Sales Manager job description.
A Sales Manager leads a team of sales representatives to meet revenue targets and grow market share. They set sales strategy, coach individual performance, and partner with marketing and leadership to align pipeline activity with broader business goals.
The Sales Manager job description · $29
The full editable .docx — role summary, 8 worked responsibilities, qualifications, and skills, formatted for your letterhead. Delivered to your inbox within 24 hours — usually instantly.
Role: Sales Manager Reports to: Director of Sales or VP of Sales
A Sales Manager leads a team of sales representatives to meet revenue targets and grow market share. They set sales strategy, coach individual performance, and partner with marketing and leadership to align pipeline activity with broader business goals.
- Set sales targets and territory or account assignments for the team
- Coach, mentor, and develop sales representatives to improve performance
- Monitor pipeline activity and forecast revenue against targets
What's inside the document.
One-paragraph plain-English explanation of the role's outcome and scope.
8 responsibilities phrased the way the work is actually done.
4 qualifications a candidate must have to perform on day 30.
3 qualifications that would make a candidate excellent in year two.
5 skill chips you can copy directly into your ATS.
Director of Sales or VP of Sales
A complete document set.
- Word document (.docx) — fully editable
- PDF — signature-ready
- Google Docs — one-click copy to your Drive
- 12 months of updates to this document
- Commercial-use licence for internal and client work
The work, not the title.
- Set sales targets and territory or account assignments for the team
- Coach, mentor, and develop sales representatives to improve performance
- Monitor pipeline activity and forecast revenue against targets
- Analyze sales data to identify trends, gaps, and growth opportunities
- Recruit, onboard, and train new sales team members
- Collaborate with marketing on lead generation and campaign alignment
- Resolve escalated customer or deal issues requiring management involvement
- Report sales performance and forecasts to senior leadership
Required — and what would make a candidate excellent.
- 3+ years of sales experience with a track record of meeting targets
- 1+ years in a sales leadership or team lead capacity
- Strong coaching, communication, and performance-management skills
- Proficiency with CRM and sales reporting tools
- Bachelor's degree in business or related field
- Experience in the relevant industry or product category
- Familiarity with sales forecasting and territory planning methods
Eight steps from download to publish.
- 01Open the Sales Manager job description in Word or your one-click Google Docs copy.
- 02Replace placeholders for company name, reporting line, and location with your specifics.
- 03Tighten the summary to one paragraph that names the team's outcome, not just the role.
- 04Edit the responsibilities to match the actual scope of the seat — aim for 6 to 8 items, not 12.
- 05Separate required qualifications from preferred. Required is what a candidate must have to do the work on day 30; preferred is what would make them excellent in year two.
- 06Add salary range guidance using BLS, Payscale, or your own band data — do not copy generic figures.
- 07Have the hiring manager and one peer read it. Cut anything that wouldn't survive a candidate question.
- 08Publish to your ATS, intranet, and external careers page.
The right document at the right moment.
Use this Sales Manager job description any time you are opening or reopening a seat at this level. The senior band sets the calibration — copy the document, tighten it to your specific scope, and circulate to the hiring panel before the first interview.
The reporting line (Director of Sales or VP of Sales) and skills list are starting points. Override either if your org structure or stack differs from the norm — the template is a draft, not a contract.
Honest answers before you download.
- What experience is typically required to become a sales manager?
- Most employers look for several years of individual sales success plus some prior leadership or mentoring experience before promoting into a sales manager role.
- Is a sales manager role primarily quota-carrying or team-focused?
- It varies by employer; some sales managers carry a reduced personal quota while others focus entirely on team performance, coaching, and forecasting.
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A Marketing Manager owns the marketing programme for a product line, segment, or geography.
This Sales Manager job description is a professionally drafted starting point for your hiring process and is not legal advice. Hiring practice varies by jurisdiction (e.g. pay-transparency laws differ across US states and AU jurisdictions). Adapt this document for your specific location and have employment counsel review any clauses you add before publishing. Salary varies by region, employer type, and experience. Reference BLS or current industry surveys for ranges. Full disclaimer.