A Sales Manager's Roles and Responsibilities

A sales manager plays a vital role in the success and failure of an organization. He is the one who plays a pivotal role in achieving the sales targets and eventually generates revenue for the organization.

A sales manager must be very clear about his role in the organization. He should know what he is supposed to do at the workplace.

Let us understand the roles and responsibilities of a sales manager:

• Planning & Budgeting: A sales manager is responsible for meeting the sales targets of the organization through effective planning and budgeting.
• Team Management: A sales manager can’t work alone. He needs the support of his sales team where each one contributes in his best possible way and works towards the goals and objectives of the organization. He is the one who sets the targets for the sales executives and other sales representatives. A sales manager must ensure the targets are realistic and achievable by each individual in his team.   "The strength of a chain is its weakest link"
• Task Delegation: The duties must not be imposed on anyone, instead should be delegated as per interests and specializations of the individuals. A sales manager must understand who can perform a particular task in the most effective way. It is his role to extract the best out of each employee.
• Strategy to achieve target: A sales manager devises strategies and techniques necessary for achieving the sales targets. He is the one who decides the future course of action for his team members.
• Lead Funnel Management: It is the sales manager’s duty to map potential customers and generate leads for the organization. He should look forward to generating new opportunities for the organization. 
• Lead: A Lead is a Prospect that has responded positively in some way to a piece of your marketing.   They may or may not be ready to engage in a buying conversation.   Lead sources: Your website, blog, social media, trade shows, whitepapers, webinars, Email replies, Inbound calls, Outbound calls, References, etc…
• Opportunity: An Opportunity is a lead that has been qualified and is ready to engage in a buying conversation with a member of your sales team. 
  Sources: Leads, Referrals, etc… 
  *Qualification criteria – their needs fit with the solution you’re selling, they have budget, authority, and a timeline to meet.  Could be any one or more of these. 
• Brand Promotion: A sales manager is also responsible for brand promotion. He must make the product popular among the consumers. A banner at a wrong place is of no use. Canopies must be placed at strategic locations. Hoardings should be installed at important places for the best results. Counter share and display in each and every Retail outlet is must.
• Team Motivation:  Motivating team members is one of the most important duties of a sales manager. He needs to make his team work as a single unit working towards a common objective. He must ensure team members don’t fight amongst themselves and share cordial relationship with each other. Develop lucrative incentive schemes and introduce monetary benefits to encourage them to deliver their level best. Appreciate whenever they do good work.
• Execution and Monitoring: It is the sales manager’s duty to ensure his team is delivering desired results in line with the planning and budgeting. Supervision is essential. Track their performances. Make sure each one is living up to the expectations of the organization. Ask them to submit a report of what all they have done through out the week or month. The performers must be encouraged while the non performers must be dealt with utmost patience and care.
• Decision Making: He is the one who takes major decisions for his team. He should act as a pillar of support for them and stand by their side at the hours of crisis.
• Leadership Qualities: A sales manager should set an example for his team members. He should be a source of inspiration for his team members. 
• Key Accounts Management: A sales manager is responsible for not only selling but also maintaining and improving relationships with the client. Client relationship management is also his KRA.
• Updating Team and Dealers with proper data: As a sales manager, one should maintain necessary data and records for future reference. He should maintain and have facts and figures all the time. Target Achievement figures and collection figures need to be updated at all the time.

Best Qualities of Sales Professional

Sales Professionals are the face of an organization. They have the responsibility of making the brand popular and promoting the products among the end users. They help in the successful running of organization by generating revenues and earning profits. Some qualities which a sales professional need to have: Patience A sales manager needs to be extremely patient. You just can’t afford to be rude to your customers. Clients do need time to believe in you and trust your products. Don’t get hyper and make the client’s life hell. Give him time to think and decide. People Oriented It is essential for a sales manager to be customer centric. Understand customer’s needs and expectations. Don’t simply impose things on him. Individuals representing the sales vertical need to be caring and kind towards customers. Don’t only think about your own targets and selfish interest’s. One should never misguide the customers. Be honest with them. Avoid telling lies and creating fake stories. Aggressive A sales professional needs to be aggressive and energetic. Lazy individuals don’t make great sales professionals. Go-Getter Attitude It pays to be optimistic in sales. Sales professionals need to have a go-getter attitude for the best results. It is really not necessary that all customers would like or need your product. Don’t expect results every time. Remember failures are the stepping stones to success. One must learn from his previous mistakes and move on. Don’t take failures to heart. Value Time People in sales must value time. Being late for meetings create a wrong impression in the minds of customers. It is a sin to make customers waiting unless and until there is an emergency. Start a little early and make sure you reach meetings on time. Sense of Commitment A sales representative who is committed towards his work manages to do well and make his mark as compared to others. Commitment in fact is essential in all areas of work. If you have promised someone to meet at 5pm, make sure you are there at the desired venue at 4.45 pm sharp. Don’t make silly excuses. Trust is lost when commitments are taken back. There should be no turning back. Reliable The customers must be able to depend on the sales professionals. A sense of trust is important. Flexible A sales professional must know how to change his sales pitch as per the client. Don’t just stick to one plan or one idea. Learn to take quick decisions as per the situation. Be adaptable to changes. People in sales should not be too rigid and demanding. Be Transparent Don’t hide things from the customers. Transparency is essential to avoid problems later on. Convey only what your product offers. Diligent Mere sitting at office does not help in sales. One needs to go out, meet people and make prospective clients. Don’t complain if it is too hot or cold outside. A sales professional ideally should spend his maximum time in field to achieve targets in the best possible way. Good Communication A sales professional must be a good communicator for the desired impact. Take care of your pitch and tone.

