About the Sales Manager role
A Sales Manager leads a team of sales representatives to hit revenue targets. They hire and coach reps, set territories and quotas, manage the pipeline and forecast, and remove the obstacles that slow deals down. The role turns individual sellers into a consistent sales operation.
Great sales managers spend most of their time coaching, not selling. They review calls, join key negotiations, analyze pipeline health, and give reps specific feedback that improves win rates. They also translate between the field and leadership, bringing market reality into planning discussions.
In your posting, describe the team size, the revenue target, your sales motion, and how much of the role is player versus coach. A manager who carries a personal quota is a different hire from one who purely leads, so make the distinction explicit.
Sales Manager job description template
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Job brief
Our sales team has the pipeline and the product; what it needs now is a leader who can turn that potential into consistent quarterly attainment. As Sales Manager, you will own the team number, run pipeline reviews that keep forecasts honest, and spend real time coaching: listening to calls, joining negotiations that matter, and giving reps feedback specific enough to change outcomes.
You will also shape how we sell, refining the playbook, tightening the process, and telling leadership what the market is actually saying. If you have carried a bag, hit your targets, and discovered you get more satisfaction from a rep's win than your own, this role was written for you.
Responsibilities
- Take full ownership of the team revenue goal and build the quarterly plan to reach it
- Hire, ramp, and continuously develop a team of sales representatives
- Coach reps through call reviews, deal strategy sessions, and structured one-on-ones
- Assign territories, quotas, and activity expectations that are ambitious but fair
- Keep the forecast accurate through disciplined, regular pipeline inspection
- Step into high-stakes negotiations to help reps advance and close key deals
- Spot performance gaps early in the metrics and respond with targeted coaching plans
- Evolve the sales process, playbooks, and tech stack as the team grows
- Partner with marketing on lead quality, messaging, and campaign feedback loops
- Present results, forecasts, and field insights to executive leadership
- Build a team culture where accountability, learning, and healthy competition reinforce each other
Requirements and skills
- Prior experience leading sellers as a Sales Manager, Team Lead, or in a senior sales role with people responsibility
- A verifiable history of quota attainment, both as an individual contributor and with a team
- Hands-on experience hiring, onboarding, and coaching sales talent
- Strong command of pipeline management and forecasting discipline
- Fluency with CRM platforms such as Salesforce or HubSpot
- Presence and communication skills that land equally well with a new rep, a skeptical prospect, and the executive team
- Commercial judgment: you understand how customers in your market buy and where deals really get won or lost
- A bachelor's degree in business or a related discipline is welcome, though a strong sales leadership record matters more
Nice to have
- Experience scaling a sales team through rapid growth
- Familiarity with sales methodologies such as MEDDIC, SPIN, or Challenger and experience rolling them out
- Experience with revenue analytics and sales enablement tools
- Experience in our industry or selling to a similar customer profile
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