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Outside 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 outside sales manager skills. We ranked the top skills for outside sales managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 12.1% of outside sales manager resumes contained product knowledge as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills an outside sales manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 outside sales manager skills for your resume and career

1. 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 outside sales managers use product knowledge:

Fostered strong customer relationships throughout territories by honest straight forward product knowledge.
Educated customer employees utilizing trials to increase product knowledge and productivity.

2. 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 outside sales managers use crm:

Tracked business development, profits, and sales progress utilizing Client relationship Management tools (CRM).
Excelled in utilizing Customer Marketing Database (CRM) to prospect, pitch and close new business.

3. 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 outside sales managers use customer service:

Encouraged collaboration and problem solving between sales operations and customer service to resolve customer complaints and retain and grow advertiser programs
Maintain extraordinary customer service with each business owner by tracking and communicating performance results for long term Marketing goals.

4. Sales Territory

Here's how outside sales managers use sales territory:

Launched referral method for new sales territory and maintaining a customer satisfaction relationship with authorized ADT dealership.
Covered designated sales territory in the Eastern Upper Peninsula and NorthernLower.

5. Sales Strategies

Here's how outside sales managers use sales strategies:

Identified potential customers and developed and implemented sales strategies to obtain their business.
Prepared regular assessments and developed sales strategies for these territories.

6. Sales Growth

Here's how outside sales managers use sales growth:

Exceeded expectations in sales growth by building and training in professional and aggressive company representation.
Opened and managed first GA location for Columbus, OH corporation o Met sales growth targets and operating budgets both years

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7. Trade Shows

Here's how outside sales managers use trade shows:

Traveled extensively participating in trade shows, conventions, and other marketing opportunities.
Attended industry trade shows and events for business development opportunities.

8. Sales Process

Here's how outside sales managers use sales process:

Managed, Trained and Communicated to the Rental Representatives the Sales Process and Expectations of the New and Current Customer Accounts.
Developed a successful sales process: sales scripting, work flow, & closing techniques.

9. 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 outside sales managers use business development:

Maintain day-to-day operations including production management, sales, marketing, business development, and purchasing.
Increased client growth through efficient well-targeted business development programs designed to cater to prospective clients.

10. Increase Sales

Here's how outside sales managers use increase sales:

Promoted our products through different events and activities such as advertising campaigns to originate customers' interest and to increase sales.
Increase sales and average order size by means of cross-selling, up-selling, add-on sales and offering promotional sales items.

11. General Contractors

A general contractor is a person who has the job of overseeing a construction project after a contract has been signed between the property owner and the contractor. A general contractor is also called a direct contractor and provides all of the labor, material, equipment like tools, and transport. Most of the time, a general contractor also hires multiple subcontractors to do all or different parts of the construction work.

Here's how outside sales managers use general contractors:

Developed a network of 300 plus General Contractors, Business Owners, Engineers Commercial, Industrial, Mining Companies and Municipalities.
Provided client representation, marketing, bidding, and negotiations with general contractors at all levels.

12. 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 outside sales managers use cold calls:

Gained business through cold calling and other transportation company partnerships.
Focus cold calling on building relationships with prospective clients and their marketing agents to achieve sales showrooms that sell upgraded cabinets.

13. Product Line

Product line is a collection of similar or related products that may be under a single brand manufactured by the same company. It may include different varieties of a specific product of a brand which comes in different categories. In other cases, the product line may differ in some characteristics despite being from the same manufacturer.

Here's how outside sales managers use product line:

Keep current with knowledge of company manufactured parts and distributor product lines to ensure customer awareness and knowledge of information.
Pulled product line and educated consumers about promotional branding opportunities.

14. Sales Training

Here's how outside sales managers use sales training:

Developed and implemented sales training program and marketing campaigns for acquired Energy Defenders Insulation sales force.
Completed corporate sales training and professional photography in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

15. Sales Presentations

Here's how outside sales managers use sales presentations:

Conducted group seminars and private consultative sales presentations, while providing direct bereavement care to families by coordinating services.
Conduct sales presentations with potential customers to formally communicate the complete range of business benefits.

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What skills help Outside 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 outside 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 outside 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 outside 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 outside sales manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Kaustav Misra Ph.D.

Associate Dean, Central Connecticut State University

This pandemic taught us many things and one important thing that we have an efficiency gap.

The way of doing business will be much more technology orientated. Hence graduates should be ready to unskill and upskill their credentials. This time it is necessary to forget the old way of doing business and learn new skills to get a job or stay in a current job. Soft skills have become much more important than before, but a different soft skill set would be essential to interact with future market participants. Thus, a gap year should be utilized to unskill-upskill and enhance relevant credentials by getting into short-long term programs, training, and workshops would be highly recommended.

What type of skills will young outside 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 an outside 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 outside sales manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for an outside sales manager resume and required skills for an outside sales manager to have include:

Product Knowledge
CRM
Customer Service
Sales Territory
Sales Strategies
Sales Growth
Trade Shows
Sales Process
Business Development
Increase Sales
General Contractors
Cold Calls
Product Line
Sales Training
Sales Presentations
Sales Techniques
Business Relationships

Sales Reps
Client Relationships
Sales Reports
Sales Quota
Account Management
Sales Volume
Business Sales
Customer Relations
Customer Accounts
Sales Plan
Inventory Control
Repeat Business
Sales Associates
Gross Profit
Customer Inquiries
Sales Support
Sales Contracts

OEM
HVAC
Upselling
Sales Efforts
Customer Complaints
Sales People
Customer Orders
Credit Terms
Company Sales
Inventory Management
Retail Sales
Local Businesses
Customer Issues
Enterprise Sales
Gross Sales

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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