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National sales manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Adry S. Clark Ph.D.,

Andrea Dixon Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical national sales manager skills. We ranked the top skills for national sales managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 10.4% of national sales manager resumes contained customer service as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a national sales manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 national 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 national sales managers use customer service:

Implemented industry-recognized training and NAILD LS1 lighting products certification, elevating technical expertise of 12-14 sales associates and customer service representatives.
Develop and implement new training and certification requirements for department as well as train department staff on corporate customer service expectations.

2. Product Development

Product development is the complete procedure of creating a product from concept until release of the final product. Product development has many stages after which a product is released into the market. Identifying the need, creating the opportunity, conceptualizing a product, and providing a solution, all are different stages of product development.

Here's how national sales managers use product development:

Established criteria for a required product modification and initiated a product development task group involving engineering, sales and reps.
Participated in multiple market beta deployment of OEM handsets and mobile navigation equipment* International product development exposure with GPS product.

3. Trade Shows

Here's how national sales managers use trade shows:

Managed independent and company representatives, maintained and expanded national and international accounts through trade shows and appointments.
Updated printed advertising material, created marketing plan/advertising campaign and initiated participation in industry trade shows.

4. Sales Growth

Here's how national sales managers use sales growth:

Secured strategic relationships with new suppliers to create several new products impacting incremental sales growth and increasing brand recognition.
Supervised independent sales organization, consisting of six account representatives with responsibility for business relationships and assuring sales growth.

5. Sales Strategies

Here's how national sales managers use sales strategies:

Developed and implemented innovative sales strategies, collaborating with agents to develop new territories until Canadian national coverage was secured.
Developed and implemented national sales strategies for environmental building agricultural product to be introduced into North American market.

6. 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 national sales managers use business development:

Led direct sales and business development, including key account management, customer relationship development, contract negotiations and budget responsibilities.
Oversee strategic planning, business development and day-to-day operations to ensure achievement of sales, expense, purchasing and profitability targets.

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7. Sales Management

Here's how national sales managers use sales management:

Recognized as a dynamic, entrepreneurial sales management strategist with a record of driving growth of revenues and improving sales-team performance
Provided administrative leadership and executive organization in all areas of a diverse and fast growing National Sales Management Team.

8. R

R is a free software environment and a language used by programmers for statistical computing. The R programming language is famously used for data analysis by data scientists.

Here's how national sales managers use r:

Utilized CRM tracking system for customer base tracking and process of sale tracking.1 Hamm R sum

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 national sales managers use account management:

Developed and implemented sales and marketing strategies including forecasting, budgeting, and national/corporate account management.
Conducted all activities related to consultant quality control, administration, reporting, and account management.

10. Business Plan

Here's how national sales managers use business plan:

Developed seasonal business plans by analyzing sales history, forecasting future trends, and conducting market analysis for new opportunities.
Provided hands-on leadership by traveling extensively to formulate and implement business plans and building relationships with retail professionals and end-users.

11. Sales Process

Here's how national sales managers use sales process:

Assisted in the procurement of a CRM solution resulting in sales process standardization and uniform revenue recognition allowing accurate real-time forecasting.
Championed enhanced sales process and business advisory programs, elevating technical sales competencies to include strategic 360 -business perspective.

12. Distribution Network

Here's how national sales managers use distribution network:

Charged with the growth of an established international distribution network while prospecting for and acquiring new accounts in undeveloped territories.
Established requirements for creating a distribution network and initiating efforts for seamless implementation.

13. Direct Sales

Here's how national sales managers use direct sales:

Promoted to position of increased responsibility to direct sales team and handle major company accounts for this leading polyurethane product manufacturer.
Managed a team of eight direct sales representatives, six independent manufacturer representatives and two outbound telemarketing representatives.

14. Sales Training

Here's how national sales managers use sales training:

Developed and implemented a national sales training program for independent distributors that led to better product focus and increased distributor sales.
Created and implemented a comprehensive sales training program focused on consultative solution based selling and established aggressive performance metrics.

15. C-Level

C-Level refers to corporate-level jobs such as chief executive officer (CEO) and chief financial officer (CFO). These positions are the highest level of management within a company and are typically earned after years of working at various positions within a single company. As C-level executives oversee large teams, excellent communication and management skills are required for these positions.

Here's how national sales managers use c-level:

Cultivated relationships with C-level executives, and distributor sales personnel to coordinate the roll-out of new products and innovative technology.
Established and maintained important C-Level relationships in the power generation marketplace that contributed to sustained sales and profitability.

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What skills help National 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 national 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 national 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 national 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 national 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 national 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 national sales manager stand out to employers?

Madeleine Felion

Search Manager, Direct Hire at Adecco USA, Adecco USA

- In many hourly positions, math and measurement skills are increasingly sought after by companies - these skills can apply to several jobs from quality to CNC machining.
- Data entry and accuracy is a skill many nontraditional jobs are asking for as machines become more automated. Computer skills continue to stand out as it also applies to many in-demand roles.
- Other skills include experience working with ERP software systems such as SAP, Oracle and Syteline. Niche skills such as lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, 5S and a variety of ISO quality standards are highly desired in most manufacturing companies.

Do you want to know more?

List of national sales manager skills to add to your resume

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

Customer Service
Product Development
Trade Shows
Sales Growth
Sales Strategies
Business Development
Sales Management
R
Account Management
Business Plan
Sales Process
Distribution Network
Direct Sales
Sales Training
C-Level
Sales Presentations

Sales Targets
Sales Efforts
Product Line
Sales Plan
OEM
Sales Revenue
Sales Objectives
Media Sales
Direct Reports
Revenue Growth
Product Knowledge
Sales Volume
Sales Organization
Market Research
Strong Negotiation
Sales Professionals

POS
RFP
Sales People
Cold Calls
Sales Programs
Company Sales
ROI
Sales Forecasts
Delphi
Product Training
Sales Quota
Develop Marketing Strategies
Contract Negotiations
Channel Marketing
YOY

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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