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Commercial sales manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Adry S. Clark Ph.D.,

Andrea Dixon Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical commercial sales manager skills. We ranked the top skills for commercial sales managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 59.1% of commercial sales manager resumes contained customer service as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a commercial sales manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 commercial sales manager skills for your resume and career

1. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how commercial sales managers use customer service:

Provided exceptional customer service to all current and prospective customers always meeting or exceeding their automotive needs and expectations.
Cultivated business-to-business relationships by providing superior customer service, marketplace guidance, and company-specific training to independent insurance agencies.

2. Sales Targets

Here's how commercial sales managers use sales targets:

Established and implemented business plans and sales targets to attain business development objectives.
Developed sales target and lead-generation vehicles.

3. CRM

CRM stands for Customer relationship management and it is a complete process through which a business or organization monitors and administers its interactions with the customers. A process in which large amounts of data are collected through marketing via a company's website, polls, surveys, and other social media applications. The basic goal of CRM is to target the right audience for their product, and then fulfill their needs, to increase the sales and revenue of the company.

Here's how commercial sales managers use crm:

SAP Anywhere is a full front office suit including CRM, Order Management, Inventory Management and POS among other things.
Leveraged CRM software to provide a level of follow-up and service unique to the industry.

4. Customer Satisfaction

Here's how commercial sales managers use customer satisfaction:

Work closely with customers and up-fitters providing technical guidance on a face-to-face basis in order to insure customer satisfaction.
Provided corporate management with input regarding merchandising, inventory management, quality control, and customer satisfaction.

5. Product Knowledge

Product knowledge is the skill of having better information and knowledge about the product you are selling. Product knowledge is essential for the employees of the companies so they can communicate and inform the customers about the product. Having great product knowledge is essential for a better sales pitch and to give the customer a better and complete idea of the product that will influence him to buy the product eventually.

Here's how commercial sales managers use product knowledge:

Recruited pro sales account representatives and enhanced product knowledge training.
Acquired superior product knowledge to effectively help customers.

6. Work Ethic

Here's how commercial sales managers use work ethic:

Promoted to Assistant Store Manager as a reward for good work ethic and high sales rate
Cash register familiarity ?Strong work ethic

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7. Project Management

Here's how commercial sales managers use project management:

Assumed a variety of increasingly responsible leadership positions from project management to marketing direction to facilitate success of a nascent department.
Project management responsibilities included maintaining budgets, executing to plan, leading installation teams and ensuring proper installation specifications are met.

8. HVAC

Here's how commercial sales managers use hvac:

Designed and estimated HVAC systems for commercial and residential installation.
Managed and conducted commercial and residential sales throughout Northern Colorado, with an established HVAC firm.

9. Account Management

The process of strengthening the relationship between a company and client is called account management. Effective account management has two key objectives, one is to retain loyal customers and the second one is to help the company grow by creating connections with new customers.

Here's how commercial sales managers use account management:

Mentored tenured sales professionals on new sales approaches and account management in a competitive marketplace.
Focused on new business development, existing account management, and business reporting.

10. Sales Professionals

Here's how commercial sales managers use sales professionals:

Developed and led a sales team of 10 outside, B2B sales professionals to achieve sales and customer experience goals.
Recruited and maintained a network of over 50 independent sales professionals to sell commercial real estate financing business solutions.

11. Sales Growth

Here's how commercial sales managers use sales growth:

Cultivate sales growth and service improvements utilizing customer loyalty program data.
Secured exclusive business from a customer and supported their sales growth from $500 to over $43,000 per month.

12. Business Plan

Here's how commercial sales managers use business plan:

Developed and executed fine-tuned target lists and effective business plans designed to secure specifications among architectural, engineering and design-build firms.
Developed and executed business plan that built corporate relationships with customers and industry market leaders.

13. Cold Calls

Cold calling is a kind of business solicitation from customers who didn't express interest in their product and services before. In this technique, a salesman conducts a call with potential customers with whom they haven't had a prior interaction. Cold calling can include phone calls or telemarketing. However, in-person visits like door-to-door marketing are also a type of cold calling

Here's how commercial sales managers use cold calls:

Developed new accounts by business to business cold calling * Increase volume by 62 % * Increased customer base by 34 %
Set up a cold calling process to reach out and acquire new business and develop into key accounts.

14. Sales Strategies

Here's how commercial sales managers use sales strategies:

Developed and implemented a total approach to previously undefined commercial sales strategies with definitive target segments and action plans.
Developed and implemented marketing and sales strategies for commercial and residential accounts.

15. Business Development

Business development is the ideas or initiatives that work to make business work better. Selling, advertising, product development, supply chain management, and vendor management are only a few of the divisions involved with it. There is still a lot of networking, negotiating, forming alliances, and trying to save money. The goals set for business development guide and coordinate with all of these various operations and sectors.

Here's how commercial sales managers use business development:

Identified business development opportunities and monitored dealer profitability.
Acquired professional sales experience and contributed to business development efforts at this Internet-based, social enterprise.

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What skills help Commercial Sales Managers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on commercial sales manager resumes?

Adry S. Clark Ph.D.

