in their development. Accountable for the work outcomes of a dispersed body of staff, and may direct foreign sales and service outlets.
Prepares budgets and approves budget expenditure, determines price schedules and discount rates, and reviews operational records to project sales and determine profitability. Discounting and pricing decisions directly determine revenue and margin, and are made with considerable freedom inside limits set above.
Directs and coordinates the sale of manufactured products, services, commodities or real estate, and directs receiving and shipping. Monitors customer preferences to determine inventory requirements. Ordinary care of a workstation and sales systems rather than of plant.
Directs and reviews sales and service accounting and record-keeping, and directs clerical staff to keep records of export correspondence, bid requests and credit collections and to maintain current information on tariffs, licences and restrictions. Analyses the sales statistics on which territory, quota and pricing decisions rest, where error carries commercial consequences.

Effort required

Decisions are frequent and taken on incomplete market information, with attention divided between individual customer negotiations, the performance of dispersed sales teams, pricing and profitability analysis and longer-term strategy. Telephone, e-mail and face-to-face contact with customers, dealers and staff runs throughout the day, under sustained time pressure.
Persuasion is the core of the work and rejection a routine outcome, in a market where competition is intense and personal and team targets are visible. Handles customer complaints, settles disputes and works amid conflict situations and with unpleasant, angry or discourteous people.
Predominantly seated work at a desk, with time spent travelling in an enclosed vehicle. No lifting or exertion is recorded.

Working conditions

Indoors and environmentally controlled, without physical hazard, with regular travel by enclosed vehicle to customers, franchised dealers and trade association meetings, and work in close physical proximity to others. Psychosocial demand comes from competitive pressure, complaint handling and conflict.
Most incumbents work more than forty hours a week; two thirds are on a regular established schedule, with a substantial minority working irregular hours and a small number seasonally. Time pressure is sustained. Determines own tasks, priorities and goals with considerable freedom, accountable for sales results.

Skills

40% · 231 points▾

KnowledgeLevel 4 of 8
72 of 144 points
Factual and theoretical knowledge in broad contexts within a field of work. The job requires a range of thinking and practical knowledge to find solutions to specific problems in the job or study area.
Interpersonal and communication skillsLevel 3 of 5
58 of 96 points
Effective communication and interpersonal relationships. The job holder is required to adapt communication to different audiences and foster trust, cooperation and positive working relationships.
Problem-solving skillsLevel 3 of 5
58 of 96 points
Variable problems. The job involves dealing with different kinds of problems that require careful thinking, research into different options or adjusting existing ways of doing things. Guidance and resources may be limited.
Planning and organisational skillsLevel 3 of 5
43 of 72 points
Moderate organisational skills required. The job requires the organising and prioritising of multiple tasks, with some level of adjustment to plans on the basis of changing circumstances or deadlines.
Physical skillsLevel 0 of 5
0 of 72 points
Not applicable. The job does not require any particular physical skills (although there is likely to be some physical activity).

Responsibility

35% · 199 points▾

PeopleLevel 3 of 5
86 of 144 points
Moderate responsibility for people. The job includes overseeing or coordinating the work and well-being of others. This may involve supervising, providing regular support, managing conflicts, responding to an individual's needs and ensuring the personal and professional development of individuals.
Goods and equipmentLevel 1 of 5
17 of 84 points
Limited responsibility for goods or equipment. The job involves the care and proper use of low-value tools or materials, with minimal responsibility for their maintenance or security.
InformationLevel 3 of 5
58 of 96 points
Moderate responsibility for information. The job involves managing information to ensure it is accurate, of high quality and secure. The job holder may make decisions about the handling of sensitive data.
Financial resourcesLevel 2 of 5
38 of 96 points
Limited responsibility for financial resources. The job involves handling limited financial resources, such as managing small budgets, processing invoices or participating in financial planning discussions.

Effort

15% · 79 points▾

Mental effortLevel 3 of 5
36 of 60 points
High level of mental effort. The job involves frequent concentration on complex tasks that require considerable mental effort, such as interpreting complex data.
Psychosocial and emotional effortLevel 3 of 5
43 of 72 points
Moderate psychosocial and emotional effort. The job requires the regular management of emotional responses, such as dealing with sensitive or challenging individuals or situations.
Physical effortLevel 0 of 5
0 of 48 points
Not applicable. The job does not require any physical effort.

Working Conditions

10% · 31 points▾

Environment (physical, psychological or emotional)Level 1 of 5
17 of 84 points
Minimal exposure to hazards or stress. The job involves little or no exposure to physical hazards (e.g. chemicals, moving equipment, noise) and minimal emotional or psychological risks (e.g. occasional routine tasks with no emotional burden). There is minor exposure to dust, dirt, fumes, noise, waste, poor lighting, etc.
Organisational environmentLevel 2 of 5
14 of 36 points
Occasional organisational demands. The job may involve occasional irregular hours (e.g. the requirement to work weekends or holidays), minimal travel or limited digital connectivity outside normal working hours.