Field Sales Manager Responsibilities

The field sales manager is a unique position in any sales organization as he is the driving force who assists the field sales executives in achieving their sales targets. Field sales manager responsibilities comprise effective sales management of the organization by taking control of the overall sales team, motivating them to meet their targets, cementing the client relationships, developing ways to increase the sales, and thus achieving better profit margins for the organization.

Key Responsibilities of a Field Sales Manager

The field sales manager is responsible for a wide variety of tasks that are related with various sales activities. He is responsible for ensuring that the sales goals are communicated effectively and clearly to the sales team, and also for designing action plans and implementing them, so as to achieve the assigned targets. He also researches about the competitors and finds out ways to get an edge over them. He motivates the sales personnel, tries to sort out their issues, evaluates and reviews their performance, and is also involved in hiring and training the new sales staff. To get a better and clear idea, here is a list of key responsibilities that need to be handled by a field sales manager:

To plan sales strategies, to communicate it to the sales force, and design ways to implement it effectively
To lead and supervise the sales personnel and persuade them to achieve the desired sales objectives
To resolve the sales queries on a daily basis and take steps to close the relevant issues so that it will not hamper their daily work
To set standards for achieving quality work, to measure, evaluate as well as review the performance of the sales people against the assigned sales goals
To assess and determine the training sales needs, to be involved in interviewing and recruiting procedures so that quality staff members are hired
To present sales reports to the management, provide them with immediate sales forecasts to plan future action plans, and to recommend ways to improve the sales by designing the new sales policies

In addition to these duties, he carefully studies the qualities of sales team members and develops individual plans that would assist in their professional and personal development. He plans the sales activities for them by assigning various sales territories. He motivates them to improve their performance and provides a constructive feedback regarding their performance and ways to improve it.

He investigates and researches the market to study the latest demands of the clients and plans sales strategies accordingly so as to attract more number of clients, thus resulting in better sales for the organization. He makes effective use of various sales support systems and tools to enhance the sales of the company. He is responsible for designing the budget, attending the meetings, and generating and maintaining the relevant sales reports. Thus, he plays a crucial role in improving the sales, and thereby the business of any organization.

Essential Skills

The first and the most basic requirement for any field sales manager is that he should possess exceptional interpersonal and effective communication skills as he needs to build a rapport with the internal sales personnel as well as maintain and develop new clients. He should be able to remain calm even in pressure situations and should be comfortable working in a target oriented work atmosphere. He should be creative and possess excellent organization and time management skills. He should have the ability to multi task, work independently as well as in a team and be able to motivate people, thus assisting in building team spirit.

Educational Background

Those individuals who have completed a bachelor's degree in business administration, management, and marketing management can easily get a job as a field sales manager. However, those with previous sales experience and a proven track record of success have better chances of acquiring the desired job. If you want to advance in your career, a master's degree may be required.

Work Schedule

Normally, a field sales manager does not need to work beyond thirty five to forty hours per week. But since he is responsible for achieving the sales targets, he may need to work extra. He may work overtime to attend some meetings that would involve ways to improvise the sales. Traveling is an integral part of his job.

Salary Details

The average annual salary for a field sales manager is close to $112,000. The minimum offered salary is $49,000, while the maximum can go up to $143,000. The salary varies depending on the previous work experience, skills, educational background, type, size, and location of the organization he is employed in.

Career Prospects

There are ample number of opportunities available for a field sales manager in almost every type of industry, be it manufacturing firms, software firms, trading, insurance, finance, etc. If you are genuinely interested in sales, you can select the field of your choice and get your dream job. Those with strong educational background can definitely look forward to advance to higher positions.

Thus, effective and efficient shouldering of field sales manager responsibilities will help in ensuring great success and a rewarding career ahead.