What does a commercial manager do?
A commercial manager is in charge of devising strategies for optimal procedures. Their responsibilities typically revolve around liaising with clients to determine their needs, coordinating with different departments to gather necessary data, performing research and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing systems, and developing new business plans for profit growth and efficient workflow. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the staff to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Commercial manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real commercial manager resumes:
- Analyze and manage export-import logistics for select Chilean products import to Spain.
- Perform outbound calls for upselling and offering additional products.
- Contract with outside vendor for data analysis and CRM integration.
- Prepare weekly sales and CRM reports utilize by senior management in forecasting annual revenue.
- Develop multilevel sales programs for introducing new products to top tier distributors and distribution sales representatives.
- Work with distributors, manufacture representatives and online accounts to ensure accurate distribution, pricing and promotions.
- Provide leadership, counseling and program oversight of all day-to-day operations for assign adult developmentally disable long term residential homes.
- Field liaison for EMEA region, training requirements and programs.
- Develop new client relationships within the EMEA region that generate 15K+ in revenue per day.
- Design and estimate HVAC systems for commercial and residential installation.
Commercial manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Commercial Managers are proficient in Project Management, Customer Service, and Business Development. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Analytical skills, and Leadership skills.
We break down the percentage of Commercial Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Project Management, 16%
Managed commercial operations and project management at a new provider of clinical trial material management services.
- Customer Service, 9%
Directed re-branding and development of new Coca-Cola Customer Service Operation Call Center presentation, and tour to maximize opportunities with customers.
- Business Development, 8%
Conducted strategic and business development planning with key agent/broker business partners in order to build the relationship and leverage growth opportunities.
- CRM, 8%
Design and Implementation of the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) project as part of the e-business strategy of the company.
- Customer Satisfaction, 4%
Participated in customer meetings, assisted in problem solving to ensure customer satisfaction and improved customer relationships.
- Client Relationships, 4%
Developed and actively managed client relationships with approximately 90 companies actively engaged in efforts to commercialize technology-based innovations.
Common skills that a commercial manager uses to do their job include "project management," "customer service," and "business development." You can find details on the most important commercial manager responsibilities below.
Customer-service skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a commercial manager to have is customer-service skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "when helping to make a sale, sales managers must listen and respond to the customer’s needs." Commercial managers often use customer-service skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "composed remote service business plan, marketing and customer requirements. "
Analytical skills. Many commercial manager duties rely on analytical skills. "sales managers must collect and interpret complex data to target the most promising geographic areas and demographic groups, and determine the most effective sales strategies.," so a commercial manager will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways commercial manager responsibilities rely on analytical skills: "develop, execute and analyze monthly, quarterly and annual business plan. "
Leadership skills. commercial managers are also known for leadership skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to commercial manager responsibilities, because "sales managers must be able to evaluate how their sales staff performs and must develop strategies for meeting sales goals." A commercial manager resume example shows how leadership skills is used in the workplace: "received xerox president's award for outstanding team leadership and benchmark time-to-market in creating new product line. "
Communication skills. A big part of what commercial managers do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to commercial manager responsibilities because "sales managers need to work with colleagues and customers, so they must be able to communicate clearly." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical commercial manager tasks: "supervised product development, hr, customer relations, marketing and communications. "
The three companies that hire the most commercial managers are:
- Deloitte39 commercial managers jobs
- Thermo Fisher Scientific26 commercial managers jobs
- Black & Veatch20 commercial managers jobs
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Compare different commercial managers
Commercial manager vs. Sales and operations manager
A sales operations manager is an individual who supports a company's sales and marketing teams by optimizing a tool often collectively known as Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Sales operations managers must serve as a liaison between the teams and the upper management while training staff members on new technology and software. They create reports that are used by salespeople and sales managers to help them in sales decision making. They also determine customer outreach methods with the marketing team.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between commercial managers and sales and operations manager. For instance, commercial manager responsibilities require skills such as "excellent interpersonal," "client relationships," "financial statements," and "cloud computing." Whereas a sales and operations manager is skilled in "sales operations," "salesforce," "sales process," and "strong time management." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Sales and operations managers really shine in the technology industry with an average salary of $115,157. Comparatively, commercial managers tend to make the most money in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $102,862.On average, sales and operations managers reach lower levels of education than commercial managers. Sales and operations managers are 7.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Commercial manager vs. Regional accounts manager
A regional accounts manager specializes in overseeing the account operations within a region or particular area. They are primarily responsible for nurturing new and existing accounts by developing opportunities and strategies, maintaining good relationships with vendors and suppliers, and supervising contracts and client applications. Furthermore, as a regional manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce in the joint effort to reach sales goals and customer satisfaction, all while implementing the policies and regulations of the company.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that commercial manager responsibilities requires skills like "excellent interpersonal," "strong analytical," "logistics," and "financial statements." But a regional accounts manager might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "patients," "salesforce," "sales process," and "customer relationships."
Regional accounts managers earn a lower average salary than commercial managers. But regional accounts managers earn the highest pay in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average salary of $127,962. Additionally, commercial managers earn the highest salaries in the manufacturing with average pay of $102,862 annually.In general, regional accounts managers achieve lower levels of education than commercial managers. They're 9.2% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Commercial manager vs. Product manager/sales
A sales product manager is responsible for monitoring the sales performance of a specific product and ensuring that the marketing strategies adhere to market standards and client requirements. Sales product managers work closely with the marketing and public relations team to enhance the product's brand image on various market platforms to reach the target audience. They also conduct data and statistical analysis to identify business opportunities that would generate more revenue resources and increase the company's profitability.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from commercial manager resumes include skills like "excellent interpersonal," "client relationships," "strong analytical," and "financial statements," whereas a product manager/sales is more likely to list skills in "product sales," "product management," "cycle management," and "customer support. "
Product managers/sales earn the best pay in the education industry, where they command an average salary of $108,541. Commercial managers earn the highest pay from the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $102,862.product managers/sales typically earn lower educational levels compared to commercial managers. Specifically, they're 7.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Commercial manager vs. Account manager
Account managers are employees who act as the bridge between the company they represent and the client of the company. They are assigned to handle specific clients so that the company will be able to tailor-fit any product or service according to the clients' requirements. Account managers are responsible for maintaining a harmonious relationship between the two parties by ensuring that any agreement made is amenable to both the company and the client. They are also responsible for ensuring that the company will be able to provide the needs of the client within any limitation that the client may have. Account managers also ensure that the company's reputation and well-being are always considered in any dealings.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between commercial managers and account managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a commercial manager might have more use for skills like "excellent interpersonal," "client relationships," "strong analytical," and "logistics." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of account managers require skills like "healthcare," "product knowledge," "powerpoint," and "work ethic. "
The technology industry tends to pay the highest salaries for account managers, with average annual pay of $76,412. Comparatively, the highest commercial manager annual salary comes from the manufacturing industry.account managers reach lower levels of education compared to commercial managers, in general. The difference is that they're 10.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.7% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of commercial manager
Updated January 8, 2025
