What does an industry sales manager do?
Industry sales managers are professionals who are responsible for supervising all industrial sales of an organization to achieve revenue goals and profit in sales. These managers must analyze all requirements of individual market areas and recommend strategies that will improve profits for the organization. They must maintain an optimal level of customer service for all their industrial sales activities to ensure customer satisfaction. Industry sales managers must also implement various sales programs to facilitate sales while executing market strategies to reach all budget objectives.
Industry sales manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real industry sales manager resumes:
- Introduce a foreign manufacture into a dominant domestic automotive and aerospace markets while achieving business goals and domestic tool production plans.
- Provide operational leadership including strategic planning, resource allocation, forecasting, ROI, and budget optimization.
- Introduce a foreign manufacture into a dominant domestic automotive and aerospace markets while achieving business goals and domestic tool production plans.
- Develop strategic territory and marketing plans, formulate RFP responses, provide international expertise on sales calls.
Industry sales manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 9% of Industry Sales Managers are proficient in Customer Satisfaction, CRM, and Sales Process. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Customer-service skills.
We break down the percentage of Industry Sales Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Satisfaction, 9%
Developed in-depth knowledge on all products and ensured good customer satisfaction.
- CRM, 9%
Schedule sales calls each week to mix of prospects and legacy customers; update Sage CRM.
- Sales Process, 6%
Developed business plans, sales process, and strategy for the market that ensured attainment of company sales goals and profitability.
- Account Management, 5%
Account Management and Inventory Management.
- Trade Shows, 5%
Monitor and improve sales growth by participating in local trade shows: demonstrate product line with potential and existing customers.
- Business Development, 5%
Established and implemented systematic strategy for business development across many major industries.
Most industry sales managers use their skills in "customer satisfaction," "crm," and "sales process" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential industry sales manager responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for an industry sales manager to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what industry sales managers do because "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." Additionally, an industry sales manager resume shows how industry sales managers use analytical skills: "reviewed market analysis to determine customer needs, price schedules, and discount rates. "
Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform industry sales manager duties is communication skills. Industry sales managers responsibilities require that "sales managers need to work with colleagues and customers, so they must be able to communicate clearly." Industry sales managers also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "developed and maintained quality customer relationships via phone calls, e-mail communications and on-site visits with extensive travel. "
Customer-service skills. This is an important skill for industry sales managers to perform their duties. For an example of how industry sales manager responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "when helping to make a sale, sales managers must listen and respond to the customer’s needs." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an industry sales manager: "managed 6 direct sales representatives and 27 industrial distributor sales agent locations to maximize customer contact. ".
Leadership skills. industry sales manager responsibilities often require "leadership skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "sales managers must be able to evaluate how their sales staff performs and must develop strategies for meeting sales goals." This resume example shows what industry sales managers do with leadership skills on a typical day: "provided 1:1 coaching to sales management team to build leadership capabilities, impact employee retention, and sales/customer satisfaction. "
The three companies that hire the most industry sales managers are:
- Iron Mountain12 industry sales managers jobs
- Microsoft11 industry sales managers jobs
- American Welding & Gas6 industry sales managers jobs
Compare different industry sales managers
Industry sales 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.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between industry sales managers and product manager/sales. For instance, industry sales manager responsibilities require skills such as "sales territory," "sales strategy," "gross margin," and "industrial automation." Whereas a product manager/sales is skilled in "customer service," "pos," "product management," and "cycle management." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Product managers/sales really shine in the education industry with an average salary of $108,541. Comparatively, industry sales managers tend to make the most money in the utilities industry with an average salary of $94,577.The education levels that product managers/sales earn slightly differ from industry sales managers. In particular, product managers/sales are 1.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an industry sales manager. Additionally, they're 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Industry sales manager vs. Regional sales and marketing manager
A regional sales and marketing manager's role is to oversee a company's marketing operations, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities include performing research and analysis to identify new business opportunities, gathering and analyzing data to determine the strengths and weaknesses of current programs and procedures, setting goals and budgets, assessing the performance of the workforce, and monitoring the progress of the different company branches within the region. Furthermore, as a regional sales and marketing manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the employees to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, industry sales manager responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "sales territory," "distributors," "sales strategy," and "product sales." Meanwhile, a regional sales and marketing manager has duties that require skills in areas such as "digital marketing," "regional sales," "enterprise sales," and "sales objectives." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Regional sales and marketing managers may earn a lower salary than industry sales managers, but regional sales and marketing managers earn the most pay in the automotive industry with an average salary of $100,223. On the other hand, industry sales managers receive higher pay in the utilities industry, where they earn an average salary of $94,577.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Regional sales and marketing managers tend to reach similar levels of education than industry sales managers. In fact, they're 1.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for industry sales managers in the next 3-5 years?
Bill Thorne
Executive Director of the NRF Foundation and Senior Vice President of Communication and Public Affairs of NRF, National Retail Federation
Industry sales manager vs. Sales account manager
The account sales manager is in charge of the retention of their customer relationship. They have to supervise the portfolio of existing clients, develop new business with them, and seek new sales opportunities. Account sales managers act as liaisons between the company and customer as well as build strong, long-lasting relationships by providing an improved customer experience. It is their responsibility to negotiate contracts and close deals to maximize sales profits. Also, they forecast track sales results and prepare reports on account status.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from industry sales manager resumes include skills like "sales plan," "distributors," "sales strategy," and "business plan," whereas a sales account manager is more likely to list skills in "customer service," "powerpoint," "work ethic," and "excellent interpersonal. "
Sales account managers make a very good living in the technology industry with an average annual salary of $68,777. On the other hand, industry sales managers are paid the highest salary in the utilities industry, with average annual pay of $94,577.Most sales account managers achieve a similar degree level compared to industry sales managers. For example, they're 3.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Industry sales manager vs. Business development sales manager
A business development sales manager is in charge of securing sales by reaching out to clients through calls, correspondence, or appointments. Their responsibilities often revolve around performing research and analysis to identify new leads and sales opportunities, offering different products and services, and creating proposals and price quotes for potential clients. A business development sales manager may also tailor payment plans, process billing, participate in various marketing initiatives, and produce progress reports. Furthermore, it is essential to ensure customer satisfaction and build positive relationships to strengthen the company's client base.
Types of industry sales manager
Updated January 8, 2025
