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Types of Sales Managers and their Importance

Quick Notes - Sales Managers:
  • There are different types of sales managers that best fit your sales strategies.
  • Seven different sales managers: venture, pure growth, selling, maintenance, turnaround, reconstruction, prospecting.

Sales managers are very important members of any sales team. They are the ones with the advanced selling techniques, and are typically laying out the successful sales strategies for newer salespeople. Sales Managers are role models for entry level salespeople. Which sales manager are you? What type do you want to be? This article will examine the seven different sales managers that exist and what each manager can bring to the table in any business life cycle.

Different Types of Sales Managers

The seven different sales managers include the Venture Sales Manager, the Pure Growth Sales Manager, the Selling Sales Manager, the Maintenance Sales Manager, the Turnaround Sales Manager, the Reconstruction Sales Manager, and the Prospecting Sales Manager.

Venture Sales Manager

The Venture Sales Manager is the first sales manager your company or business will employ. This person may very well be you or a partner of yours. They are tasked with initiating relationships with customers and other businesses that may be interested in what you have to sell them. Their focus is on relationship building as opposed to strictly selling your product. They will plant the seeds that will grow into long lasting business relationships into the future. This sales manager is typically employed during the first 12 months of your business operation.

Pure Growth Sales Manager

The Pure Growth Sales Manager is the second sales manager your company or business will employ. They typically are very charismatic and very passionate about producing results. They will feed off the seeds your Venture Sales Manager planted, in order to bring new business to your company. They will be tasked entirely with bringing in customers and exceeding your sales targets. Pure Growth Sales Managers typically begin their work 12 months to 36 months into your business’s operation.

Selling Sales Manager

The Selling Sales Manager is the permanent sales manager your company requires to maintain new leads, make new sales, and otherwise conduct business into the future. They are a tamed version of your Pure Growth Sales Manager, but have far more time to exercise caution and diligence with your customers than your Pure Growth Sales Manager would have. Selling Sales Managers are the bread and butter of your sales force. They will be the front line salespeople utilizing advanced selling techniques to get revenue rolling. They will know how to close a deal, and they will lead the training of your sales force. The Selling Sales Manager typically begins work 12 months into your business’s operations. They will be employed for the life of your business.

Maintenance Sales Manager

The Maintenance Sales Manager is generally one of your best Selling Sales Managers that are looking to get into more of an advisory role within the company. They are interested in ensuring current Selling Sales Managers are doing their jobs, maintaining success, and otherwise performing adequately. They are important Sales Managers because they keep compliance within your sales force. They ensure the T’s are crossed and the I’s are dotted. The Maintenance Sales Manager role can typically be done by any leading Selling Sales Manager, but having a distinguished Maintenance Sales Manager may make your operations a little smoother.

Turnaround Sales Manager

The Turnaround Sales Manager is the one who will assist in rejuvenating your sales force. Turnaround Sales Managers are employed when your sales force is experiencing less-than-desirable results, or when the economy has turned downwards. Their sole job and responsibility is to enact policy that ensures growth is re-established.

Reconstruction Sales Manager

The Reconstruction Sales Manager is responsible for reconstructing an organization’s sales force; much like the Venture Sales Manager did when your business first began its operations. They will typically audit your current sales effort and make recommendations on a consultancy basis. They will suggest methods in which to reconstruct your business model to sustain revenue and growth. The Reconstruction Sales Manager is the last step in trying to bring your sales force back to life.

Prospecting Sales Manager

The Prospecting Sales Manager is often times not denoted as a type of Sales Manager. However, this author believes the Prospecting Sales Manager is an integral part of any successful sales plans or sales strategy. The Prospecting Sales Manager is employed either from business startup, or when your sales team is in reconstruction mode. They will essentially redo the Venture Sales Manager’s job solely in prospecting. They will purposely go out of their way to exhaust all leads and avenues for generating new business. The Prospecting Sales Manager is your last line of defense in terms of sustaining business success.
Determining what type of sales manager you are will help you identify where you fit in your business model, and where your greatest needs are. As a business owner, you will be able to better strategize future outcomes if you plan ahead using appropriate sales managers. It is entirely possible to have a single manager wear multiple sales manager hats at any given time, but it is important to recognize and articulate exactly what it is you expect of them. Your Sales Manager will be the single most important hire in your company.