How to hire a Sales Manager

How to hire a sales manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step sales manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a sales manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new sales manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a Sales Manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the sales manager you need to hire. Certain sales manager roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine Employee vs Contractor Status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect sales manager also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents sales manager salaries for various positions.

   Type Of Sales Manager	Description	Hourly Rate
   Sales Manager	Sales managers direct organizations' sales teams. They set sales goals, analyze data, and develop training programs for organizations’ sales representatives.	$20-62
   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... Show More	$36-75
   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... Show More	$32-86

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Product Knowledge
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Sales Performance
   • CRM
   • Sales Process
   • Work Ethic
   • Multitasking
   • Sales Associates
   • Sales Strategies
   • Sales Floor
   • HR
   • Sales Training
   • Account Management
   • Taking Inventory

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Achieve proficiency in multitasking by performing multiple duties and managing differing responsibilities periodically.
   • Manage discount contracts, write up of add-ons, renewals, transfers of equities.
   • Manage and support one of the largest portfolios within the division and the largest in the Americas.
   • Manage website, updating product listings, enhancing SEO positioning, and maintaining overall site appearance and functionality.
   • Launch and manage the Americas outsourcing lead generation and qualification process.
   • Set all promotional activity, introduce new items and manage distributors in select markets.

   More Sales Manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your sales manager job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A sales manager salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a sales manager in North Dakota may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level sales manager usually earns less than a senior-level sales manager. Additionally, a sales manager with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average sales manager salary

   $73,952yearly

   $35.55 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level sales manager salary

   $42,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 13, 2025

   Average sales manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	New Jersey	$99,088	$48
   2	New York	$97,607	$47
   3	District of Columbia	$86,003	$41
   4	Pennsylvania	$85,149	$41
   5	Virginia	$84,194	$40
   6	Massachusetts	$83,857	$40
   7	Hawaii	$82,211	$40
   8	North Carolina	$81,289	$39
   9	Maryland	$79,884	$38
   10	California	$77,618	$37
   11	Florida	$76,529	$37
   12	Texas	$75,202	$36
   13	Illinois	$74,492	$36
   14	Georgia	$72,507	$35
   15	Ohio	$71,847	$35
   16	Washington	$69,914	$34
   17	Minnesota	$68,203	$33
   18	Indiana	$67,075	$32
   19	Maine	$64,356	$31
   20	Arizona	$62,461	$30

   Average sales manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Capgemini	$175,069	$84.17	37
   2	Google	$173,589	$83.46	24
   3	NVIDIA	$171,482	$82.44	11
   4	Boehringer Ingelheim	$164,997	$79.33	56
   5	UST Global	$164,048	$78.87
   6	SAP	$162,137	$77.95	21
   7	Apple	$159,042	$76.46	57
   8	Riverbed Holdings, Inc.	$154,521	$74.29	3
   9	Accenture	$154,181	$74.13	745
   10	Orion Systems Integrators	$153,920	$74.00
   11	ServiceNow	$150,826	$72.51	78
   12	Mindtree	$149,504	$71.88
   13	Medallia	$148,496	$71.39
   14	Xoriant	$147,215	$70.78
   15	Juniper Networks	$147,102	$70.72
   16	IBM	$146,470	$70.42	3
   17	Barry-Wehmiller	$146,052	$70.22	6
   18	AgreeYa Solutions	$145,845	$70.12	2
   19	Conga	$145,633	$70.02	1
   20	Tech Mahindra	$145,563	$69.98	1

4. Writing a Sales Manager Job Description

   A job description for a sales manager role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a sales manager job description:

   Sales Manager job description example

   Do you believe in building long-term relationships, and taking care of customers? If so, it's time to take your career to the next level with NAPA's Associate Sales Manager Trainee (SMT) program!
   
   NAPA is looking for an energetic Associate Sales Manager Trainee to join our team who has a passion for excellence, leadership and building and sustaining relationships. This is a rotational, 12-month training program designed to give the right candidate the experience and exposure to the NAPA system and our industry to support quick movement into a Sales Management position with NAPA Auto Parts upon completion of the program.
   Basic Qualifications
   Bachelor's Degree 2-5 years' experience in Sales Management Demonstrated ability in Sales Calls, Closing Sales, and Achieving Sales and Profit Quotas Must be able to relocate upon completion of program Excellent verbal and written communication skills Tech-savvy with proficiency in Microsoft Office products Knowledge and aptitude for using and interpreting financial reports and data Ability to problem-solve and execute changes that increase efficiencies and improve customer service Excellent organizational skills, including prioritization and time management Mindset for Success
   Passionate and excited about building and sustaining relationships Thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment Self-starter with a results-driven mindset Passionate about attracting and retaining talent Act with integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality A Day in the Life
   Will join the NAPA Sales team in supporting our independent store owners with tools and initiatives that power their success Provides guidance and direction to Sales teams focused on increasing wholesale business for distribution centers Shifts into high gear to achieve quotas, rev up ROI, accelerate market penetration, and deliver excellent customer care Will engage in positive leadership to managers and employees to drive sales and profit growth through effective personnel and asset management Fuel and navigate NAPA programs while steering toward continuous improvement in processes and procedures Conduct high performance business development activities to increase the number of independent NAPA store owners across the United States Structured Development
   
   Associate Sales Manager Trainees participate in monthly, instructor-led virtual training and lead projects with support from our field and headquarters leaders. The SMTs self-manage the program by following a comprehensive list of business processes, experiences, and online training that is completed over the course of the 12-month program. Each AHRM is assigned a Coach who partners with the AHRMs to ensure the AHRM experiences all critical aspects of the business.
   Outstanding Benefits and Culture
   Health benefits and 401K Employee discounts Paid time off Stable, Fortune 200 company with a family feel Company culture that works hard, yet takes care of employees Opportunity for accessing multiple career paths and ongoing development with support from leaders and your team
   
   GPC conducts its business without regard to sex, race, creed, color, religion, marital status, national origin, citizenship status, age, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, military status, status as a veteran, or any other protected characteristic. GPC's policy is to recruit, hire, train, promote, assign, transfer and terminate employees based on their own ability, achievement, experience and conduct and other legitimate business reasons.

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5. Post your job

   To find the right sales manager for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with sales managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit sales managers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your sales manager job on Zippia to find and recruit sales manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting sales managers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new sales manager

   Once you have selected a candidate for the sales manager position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new sales manager. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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