You're considering a career in Sales Management. What are the most common paths you can take?

Starting a career in sales management almost always begins with starting in sales it self. You must learn your product or service well and excel in your role and with people, to then move up the ladder into management. I always say, you can’t teach from a book you haven’t read.

It’s more than just a title, it's a calling. Many reps wish to lead - but managing isn't just a title, it's a responsibility. The path isn't and shouldn’t be about personal gains and taking a next step, it's providing others and team members the platform to grow and to succeed in their journey. As a sales manager, the best thing that could ever happen is when those on your team go on to do great and even bigger things! Leaders don't lord over teams, they lead by example.

In my opinion, the most common path to sales management is to start as a sales representative, after you get enough experience, various skills, know the pains and happiness of salesperson, then when you in the management level, you will have both the vision of customers and the sales, then you will have a full consideration to make the strategy.

Having the title of Manager sounds attractive, but there are negatives that must considered. Such as: If you were a top Sales Representative, you may be making less money than you were in your previous role. You will be working longer hours. If one of your staff does something wrong, illegal or fails to make quota you will be held accountable for not properly supervising them. You will be responsible for resolving any disagreements involving members of your staff. When a staff member has personal issues you will have to deal with it. You have to walk the fine line between pleasing members of your sales team and pleasing your boss. At some point you will have the unpleasant task of terminating someone.

Absolutely, starting as a sales representative is a common and effective pathway to sales management. Through this journey, individuals acquire firsthand experience in sales techniques, customer interaction, and industry knowledge, laying a solid foundation for leadership roles. Advancing to sales management typically requires a track record of exceptional performance, coupled with strong leadership, communication, and analytical skills. Additionally, completing formal training or certification programs in sales management can further enhance one's qualifications for managerial positions, providing valuable insights and tools for effective leadership in the sales domain.

I have many friends who started their career in operations or finance then move to sales. Moreover in the earlier stage, I have friends who are coming from science major background and ended up in sales. I think the key here is not the previous roles or job or education experience, but the profile of the person itself. Sales roles are for those who love interaction with other people, and in many ways find a creative way to influence those people and convince your objective, more importantly you need to be comfortable with it.

I feel on the other way around, sometimes you need to be a sales person in order for you to be a good entrepreneur. Cause being entrepreneur means you need to be able to sell and convince your idea to your stakeholders and customers

Regardless of your path, technical knowledge is important, however probably even more so is your specific knowledge and soft skills that you have cultivated from a young age. Those soft skills like emotional intelligence, communication, vision are really the essential glue that holds strong sales teams and ultimately cultures together. It’s good to be intentional about your goals and work backwards in terms of your path but don’t lose sight of the purpose of a sales manager.