Sales / Business Development

Sales Manager

Overview

Sales Managers typically oversee and lead the daily operations of the Sales Department. Their responsibilities vary with the size of their organizations, the sector (Manufacturing, technology, FMCG etc.) and the business type they operate within ( business to business (B2B) business to customer or consumer (B2C) ).However, they are typically accountable for the success of their company’s sales operations by monitoring sales performance, setting sales goals, assigning sales territories and coach/train their sales teams. They are responsible for developing and implementing plans and strategies for company’s business growth.

Common tasks 

    TaskRelated trait(s)
    Developing and implementing sales strategies to expand the client base and ensure growth Conscientiousness Achievement striving Activity level
    Building and maintaining relationships with customers; understanding their needs and ensuring a high level of customer service Amiability Understanding customers and others Communication skills – Understanding others   Creativity and problem solving
    Forecasting: Creating sales forecasts in order to assist in decision making and strategy setting. Understanding customers and others Math ability Creativity and problem solving
    Setting and managing sales budget Integrity
    Reviewing sales reporting versus forecasting; uses data to monitor results project sales, determine profitability and targets, identify potential new market segments and/or areas for improvement as well us to monitor market’s preferences Math ability
    Working with a team  Teamplayer Respect for rules Teamplayer Helping Others
    Managing others Equality and fairness in leadership 

    Soft skills measured by TraitForward

    TraitNo of QuestionsCronbach’s  alpha (α)
    Conscientiousness80.77
    Do they have a desirable work ethic?
    Activity level60.71
    Can they multitask? Can they handle demanding workloads?
    Achievement striving60.74
    Are they motivated to make their work stand out?
    Amiability40.75
    Are they calm? Do they respect others?
    Understanding customers and others60.70
    Do they understand the emotions of others?
    Integrity80.71
    Are they moral, honest, do they follow the rules?
    Communication skills – Understanding others80.71
    Do they understand others?
    Teamplayer Positive group practices110.78
    Do they like being included in a group?
    Communication Expressiveness110.84
    Do they express themselves effectively?
    Social confidence40.72
    Are they able to express themselves social situations?
    Math ability70.74
    Do they have math abilities?
    Creativity and problem solving80.77
    Are they creative problem solvers and planers?
    Equality and fairness in leadership110.73
    Do they operate according to the principles of fairness and equality?
    Leadership60.86
    Can they take charge?
    Teamplayer Respect for rules90.74
    Do they follow rules?
    Teamplayer Helping Others60.75
    Do they like helping others?
    *Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α) determines the extent to which the questions consistently measure each trait and it is expressed as a number ranging between 0 and 1 . Higher values indicate higher agreement between questions.  A value of α equal to greater than .7 indicates acceptable reliability or internal consistency.  For more information on the psychometric properties of the solution, please click here.

    Did you Know?

    Source: US Department of Labor – Bureau of Labor Statistics

    Median wage: 

    $127,490 / per year

    $62 / hour

    Per industry sector

    Professional, scientific, and technical services $161,920
    Finance and insurance $161,520
    Manufacturing $131,340
    Wholesale trade $127,690
    Retail trade $80,340

    Expected employment growth 2021-2031:

    5% (As fast as average)

    Entry Education level:

    Bachelor Degree is typically required
    In lieu of a Bachelor Degree, usually a comparable record of sales experience is required.

    Required prior work experience:
    Typically 3 – 5 years’ sales & business development experience

    Find out the psychometric properties for the Sales Manager Traitforward questionnaire

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