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Sales managers organise, coach and lead teams of sales representatives to work towards agreed targets.
You could work: evenings / weekends; attending events or appointments
In your day-to-day duties you might:
You could work at a store, in an office, at a client's business or in a contact centre.
You can get into this job through:
You could do a degree before joining a company as a graduate management trainee. Employers recruit graduates from a range of subjects. Particularly relevant subjects include:
For some jobs, like selling hi-tech scientific or engineering equipment, employers may prefer you to have a qualification in that field.
You'll usually need:
You could complete a sales executive higher apprenticeship before applying for a trainee manager job.
For sales manager roles selling to businesses, you could do a business to business sales professional degree apprenticeship.
You'll usually need:
You'll need experience in sales and a record of achieving targets. Most employers will consider your sales and management experience, market knowledge and track record to be more important than your academic qualifications.
You could also be considered for specialist sales management jobs if you have a background in designing or manufacturing the products your team are selling.
You could take a professional qualification like:
In some jobs you could travel around the world to meet customers, so it may be helpful to speak a second language.
You can find out more about careers in sales through The Association of Professional Sales.
With experience and a good track record, you could take on larger sales areas or be promoted to regional, national or international sales manager.
You can find out more about becoming a sales manager through the Institute of Sales Management.