Sales Manager Job Description (2026): Duties, Skills and Salary
A sales manager leads a team of salespeople toward a revenue target. They hire and coach reps, review pipeline and forecasts, help close important deals, and work with marketing and leadership on territory, pricing and process. The job is as much about the people as the numbers: a manager's biggest lever is usually making their reps better, not closing deals themselves.
Sales managers exist in nearly every industry that sells directly to businesses or consumers, from software to manufacturing to real estate, and the deal size and sales cycle shape the day-to-day a lot. The best ones balance accountability for the number with genuine coaching, since a demoralized team rarely hits target for long.
Sales Manager job description template
Copy it, replace everything in [brackets] and cut what doesn't apply. Keep the requirements to what the job really needs.
Template · replace the [brackets]
Sales Manager
[Company] · [City and office days, or remote with the countries or time zones you hire in] · [Full-time]
About [Company]
[Two or three sentences on what your company does, who it serves and why this team matters now.]
About the role
[Company] is hiring a sales manager to lead our [team name] team of [number] reps selling [product/service] to [customer segment]. You'll own the team's number, coach reps on deals and skills, and work with leadership on territory and process.
What you'll do
- Lead, coach and hold accountable a team of [number] account executives or sales reps.
- Own the team's pipeline, forecast accurately, and report on progress to leadership.
- Review deals and join key calls to help reps navigate objections and close.
- Hire, onboard and ramp new sales reps.
- Set territory, quota and compensation inputs in partnership with sales leadership.
- Run regular 1:1s, pipeline reviews and team meetings.
- Partner with marketing and product on lead quality, messaging and feedback from the field.
- Identify skill gaps and run or arrange training to close them.
What you'll bring
- [X]+ years in sales, with [Y]+ years managing or leading a sales team.
- A track record of hitting or exceeding quota as an individual contributor and as a manager.
- Comfort with CRM tools such as Salesforce or HubSpot for pipeline and forecasting.
- Strong coaching skills: giving direct feedback that actually changes behavior.
- Clear communication of targets, progress and problems to reps and to leadership.
- Resilience under quota pressure, and the judgment to know when to step into a deal.
Nice to have
- Experience selling [product type, e.g. SaaS, enterprise hardware or financial services].
- Experience designing compensation plans or territory models.
- A sales methodology background such as MEDDIC, SPIN or Sandler.
- Experience hiring and ramping a sales team from scratch.
What we offer
- [Pay range: e.g. $X–$Y base salary, plus bonus or equity if offered]
- [Uncapped commission, President's Club trips, car allowance]
- [Health cover, retirement or pension plan, paid time off, parental leave]
- [Work authorization: whether you can sponsor a visa or hire through an employer of record]
[Our process: a recruiter call, a conversation with sales leadership about your management philosophy, a role-play coaching a sample rep through a deal, and a final panel with the broader team.]
[Your equal opportunity statement, and how candidates can ask for adjustments during the process]
Put the pay range in the ad. Several US states, including California, Colorado, New York and Washington, require it in job postings, and the EU Pay Transparency Directive gives applicants the right to know the starting pay or its range before the interview.
Sales Manager duties by seniority
What the job usually looks like at each level. Pitch the ad at one level and say which in the title.
Junior
- Manages a small team, often while still carrying some individual deals.
- Runs pipeline reviews and basic coaching with support from a senior manager.
- Learns forecasting and hiring with close guidance.
Mid-level
- Owns a full team's number and forecast independently.
- Hires, onboards and ramps new reps without oversight.
- Influences territory, quota and process decisions for the team.
Senior
- Leads multiple teams or a regional organization through other managers.
- Sets sales strategy, compensation structure and hiring plans.
- Mentors other sales managers and represents sales in leadership decisions.
Sales Manager career path
- Account Executive
- Senior Account Executive
- Sales Manager
- Director of Sales
Sales manager is almost always reached by being a strong individual contributor first, usually as an account executive, before moving into leading the team you used to compete on. From there the path goes to director and VP of sales, or sideways into sales operations or enablement.
Similar roles
- Account Executive job description
Carries an individual quota rather than managing a team's number.
- Business Development Manager job description
Focuses on generating and qualifying new opportunities rather than leading closers.
- Account Manager job description
Focuses on growing and retaining existing accounts rather than leading a sales team.
- Sales Representative job description
Sells individually rather than coaching and managing other sellers.
Sales Manager job description FAQ
What does a sales manager do?
Leads a team of salespeople to hit a revenue target: coaching reps, reviewing pipeline and forecasts, helping close important deals, and working with leadership on territory, quota and process.
What skills should a sales manager job description require?
A track record of hitting quota, people management and coaching skills, CRM proficiency and clear communication with both reps and leadership. A specific sales methodology is a useful extra, better listed as nice-to-have.
Is sales manager an entry-level job?
No, it's typically reached after a few years as a successful individual contributor in sales. Job postings should state the quota-carrying experience expected, since that track record is usually the main qualifier.