Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Assistant Sales Manager

🎯 Role Definition

The Assistant Sales Manager supports the Sales Manager in driving revenue, managing team performance, and executing territory-level sales strategies. This role combines hands-on selling, coaching of sales representatives, pipeline management and cross-functional coordination (marketing, operations, product, finance) to meet monthly/quarterly quotas. The Assistant Sales Manager ensures CRM hygiene, prepares accurate forecasts, implements promotional activity, and acts as a point of escalation for key customer issues while continuously improving sales processes and training materials.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Sales Representative / Sales Executive (B2B or retail)
Account Manager / Key Account Executive
Retail Store Supervisor or Team Lead

Advancement To:

Sales Manager / Area Sales Manager
Regional Sales Manager
National Sales Manager / Head of Sales
Account Director or Business Development Director

Lateral Moves:

Business Development Manager
Customer Success Manager
Product Specialist / Channel Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Drive achievement of monthly and quarterly sales targets by coaching and supporting the sales team, implementing action plans, and holding sellers accountable to activity and conversion KPIs.
Manage and optimize the sales pipeline: qualify leads, prioritize opportunities, track progress, and enforce consistent CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot or equivalent) data hygiene and stage definitions.
Prepare accurate weekly and monthly sales forecasts and variance analyses for the Sales Manager and regional leadership to inform quota adjustments and resource allocation.
Lead territory and account planning: segment accounts, define coverage models, assign territories, and develop targeted account plans to grow revenue and wallet share.
Coach, train and mentor sales representatives on consultative selling, product positioning, objection handling, pricing strategy and closing techniques to improve hit rates and average deal size.
Own day-to-day sales operations including order approvals, contract review support, credit and pricing exceptions, and coordination with legal/finance to expedite deal closure.
Execute targeted prospecting campaigns and outbound activities (email cadences, cold calling, LinkedIn outreach) to generate qualified pipeline and new customer acquisition.
Partner with marketing to operationalize lead-gen campaigns, promotional programs, merchandising plans and point-of-sale activities; measure campaign ROI and optimize tactics.
Handle escalated customer issues and complex negotiations, acting as the primary point of contact for key accounts to preserve relationships and drive renewals.
Monitor competitor activity, pricing changes and market trends; translate insights into tactical adjustments to value propositions, promotions and sales messaging.
Create and present sales performance reports, leaderboards, and business reviews (monthly/quarterly) to internal stakeholders, highlighting wins, risks and corrective actions.
Implement and enforce standard operating procedures (SOPs) for sales onboarding, reporting, expense approvals, and incentive compensation compliance.
Support new product launches by building go-to-market plans, training sales reps on product features and benefits, and tracking early-adopter feedback to inform product teams.
Manage retail activation and merchandising execution including store visits, promotional set-ups, inventory checks and coordination with operations teams to maximize shelf availability and conversion.
Assist with recruiting, interviewing and onboarding new sales hires; design role-specific training programs, shadowing schedules and first-90-day success metrics.
Lead regular field ride-alongs, sales calls and account reviews to observe rep performance, coach in real time and ensure consistent brand and process execution.
Work with supply chain and operations to prioritize high-value customer orders, resolve fulfillment issues and communicate delivery expectations to clients.
Drive improvement initiatives in sales processes and enablement tools (playbooks, sales scripts, objection-handling guides) to shorten sales cycles and increase win-rates.
Manage recurring promotional calendars, discounts and trade terms; analyze program performance and recommend adjustments that protect margin while driving volume.
Support pricing and contract negotiation for medium-complexity deals, preparing commercial proposals, calculating margin impacts and escalating complex exceptions.
Maintain accurate territory and account documentation, including account histories, decision-maker maps, competitive notes and escalation paths, to ensure continuity of service.
Coordinate cross-functional problem-solving for complex customer requests (product customizations, logistics exceptions), ensuring timely resolution and clear handoffs.
Monitor sales KPIs (conversion rate, average order value, churn, pipeline coverage) and run root-cause analyses to identify performance gaps and corrective actions.
Drive customer retention initiatives such as renewal outreach, win-back campaigns, and proactive account reviews to minimize churn and increase lifetime value.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Assist the finance team with monthly invoicing reconciliations and revenue recognition support for complex deals.
Participate in trade shows, local events and in-store promotions to represent the brand and build pipeline.
Help design sales incentive plans, variable comp metrics and quota assignments in collaboration with HR and compensation teams.
Maintain up-to-date competitor collateral and share best practices across territories to foster continuous learning and improvement.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

CRM proficiency: Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics or similar — pipeline management, lead scoring, and report/dashboard creation.
Sales forecasting and quota management with strong accuracy in weekly/monthly forecasts.
Advanced Microsoft Excel skills (VLOOKUP, pivot tables, data validation) and comfort with Google Sheets.
Experience with sales enablement tools (SalesLoft, Outreach), CPQ, ERP or POS systems depending on channel.
Contract review basics, pricing calculators, and margin impact analysis.
Territory design and account segmentation methodology.
Familiarity with retail merchandising standards, inventory management and order execution processes (for retail roles).
Basic data analysis and visualization skills (Tableau, Power BI or Looker) to surface insights from sales data.
Experience running promotional programs and measuring ROI.
Proficiency preparing executive-level presentations and business reviews (PowerPoint / Google Slides).
Knowledge of B2B and/or retail sales cycles, procurement processes and buyer personas relevant to the industry.

Soft Skills

Strong leadership and people-development orientation; proven ability to coach and motivate a distributed sales team.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills; effective presenter to customers and executives.
Problem-solving and analytical mindset with an ability to synthesize data into clear actions.
Customer-centric approach with strong negotiation and conflict-resolution skills.
Time management and prioritization: ability to balance individual selling with managerial responsibilities.
Resilience and adaptability in fast-paced, target-driven environments.
Collaborative cross-functional working style; skilled at influencing without direct authority.
Detail-oriented with high standards for process compliance and CRM accuracy.
Strategic thinking with a focus on scalable processes and continuous improvement.
Ethical behavior and commitment to compliance with company policies and industry regulations.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in Business, Marketing, Sales, or related field.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree with a preference for candidates with MBA or relevant postgraduate coursework in Sales/Marketing/Leadership.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Business Administration
Marketing
Finance
Economics
Hospitality / Retail Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–5 years of progressive sales experience with 1+ year in a supervisory/lead or senior contributor role. Experience may vary by industry (B2B, retail, FMCG, SaaS).

Preferred:

3–6 years of sales experience including territory management, quota attainment, CRM ownership (Salesforce preferred), and demonstrated success coaching or mentoring other sellers. Experience in the company’s vertical (retail, SaaS, manufacturing, or distribution) is highly desirable.