SALES MANAGERS

Job Definition:

• Managers plan, direct, coordinate and evaluate the overall activities of enterprises, governments and other organizations, or of organizational units within them, and formulate and review their policies, laws, rules and regulations. Competent performance in most occupations in this major group requires skills at the fourth ISCO skill level, except for Sub-major group 14: Hospitality, Retail and Other Services Managers, for which skills at the third ISCO skill level are generally required.

Job Description:

• Direct the actual distribution or movement of a product or service to the customer. Coordinate sales distribution by establishing sales territories, quotas, and goals and establish training programs for sales representatives. Analyze sales statistics gathered by staff to determine sales potential and inventory requirements and monitor the preferences of customers.

Duties and Tasks:

• 1) Resolve customer complaints regarding sales and service.
• 2) Monitor customer preferences to determine focus of sales efforts.
• 3) Direct and coordinate activities involving sales of manufactured products, services, commodities, real estate or other subjects of sale.
• 4) Determine price schedules and discount rates.
• 5) Review operational records and reports to project sales and determine profitability.
• 6) Direct, coordinate, and review activities in sales and service accounting and recordkeeping, and in receiving and shipping operations.
• 7) Confer or consult with department heads to plan advertising services and to secure information on equipment and customer specifications.
• 8) Advise dealers and distributors on policies and operating procedures to ensure functional effectiveness of business.
• 9) Prepare budgets and approve budget expenditures.
• 10) Represent company at trade association meetings to promote products.
• 11) Plan and direct staffing, training, and performance evaluations to develop and control sales and service programs.
• 12) Visit franchised dealers to stimulate interest in establishment or expansion of leasing programs.
• 13) Confer with potential customers regarding equipment needs and advise customers on types of equipment to purchase.
• 14) Oversee regional and local sales managers and their staffs.
• 15) Direct clerical staff to keep records of export correspondence, bid requests, and credit collections, and to maintain current information on tariffs, licenses, and restrictions.
• 16) Direct foreign sales and service outlets of an organization.
• 17) Assess marketing potential of new and existing store locations, considering statistics and expenditures.

Activities:

• 1) Communicating with Persons Outside Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• 2) Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• 3) Interacting With Computers — Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• 4) Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• 5) Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• 6) Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• 7) Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• 8) Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• 9) Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• 10) Selling or Influencing Others — Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• 11) Developing Objectives and Strategies — Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• 12) Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates — Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• 13) Analyzing Data or Information — Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• 14) Performing for or Working Directly with the Public — Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• 15) Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• 16) Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others — Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• 17) Thinking Creatively — Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• 18) Scheduling Work and Activities — Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• 19) Staffing Organizational Units — Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
• 20) Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others — Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• 21) Monitoring and Controlling Resources — Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• 22) Training and Teaching Others — Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• 23) Developing and Building Teams — Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• 24) Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information — Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• 25) Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• 26) Coaching and Developing Others — Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• 27) Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People — Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
  28) Provide Consultation and Advice to Others — Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• 29) Performing Administrative Activities — Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• 30) Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• 31) Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• 32) Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material — Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• 33) Handling and Moving Objects — Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.

Abilities:

• 1) Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• 2) Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• 3) Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• 4) Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• 5) Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• 6) Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• 7) Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• 8) Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• 9) Originality — The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
• 10) Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• 11) Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• 12) Fluency of Ideas — The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
• 13) Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). 
• 14) Category Flexibility — The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
• 15) Mathematical Reasoning — The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.

Knowledge

• 1) Mathematics — Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• 2) Sales and Marketing — Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• 3) Computers and Electronics — Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• 4) English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 5) Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.