Different Characters of Sales Professional

A sales professional is responsible for meeting the sales targets of the organization and maintaining relationship with the existing and non acquired potential clients. He plays in an important role in generating revenues for the organization. Following are the types of sales professionals The Diplomat As the name suggests, a diplomat is one who always tries to play a safe game. He hates taking risks in life and accepts things as they come. These people tend to have a casual approach towards work. A diplomat never believes in putting pressure on the customers. If he fails to convince the client in the first attempt, he would never try to do it again. He would simply ignore and try with the next client. Such sale professionals are calm, have an easy going attitude and are never under pressure. The Rejection Apprehensive Such sales professionals fear rejections and failures at work. They find it very difficult to accept failures at the workplace. They depend more on cribbing and complaining rather than working and getting results. Such kinds of people fail to motivate themselves and tend to develop a laid back and negative attitude after a single failure. The Militant Closer As the name suggests such sales professionals are extremely aggressive and can go to any extent to get results. They are only concerned about their targets and results and hardly think about the needs and expectations of the clients. For them the only thing which matters is closing the deal. They hardly bother whether a customer requires a particular product or not In most cases they make the client’s life hell just to sell their products and earn revenues. The Sales Scholar Such sales professionals believe in lots of research and planning before going for a sales call. They spend their maximum time browsing internet, reading books and newspapers, checking various articles on sales rather than going out in the field and meeting people. Sales scholars put more emphasis on theoretical knowledge as compared to practical exposure. They have an eye on even the minutest details. The Phony There are certain sales representatives who simply pretend to be client’s best friend. Such people fall in this category. They always speak good and appear to be sugar coated. The Overcooked Casualty This category involves people who do sales just to earn their bread and butter, not as a passion. Such people chose sales as a profession because they feel it is an easy way to earn money as there are huge incentives involved. Their main motive is to close deals and earn incentives. They do not care much for the customers. The Professional As the name suggests the professionals are the ones who look forward towards providing the right solution to the clients. They enjoy interacting with people and suggest only what is right and best for them. Professionals ensure clients are satisfied with their service. For them client relationship is of utmost importance. They never get impatient or hyper while attending customers instead suggest them the best available options.

Attitude and Personality in Sales & Marketing

Effective sales management ensures timely generation of revenue and profitability of the organization. The art of achieving the sales targets within the desired time frame through effective planning and budgeting refers to sales management.

Sales Team are the face of any organization and have the responsibility of making a particular brand popular among the consumers. They are the ones who directly interact with the customers, understand their requirements and expectations and try to provide them the best solution possible with the availability.

Attitude is one among the key skills in Sales & Marketing

• What is wrong with a negative mind in sales: Remember a negative mind leads to wrong thoughts and negativity all around. A cheerful individual spreads happiness all around and leads to a positive ambiance at the workplace. It always pays to be optimistic in sales. If one puts his heart and soul in work, the outcome will definitely be in his favour.
• Be Optimistic: One should always look at the brighter side of life. Negativity is all in the minds of individuals. Avoid complaining or cribbing over petty issues. The customer might not think along the same lines as you, but that does not mean you can be rude to him. It is important to be polite and kind to them. Understand what they expect from you and your organization and give them the right suggestion. Make them feel comfortable.
• Don't take failure to heart: One can’t achieve results every time. It is absolutely okay if one customer does not agree to your presentation and prefers your competitor’s offerings. Don’t take failures to heart. Remember failure is just the opposite of success. Never lose hope; instead find out the causes of failure and move on. There is no point crying over spilt milk. Be your own critic, analyze the things and find out what went wrong. Incorporate the necessary changes in your sales pitch for better results next time. Go out, meet people and increase your list of potential customers. Develop a strong network. It helps in sales.
• Proper Dress Code:  Sales professionals should never be shabbily dressed as they directly interact with the clients. Avoid wearing casuals as customers would never take you seriously. Follow the professional dress code but make sure you don’t feel uncomfortable. Don’t wear loud clothes to work or for meetings. Ensure you smell good. Foul smell irritates the customer. Do shave before you go for sales deals. Make sure your nails are short and clean. It is essential for sales professionals to look good and clean for the desired impact.
• Hot inside & Cool outside: Sales Professional need to be aggressive and have a pleasing personality. Individuals with a laid back attitude should not take sales and marketing as profession. People in sales should have a charismatic personality with smiling face to attract and influence the customers though you have killer instinct inside to close the sale.
• Sociable and Outgoing nature: Individuals willing to make a career in sales should be sociable and outgoing in nature. They should love interacting with people. It is important for the sales professional to break the ice and gel with the customers. For sourcing a client and verifying his credentials one should have contacts.
• Confidence and Intelligence: Sales professionals should look confident and sound intelligent. He should believe in his own abilities and can handle rejection.
• Never Ever show your desperation:  Never show your desperation to the customers. Never and Ever tell a client that how badly you need to sell the product to meet your targets. Don't criticize your superiors with your clients. Because customers always look for an opportunity to overtake you.