Job profile
Sales Manager (m/f/d)
In order to increase their sales and maintain good relationships with their customers, companies like to rely on a special role. Sales managers take care of successful sales talks, new customer acquisition and relationship building with customers, both in the B2B and B2C sectors.
Read this job profile to find out exactly what a sales manager does, what salary prospects there are and how you can become a sales manager yourself.
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What is a Sales Manager? Sales Manager Definition
The job title Sales Manager means sales manager and describes the targeted sale of a company's products and services - both in the office and in the field.
The core competence of sales managers is to describe and present the benefits of a product or service so skillfully that the potential customer (lead) has no choice but to buy.
But good sales managers can do much more than that: in addition to the targeted sale of one or more products, they acquire new customers and take care of the strategic development of the sales concept. They know their company's customers inside out - whether they are corporate customers (B2B) or private end customers (B2C) - and maintain relationships with them.
Sales managers (also known colloquially as salespeople) can work both in the office and in the field. Regardless of where they are deployed, their knowledge of human nature and their communication skills enable them to increase their company's turnover in a targeted manner and are therefore indispensable for many organizations.
The role of the Sales Manager overlaps in many ways with that of a Key Account Manager or a Sales Consultant. In some companies, the sales management team is also supported by the role of sales assistant.
Sales Manager Salary: What does a Sales Manager earn?
The average salary of a sales manager in Germany is €59,000 gross per year. Companies in the insurance, automotive or IT sectors are more generous in this respect - sales managers can earn up to €100,000 gross per year.
Sales Management Career starters with a technical or university degree and/or specialized industry knowledge generally earn more than their colleagues. The actual salary also depends heavily on the sales success achieved by sales managers. In sales, they usually receive a commission or performance bonus in addition to their normal salary.
The amount of your salary as a Sales Manager depends on various factors, which sometimes have a stronger and sometimes a weaker effect. For example, sales managers in the west and south of Germany generally earn more than their colleagues in the east. The gender pay gap is also noticeable in sales management salaries, which is why women in this profession generally earn less than men. The size of the company also usually plays a role in your earnings as a sales manager: you will therefore earn slightly less in small and medium-sized companies than in large corporations.
Junior Sales Manager salary: your starting salary as a Sales Manager
Senior Sales Manager Salary
Sales Manager commission: You can expect these additional payments
In addition to your normal basic salary, as a sales manager you will usually also receive commission and additional benefits. These commissions represent a certain percentage of your turnover - usually between 5% and 10%. The amount of commission you receive in the end therefore depends on the number of sales you close and their value.
Like your normal salary, your commission also depends on various factors: Depending on which goods or services your employer sells, the amount of your commission and the frequency of your sales will also vary.
Sales Manager tasks and activities:
What does a Sales Manager do?
Although it is the core task, the actual sales talk is only one of many Sales Manager tasks in everyday life. They always keep an eye on the target figures, develop sales concepts and coordinate the next steps closely with their colleagues from the marketing department.
Another task concerns sales managers with personnel responsibility: if you take on the role of a manager, you are also responsible for setting individual goals and targets for each team member. This is used to develop strategies and identify sales potential - always against the backdrop of existing market opportunities for the company.
As a Sales Manager, you and your team work out how new customers can be acquired and how regular customers can be inspired with offers tailored to their individual needs.
- Conducting sales talks
- Maintaining customer relationships
- Establish and further develop sales strategy
- Observe market trends and carry out market analyses
- Documenting and presentingresults
- Customer acquisition
- Create and send offers
- In the field: travel activities and live product presentations
Junior Sales Manager Tasks: Your activities to start your career
Junior sales managers are often given tasks such as assisting the sales management team or looking after initial customers. With a little more experience, you will spend your first few years looking after a certain region, a certain customer or selling a certain product. The "learning on the job" principle is important for Junior Sales Managers in order to develop their own skills and abilities and gain experience.
Other tasks of Junior Sales Managers are, for example, arranging customer appointments or analyzing customers' needs and requirements.
Senior Sales Manager Tasks
The tasks of senior sales managers with several years of experience are often at a strategic level. In addition to their core task of sales, they are therefore increasingly involved in the further development of sales concepts and ensuring smooth cooperation between sales and marketing. In addition, the area for which a Senior Sales Manager is responsible increases as their professional experience grows. This can mean the geographical expansion of the customers to be looked after or the expansion of the customer base to include other sectors or key accounts.
