Sales Manager job description

Cloutra team · Last updated October 12, 2026

A sales manager leads a team of salespeople and is responsible for the team reaching its revenue targets. Use this sales manager job description template to attract qualified candidates, and adjust the duties and requirements to fit your company.

Sales Manager responsibilities include:

  • Leading and coaching the sales team
  • Setting sales targets and tracking results
  • Building relationships with key customers

Job brief

We are looking for a Sales Manager to lead our sales team, set its targets and help each salesperson reach them.

In this role you will hire and coach salespeople, plan how the team will reach its goals, review the pipeline and forecast results. You will also stay close to our most important customers and work with marketing, customer service and company leadership.

To succeed, you should have a strong record in sales, enjoy developing other people and be comfortable using data to make decisions about where the team should spend its time.

Responsibilities

  • Set sales targets for the team and for each salesperson
  • Recruit, hire and train new members of the sales team
  • Coach salespeople through regular one-on-one meetings, call reviews and joint customer visits
  • Review the sales pipeline and remove obstacles to closing deals
  • Prepare sales forecasts and report results to company leadership
  • Build and maintain relationships with key customers
  • Help salespeople negotiate and close larger or more difficult deals
  • Work with marketing on lead generation, messaging and campaigns
  • Keep the CRM accurate and use its data to guide decisions
  • Track market and competitor activity and adjust the sales plan when needed

Requirements and skills

  • Proven experience as a Sales Manager or as a senior salesperson with team lead duties
  • A record of meeting or exceeding sales targets
  • Experience hiring, coaching and motivating salespeople
  • Good understanding of sales processes, pipeline management and forecasting
  • Hands-on experience with CRM software
  • Strong negotiation and presentation skills
  • Clear written and spoken communication
  • Degree in business, marketing or a related field, or equivalent experience

Hiring a sales manager?

Paste this job description into Cloutra. Its agents score every resume against it, run the first-round interview with each candidate, and write up the evidence. You review it and decide.

Frequently asked questions

What does a sales manager do?

A sales manager leads a sales team, sets its targets, coaches its members and takes responsibility for the revenue the team brings in.

What are the duties and responsibilities of a sales manager?

Typical duties include setting targets, hiring and training salespeople, coaching them on deals, reviewing the pipeline, forecasting sales, managing key customer relationships and reporting results to leadership.

What makes a good sales manager?

A good sales manager knows how to sell and how to teach others to sell, sets clear expectations, uses data to spot problems early, and keeps the team motivated when results are hard to come by.

Who does a sales manager work with?

Sales managers usually report to a sales director, vice president of sales or the head of the company. They work with their sales team, with marketing, customer service and finance, and directly with important customers.

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