Job responsibilities of the head of the sales department: requirements, example and recommendations
Many business owners mistakenly believe that in order to sell high, they only need to equip an office, form a plan, recruit a “sales” department and put a boss in charge of this department to implement it. However, practice shows that the work of any specialist must be directed in the right direction, and not only by total control of the management, but also by assigning direct duties and rights to him. All these provisions must be approved in the relevant documentation. This means that you should not approach the creation of job descriptions formally. The instruction should be a regulation, clearly define the actions of each employee and his powers.
Range of duties
The head of the sales department is a professional with a wide range of responsibilities, with the presence of employees in direct subordination. The amount of profit of the enterprise and the absence of claims to the brand of the company depend on how well the head of the sales department performs his duties, at what level his professionalism is developed.
The main objectives of the person in this position:
- team management, training of new staff;
- strategic search for new consumers of products and services, work with them;
- receivables management;
- formation of a sales plan, control of its implementation;
- implementation of the company's development strategy together with the marketing department.
The breadth of duties of the head of the sales department depends on the specifics of a particular company and the number of employees. In principle, the position has great prospects, you can "grow" to the commercial director or even become the chief manager of a company or office.
Personnel management, training of new personnel
The functional duties of the head of the sales department are, first of all, the management of the personnel entrusted to him. A good specialist should be well versed in the specifics of his industry and understand the principles by which modern distribution channels work, that is, he needs to be able to attract a client, establish cooperation with him and not let go of the old one. He must teach this to his subordinates.
Setting goals
The boss must clearly set tasks for the staff and adjust the priorities in their work. The specialist must be able to competently distribute duties among all employees. Sales representatives and sales managers must clearly understand who is responsible for what. At the same time, the assigned tasks must be realistically achievable.
Execution control
Before monitoring the performance of tasks, it is necessary to explain to subordinates by what criteria the effectiveness of their work will be determined. Depending on the results of the interim control, the head of the sales department may face the task of correcting current plans. The duties of the head of the sales department also include the elimination of conflict situations between employees.
Motivation
Fairness should be in the first place for every leader. It is impossible to achieve successful work in a team where only those who are close to the authorities are rewarded, and “outsiders” are scolded, even if they have the highest sales figures.
When choosing incentives for your subordinates, it is necessary to take into account their individual characteristics, not forgetting the common interests of the entire department.
Strategic search for consumers of products and services, work with them
This paragraph of the instruction should be drawn up depending on the specifics of the enterprise. In any case, knowledge of modern sales technologies for key distribution channels is a fundamental factor when choosing a candidate for the position of chief. In addition, the job responsibilities of the head of sales require the ability to negotiate at a high level. The specialist must have presentation skills. Ideally, the candidate should have an MBA.
The head of the department must cope with the settlement of all disputes that may arise between the manager and the client. He will also have to analyze incoming complaints in order to identify existing shortcomings in the work of both his department and the entire enterprise.
Accounts receivable management
The main responsibilities of the head of the sales department include the management of receivables. The set of actions in relation to this paragraph consists of the following provisions:
- selection of optimal sales conditions that will ensure a uniform and guaranteed cash flow;
- determination of the level of allowances and discounts, depending on the purchasing category of consumers;
- limiting the permissible level of debt;
- reducing the amount of debt.
Practicing marketers know for sure that this task is much more problematic and even more important than expanding the sales market. Timely repayment of debt is a guarantee of the successful functioning of the enterprise in the future.
Formation of a sales plan, control of its implementation
Perhaps no one will argue that planning is one of the main tools for achieving any goal. Can a sales team exist without a plan? It can, but the effectiveness of the work of the staff should not be expected.
Responsibilities of the head of the retail sales department - drawing up a plan. Doing this work, you should not rely solely on the results of past periods. In this case, managers will have nothing to strive for. The analysis will determine the seasonality of sales, but no more. The plan is regulated by strictly limited terms, and employees, based on it, must receive realistic and achievable goals from the manager.
Implementation of the company's development strategy together with the marketing department
The main function of the marketing department is to support sales, but this does not mean that marketers report to the head of sales. These two divisions should be on an equal footing, and no one is obliged to obey anyone.
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