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The sales manager is arguably the most important person in the office. The majority of CEOs would agree that if you hire the right sales manager, your business can and will flourish.

The sales manager is arguably the most important person in the office.

The majority of CEOs would agree that if you hire the right sales manager, your business can and will flourish.

On the other hand, hire an incompetent, non-progressive thinker and you end up with turnovers, lost accounts, a poor reputation and declining market share within your industry.

Now that we have the obvious out of the way, what traits and knowledge combine to make the ideal sales manager within any organization regardless of industry?

1. Acquired knowledge about the intersections between businesses and the people who make them

Sales people know one thing – sales. Sales has a negative reputation strictly for the reason that we associate the word with being swindled by somebody that can be described as a bottom feeder or a Willy Lohman type character.

More often than not, a sentence that begins with the words, "I got sold," is going to be a negative statement as opposed to a sentence that begins with "I bought," which carries a positive connotation.

Therefore, instead of trying to get a quick sale and think small, the most effective sales managers know what their clients think.

The best sales managers understand what their concerns are, what their company’s strengths are. Most importantly, they can teach all this to their subordinates who in turn will sell enough to have subordinates themselves one day.

2. A vision of where your company is going

The statement that leaders know exactly where the both the company and they are going is inaccurate because the leader has the ability to adjust to fluctuating markets and other variables that call for a change in business plan.

However, leaders share a vision of growth for, first and foremost, the employees, and as a result the company. A leader’s vision should start with where he or she sees the team under them in the next few years and how their gradual growth will spawn the company’s increased revenue generation.

3. The ability to recruit and increase the firm’s positive image in the marketplace

Leaders dress nicely, are well put together and create an office atmosphere where the team looks their best, has the time to stay in shape and truly cares about the aesthetics of their surroundings.

Don’t think this is crucial? Then you’re not going to make as much money. Looks and perception are absolutely huge when it comes to sales and meeting with clients.

Regardless of what the product or service is and how much it costs, people feel most comfortable purchasing from those who are in the same or similar background and monetary wealth.