Possible Senior Sales Manager tasks are:
- Further development of sales concepts
- Classic distribution
- Market research and analysis
- Optimization of cooperation with marketing
- Design of the target agreements
- New customer acquisition
How do you become a sales manager?
Training, studies & further education
There is no classic sales manager training program in Germany, as there are different ways to get into sales.
A completed apprenticeship or a Bachelor's or Master's degree in economics or communication science are good prerequisites for entering sales management. A marketing background, e.g. as a marketing manager, can also qualify you for the job of sales manager.
Sales Manager training
There are now many sales manager training courses on the market. These include online courses, classroom training and full or part-time courses lasting several months, which are designed to prepare you for working in sales management and usually end with a certificate.
A good starting point for prospective sales managers is a degree in a relevant field, combined with a sales management certificate from a qualified provider. Sales Manager training is available, for example, from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Haufe Academy or the German Academy of Management.
Sales Management studies
Many universities now offer a specific Sales Manager course. These include, for example, the Master in Sales Management at the FOM University of Applied Sciences or the Master in Salesforce and Sales Management at the IU University of Applied Sciences.
Other degree programs that will prepare you for a career as a sales manager include:
- Marketing
- Business administration
- Business Management
- Communication sciences
- Psychology
Sales Manager training: how to continue your education
Regular further training is very valuable and therefore advisable for sales managers. Numerous providers, such as the IHK or the IU Academy, have an extensive portfolio of further training courses in sales management.
Possible further training and subject areas that make sense for you as a Sales Manager are:
- Marketing
- Business administration
- Communication training
- Stress management
- (Agile) project management
Sales Manager as a career changer
Sales manager career changers are also not uncommon in the industry. If you have a professional background in a particular field, industry-specific knowledge and a talent for communication and numbers, a career in sales could suit you. A lateral entry as a Sales Manager can therefore be excellent under the right conditions.
Due to their previous knowledge, former medical students are often employed as sales managers in the pharmaceutical industry, for example.
Knowledge is power
Sales Manager skills: Skills in demand in sales
Your most important skills as a Sales Manager include above all strong communication skills and enjoyment in dealing with people. You find it easy to make contact with other people and infect them with your enthusiasm. In addition, you are an absolute specialist in your industry and can answer all questions about your product or service in a simple and understandable way.
Sales managers are also characterized by their high level of empathy, as they need to understand the wishes and concerns of their customers at all times - both in the Business2Business (B2B) and Business2Consumer (B2C) sectors. They know the best way to reach their customers and are familiar with the challenges they face.
Sales managers should therefore have the following hard skills:
- Commercial knowledge
- Sound product knowledge
- Industry knowledge
- Marketing knowledge
- Knowledge of English
In addition, female sales managers should have the following soft skills:
- Communication skills
- Empathy
- Willingness to travel
- Quick comprehension
- Stress resistance
Sales manager career: opportunities on the job market
The range of tasks performed by sales managers is varied and demanding in equal measure, which is why a certain amount of pressure is placed on sales professionals, which is why not all people are suitable for the role in sales management. However, if you think you are up for the challenge, your chances are good.
Sales managers are sought after across all industries and real sales specialists are of great importance to companies. You will therefore benefit if you have a degree or specific technical knowledge that will make it easier for you to work in your company and sell certain products.
The Hays Specialist Index 2023, which analyzes all job advertisements on the most important job portals, shows that the search for female sales managers has fallen since 2022. Before that, however, this demand rose very steeply for two years - a trend that could resume in the future. Demand for marketing and sales specialists is strongest in the IT and retail sectors.
Find out now about your job opportunities as a Sales Manager with Hays. We offer jobs from Junior to Senior Sales Manager or Sales Director.
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FAQ
As a Sales Manager, you sell your company's goods or services and also take care of customer acquisition as well as maintaining relationships with important regular customers. As a true sales professional, you know exactly what is important in a sales pitch.
The term sales manager means sales manager and refers to people who conduct sales and advisory discussions with (potential) customers.
On average, sales managers in Germany earn a gross salary of €59,000 per year. Junior sales managers can expect to earn around €47,000 when starting out. Career starters with a technical or university degree usually earn more than sales managers without a degree.
No specific degree is required for a career as a sales manager. However, a completed apprenticeship or a Bachelor's or Master's degree in economics or communication science - e.g. marketing and sales - will greatly increase your chances on the job market.