Director, Western Oregon University

The skills that stand out on resumes fall into two categories: 1) Skills required to do the job and 2) Skills almost all employers look for. The most important aspect of resumes is to make sure it reflects exactly what the employer needs. Study the job description, identify key skills, and have them reflected on your resume. Think about transferrable skills, not the specific roles you've had.

Most employers look for skills such as communication (written/oral), flexibility, proactivity, problem-solving, project management, and technical. Make sure to cultivate those skills in whatever role you have, and have examples that demonstrate those skills.

What soft skills should all commercial sales managers possess?

Andrea Dixon Ph.D.

Executive Director, Center for Professional Selling, Frank and Floy Smith Holloway Endowed Professorship in Marketing, President, University Sales Center Alliance 2019-2021, Baylor University

Since sales professionals have a lot of information available to them today via customer relationship management (CRM) systems, the sales manager's "supervisory" role is less important (especially for experienced sellers). Consequently, the sales manager needs to be more of a coach and enabler of high performance. Having confidence balanced with humility allows the sales manager to engage more effectively with their salespeople.
One of the critical soft skills for sales managers going forward will be the ability to connect members of the sales team to others in the organization - in other words, the sales manager of the future needs to have strong skills in network building for others. Sellers have access to data which helps them build success.
They also need access to the right people to turn to when they need specific expertise or assistance.

What hard/technical skills are most important for commercial sales managers?

Andrea Dixon Ph.D.

Executive Director, Center for Professional Selling, Frank and Floy Smith Holloway Endowed Professorship in Marketing, President, University Sales Center Alliance 2019-2021, Baylor University

One of the growing technical skill requirements for sales managers is in the area of data analytics. Our performance and customer systems provide a myriad of data, and the role of the sales manager is to be a sense-maker of that mound of data. What are the implications for changes in strategy or behavior evident in last quarter's activity? How can the sales manager help a specific seller "see" where the data suggest new approaches?

What commercial sales manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Kerri Orders

Assistant Professor of Business, Aquinas College

In terms of a gap year, I recommend that international business students acquire tangible skills, relevant experience and/or certifications which will enhance their success in their desired area of interest. For example, a gap year could consist of gaining technical or digital training overseas, which would also further the students' cultural intelligence and language proficiency. These types of enriching gap year experiences will assist students to distinguish themselves in a highly competitive market. Furthermore, students should focus on broadening and maintaining their global network during a gap year in order to be ready for the job market once the gap year is concluded.

What type of skills will young commercial sales managers need?

Michael Mikitka

Executive Vice President, MHI – Material Handling Industry

Courses and internships are essential. While the required depth of knowledge may vary from one position to another, employers are generally looking for candidates with strong "people-related" skills, those who are willing to continue to learn, and those with the ability to be flexible and adapt.

By "people-related" skills, I mean the abilities associated with effective communication (listen and express ideas and direction) and the skills related to working independently and a team.

As for the interest to continually learn... from a technology, data, and equipment perspective, today's supply chain looks very different than it did 10-years ago. The willingness and ability to continually learn are essential for anyone in a leadership role.

As for flexibility and adapting...supply chain/logistics is as much about responding to disruption and demand as it is planning for it. There is a predictable demand (i.e., seasonal...everyone knows when back-to-school shopping begins). Then there is the unpredictable demand (i.e., power-outages, wildfires, pandemic) that impact market and the ability to operate. Candidates that express flexibility and problem-solving skills will be much sought-after.

What technical skills for a commercial sales manager stand out to employers?

Todd Lee Goen

Instructor & Internship Director, Christopher Newport University

Technical skills are often industry and/or position specific. Applicants should highlight any technical skills related to the position advertisement and those that add value to the position/organization. Most importantly, requirements for technical skills change with time and technological advances. This means employers value workers capable of adapting to change and continually improving and acquiring new technical skills. Thus, it's usually more important to demonstrate you are capable of learning and developing technical skills than it is to have a specific skill set upon hire (although this is not true for some positions/industries).
That said, technical skills related to online presentations, virtual meetings, virtual networking, remote working and the like are hot commodities right now. While most organizations were in the process of adopting many of these technologies and ways of doing business pre-pandemic, the pandemic accelerated the process. Organizations are making it work, but they often don't know best practices or the most efficient means of working in the largely virtual, pandemic environment. Post-pandemic, many of the remote/virtual changes the pandemic brought will stay in some form. Technical skills that support this type of workplace will make applicants stand out to many employers because they need/want to do virtual/remote business better.

Do you want to know more?

List of commercial sales manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a commercial sales manager resume and required skills for a commercial sales manager to have include:

Customer Service
Sales Targets
CRM
Customer Satisfaction
Product Knowledge
Work Ethic
Project Management
HVAC
Account Management
Sales Professionals
Sales Growth
Business Plan
Cold Calls
Sales Strategies
Business Development
Business Sales

Commercial Vehicles
Direct Reports
Sales Reps
Sales Plan
Sales Presentations
Develop Leads
Sales Revenue
General Contractors
Customer Complaints
Customer Relations
Trade Shows
Business Relationships
Sales Training
Customer Accounts
Gross Profit
Sales Associates

Sales Efforts
Sales Quota
Sales Reports
Inventory Control
Product Line
Sales Volume
Customer Retention
Customer Issues
Sales People
Lawn Care
Inventory Management
Retail Sales
Commercial Property
Customer Inquiries

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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