What is Sales Management? Definition, Process, Skills

Sales management is crucial for business development and revenue growth.

Think of it as the engine behind high-performing sales teams. It encompasses the tools, guidance, and processes needed to close deals, grow pipelines, and keep them full.

In this guide, we’ll discuss all things related to sales management, from what it is to the best sales management tools for your team.

Let’s dig in. 👇

What is sales management?

We asked Michelle Nguyen, Product and Marketing Manager at UpPromote, for her take on what sales management really means.

She put it simply:

“At its core, sales management makes sure that the sales team has the tools, processes, and direction to turn market opportunities into closed deals.”

She also described it as one of the most essential functions in a business, sandwiched between creating new products and generating revenue.

Without systems in place, sales can quickly become chaotic. It can feel like throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks. But the best sales leaders know that’s not sustainable. 

Instead, they rely on data, patterns, and proven processes to build repeatable success.

The secret to effective sales management?

Clear goals, well-trained teams, and consistent execution. When everyone’s aligned, like using the same playbook and tools, sales performance naturally improves.

What is the sales management process?

Effective sales management is built on a set of core processes.

If you’re starting from scratch, it might feel overwhelming. But breaking it down into four parts makes it far more manageable:

1. Strategy development

Every strong sales department starts with a strategy.

Yes, it can feel like a “Confused Math Lady” meme, especially since there are lots of moving parts. But defining each one is key to success.

Begin by establishing your sales objectives and revenue targets. Then define:

• Your ideal customer profile (ICP) - your guide to the potential customers who would get the most value from your product or service.
• Your sales channels - the places where your team will initiate customer interactions and build long-term relationships.
• Your go-to-market strategy - your plan for taking your product or service to market, attracting new prospects, and achieving competitive advantage.

These answer an important question in your sales management strategy:

Where are we going, and how will we get there?

And the best place to start?

Be sure to review your historical sales data. It’s an information goldmine, offering insights into your team’s current performance and revealing areas for optimisation. 

2. Operations management

Once your strategy is in place, you need to operationalise it!

This involves:

• Organising sales workflows - the daily sales activities your reps will carry out.
• Setting sales territories - the geographic locations you want to target.
• Assigning tasks - creating a detailed plan for your team to follow.

Ultimately, you want to build a team of skilled salespeople who understand the entire sales process, their goals, and how their efforts contribute to overall revenue.

Grouping your team into separate task forces can also help you succeed. Doing this creates sales reps who are experts in their field.

You can group sales teams by:

• Funnel stage (like top-of-funnel vs. closing).
• Region (like North America vs. EMEA).

3. Training and development

Want your sales strategy to stick?

Here’s a simple solution: train your team!

While it sounds obvious, sales training is often overlooked. Companies find it either too expensive or too time-consuming. However, it’s vital for successful sales management.

Equip your team with the skills and knowledge they need. Commit to their ongoing development. Identifying skill gaps and investing in growth absolutely pays off in the long run.

⚠️ Teach your reps new skills and best practices! Check out Cognism’s SDR Zone.

4. Performance analysis

This is one of the essentials of sales management.

Analysing team performance puts your efforts into measurable numbers, making it easier to determine what’s working and what’s not.

This assessment should guide decision-making and help you hit your sales objectives more consistently.

Top tip:

If you find something isn’t working, it’s okay to pivot. But always give your strategy time to play out (like, one full quarter), then adjust based on clear trends.

What are the different types of sales management roles?

Sales success depends on more than just great reps. It requires strong leadership across several key roles.

Michelle shared her recommendations for building out a well-rounded sales management team:

Sales Operations Manager

This role oversees sales processes, sets targets, and ensures optimisation of tools and data.

Michelle said:

“The job of the sales operations manager is to make sure that the tools, data, and processes that the sales team uses every day are working at their best.”

Channel Sales Manager

A channel sales manager focuses on external partners, resellers, and affiliates. This role helps expand your target market.

“This person works with partners, resellers, and other outside channels to help businesses reach more people and sell more products.”

Inside Sales Manager

Inside sales managers are especially important in remote-first environments. This role ensures remote sales teams remain productive and aligned.

“These people are in charge of reps who work from home, over the phone, or via email. They make sure that the teams are productive.”

Account Manager

Account managers’ core responsibility is managing customer relationships. They work to increase retention, improve the customer journey, and expand accounts.

“An account manager’s job is to take care of the relationships with a business’s most important clients.”

Sales Director

This role leads the broader sales strategy and ensures all sales functions work together towards shared goals.

“The job of the sales director is to set broad team goals and ensure that everyone in sales is working together to reach those goals.”

Chief Sales Officer (CSO)

A C-level sales leader drives high-level business strategy. They work alongside other C-suite execs to ensure the company achieves its goals.

The CSO connects the dots between the boardroom vision and frontline execution.

What do these pivotal roles have in common?

All of these roles are part of the sales function within an organisation and share a common goal: driving revenue growth by acquiring, managing, and retaining customers.

