Corporate sales managers
High opportunity occupation
Career Overview
Corporate sales managers plan, direct and evaluate sales activities. They oversee businesses or departments involved in commercial, industrial, institutional, e-business, wholesale and retail sales.
Job Titles
Duties
In general, corporate sales managers:
- Organize sales operations for a region or division
- Set sales policies and procedures
- Lead a sales team in finding new business and building relationships with clients
- Set sales direction and goals for new product lines
- Negotiate sales contracts
- Analyze sales data
- Create sales forecasts and set revenue targets for staff
- Recruit, train and manage staff
Corporate sales managers may also work with their company’s marketing department to communicate marketing messages to sales staff.
Earnings
Earnings is income that workers receive in exchange for their labour. Depending on the type of employment, earnings can be in the form of wages (hourly), salaries (fixed monthly or annual) or self-employed earnings.
Work Environment
# Workers Employed
9,620% Employed Full Time
80%Work usually takes place in an office. More and more, corporate sales managers work remotely to manage sales representatives in other regions.
Career Pathways
With experience, corporate sales managers may move into senior management positions. These include roles such as sales director, sales vice-president and executive senior vice-president.
Related Careers
Occupational Interests
It’s important to understand what kinds of occupations align with your interests.
For more about occupational interests visit Skills for the Future Workforce > Characteristics.
Here are the top occupational interest(s) for this career profile:
Education, Training and Skills
Corporate sales managers usually need:
- A university degree or college diploma in business administration, or in a related field with a specialization in sales
- Several years’ experience as a sales representative or in a related role
- An understanding of data analytics
Some employers look for workers with a professional designation from the Canadian Professional Sales Association (CPSA). These include Certified Sales Associate (CSA), Certified Sales Professional (CSP) and Certified Sales Leader (CSL).
Education programs in B.C.
The following program areas are related to this occupation:
- Business Administration/Management/Commerce
- Marketing
Skills
Every job calls for a certain set of skills. Knowing those skills is the first step in finding a good career fit.
Here, you will find the 10 most relevant workplace skills. Some are more important to achieving success in a certain career than others. These skills may come naturally to you or you may need to gain them through education, training and experience.
See the list of work-related skills below, ranked in order of importance for this career. Check out the list and see if this career matches your skills—take that first step!
Convincing others to change their mind or behaviour.
Talking to others to share information effectively.
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Keeping track of and assessing your performance, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Labour Market Statistics
Discover data, facts and information that have been gathered and analyzed. Learn about the characteristics of the economy and labour market in B.C.
Employment
Find out about employment types and trends by region and industry.
Employment
9,620Employment by Region
| Region | Employment | % Employment of this Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 155 | 1.6% |
| Kootenay | 95 | 1.0% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 7,445 | 77.4% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 30 | 0.3% |
| Northeast | 45 | 0.5% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 845 | 8.8% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 1,005 | 10.4% |
Labour Market Outlook
The B.C. Labour Market Outlook is a 10-year forecast of the expected supply and demand for labour in the province. It’s usually updated every year. The purpose is to provide British Columbians with the knowledge to make informed decisions on careers, skills training, education and hiring.
Forecasted Job Openings (2024-2034)
5,540Forecasted Job Openings
Forecasted Employment Growth Rate
Composition of Job Openings
Job Openings by Region (2024-2034)
| Region | Job Openings | Avg. Annual Employment Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 40 | -0.5% |
| Kootenay | 40 | 0.8% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 4,340 | 1.9% |
| North Coast and Nechako | Not available | Not available |
| Northeast | 10 | 1.0% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 560 | 1.2% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 550 | 0.9% |
Industry Highlights
Learn about the opportunities in B.C.'s major industries, including employment trends, earning potential, locations of work and more.
Forecasted Job Openings by Industry
| Industry | Job Openings (2024-2034) |
|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | 1,750 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1,190 |
| Retail Trade | 770 |
| Manufacturing | 500 |
| Finance, Insurance and Real Estate | 330 |
Insights from Industry
Analyzing data has become an important part of this job. Corporate sales managers use technology to measure, manage and evaluate sales figures. This allows them to forecast revenues and set goals for their sales teams.
Despite having many sales-related workers, B.C. has a shortage of highly skilled sales professionals. Demand is therefore strong for qualified corporate sales managers.
Resources
-
Canadian Professional Sales Association (CPSA)www.cpsa.com
Career Videos
Watch the video below to see what a day in the life of a corporate sales manager is like.
Watch the video below to see what a day in the life of a corporate sales manager is like.