Here’s what they have in common:

• Customer focus: Each role is centred on building and managing customer relationships, either directly (like Account Managers) or indirectly (like Sales Operations Managers).
• Strategy execution: They contribute to or execute parts of the company’s sales strategy, whether it’s through channels, internal teams, or overall leadership.
• Performance accountability: They are all measured by sales performance metrics, such as revenue targets, pipeline growth, or customer retention.
• Collaboration: They work cross-functionally with marketing, product, and customer success to ensure alignment across the GTM motion.

What are the essential sales management skills?

While each role has unique responsibilities, they all require a similar skillset.

Michelle summed it up for us:

“All of these sales management roles have different duties, but they all have the same goal: to make sure the sales team’s work fits with the overall business growth strategy.”

Here are the core leadership skills you need:

• Leadership and motivation: A great sales leader inspires their team, mentors individuals, and drives results.
• Analytical thinking: They read the data, spot trends, and pivot when needed.
• Communication: Clear communication, especially around goals and feedback, is essential.
• Adaptability: Markets change. Good leaders adjust strategies without losing momentum.

What are the typical sales management responsibilities?

Sales managers wear many hats. Beyond just closing deals, their responsibilities include:

• Setting and tracking sales targets.
• Hiring, training, and managing a team of salespeople.
• Developing sales plans and strategies.
• Analysing performance data to guide decisions.
• Aligning with product, customer success, and marketing teams.

According to Michelle, the biggest responsibility is budget allocation:

“To get the most out of their teams, sales managers have to make tough choices about where to spend their time, money, and attention.”

That might mean focusing on a high-performing team, shifting away from underperforming channels, or doubling down on emerging opportunities.

What are the most effective sales management techniques?

What can you do to build a high-performing sales management function?

Use techniques that are proven to work, like: 

• Regular coaching to help strengthen reps’ skills.
• Tracking key metrics to inform strategy changes.
• Using tools like Cognism to streamline workflows and gain better insights.

Michelle recommended rethinking traditional incentives. Rather than just rewarding closed deals, she said:

“Sales managers who are good at their jobs look for new ways to reward actions and behaviours that help the business grow in the long term.”

That could include rewards for:

• Customer retention.
• Cross-selling.
• Strategic account development.

Be open to experimentation. Don’t be afraid to test, learn, iterate, and improve.

What are the top sales management tools?

Sales tools don’t replace strategy. However, they do supercharge execution!

Here are three top tools to consider:

Cognism

Cognism is the go-to sales intelligence platform for B2B revenue teams who are serious about hitting targets.

When your reps get access to the world’s most accurate, compliant contact data, they spend less time researching and more time selling.

With intent signals, verified mobile numbers, and tools that plug seamlessly into your CRM or wider tech stack, Cognism helps your team build high-quality pipelines faster and close deals more efficiently.

Whether you’re scaling outbound or fine-tuning account-based strategies, Cognism puts your team in front of the right people, at the right time.

See how Cognism works - take an interactive tour below 👇

Key features:

• Sales Companion (Web App): Access a vast database of contacts, companies, and buying signals.
• Sales Companion (Browser Extension): Access company and contact details on LinkedIn and other platforms.
• Diamond Data®: Phone-verified mobile numbers for B2B contacts.
• Intent data by Bombora: Identify companies researching topics relevant to your business.
• Cognism AI Search: Find prospects with ChatGPT-style text or voice prompts.
• Cognism Enrich: Instant and scheduled CRM enrichment and on-demand CSV enrichment.
• Seamless integrations with CRMs and sales and marketing tools.
• International coverage: EMEA, NAM, APAC.
• Fully GDPR and CCPA-compliant data.
• Database checked and cleaned against global DNC lists.
• Fast and friendly support team.
• Unrestricted access to person and company-level data (subject to fair use policy).

Pricing:

Cognism offers two packages: Grow and Elevate.

Grow offers essential contact and company data for prospecting, while Elevate adds advanced intelligence and actionable intent signals.

Salesforce

In B2B sales, a reliable CRM is non-negotiable - and Salesforce is the undisputed leader!

It helps you manage leads, track activity, and improve pipeline visibility. 

⚠️ Did you know Cognism integrates with Salesforce? Click the link to see our guide!

Vidyard

Video prospecting can be incredibly effective.

With Vidyard, reps can send personalised videos to leads and clients.

It’s perfect for summaries, demos, and sales follow-ups.

⚠️ Compare even more sales management software - check out Cognism’s ultimate sales tech stack!

Sales management: The last word

Even the best products won’t sell themselves. Sales success relies on structured, strategic management that empowers reps and drives growth.

From clear planning to consistent training, from data-driven decision-making to creative incentives, great sales management turns ambitious targets into predictable revenue.

But you also need great tech to help you out. If your team is being held back by the following...

• Poor-quality data leading to wasted sales efforts.
• Misaligned targeting leading to over half your reps missing their quota.
• Hours of work lost to time-wasting manual research and data entry.
• Inaccurate or non-compliant data putting you at risk of potential breaches.
• Difficulty in building or scaling a predictable sales process.

...then you need to talk to Cognism! We can solve your sales management challenges today 👇