Job description and responsibilities of the head of the sales department. Head of Retail Sales What does a Head of Sales Do?

Posted On 11/10/2017

The job description of the head of the sales department is necessary to streamline labor relations. The provisions of the document impose requirements on the employee’s qualifications, establish the procedure for his subordination, appointment and dismissal.

It specifies the functional duties, rights, and responsibilities of the employee.

The tasks of the head of the sales department depend on the specialization and structure of the institution and may differ from those indicated in the standard sample.

I. General provisions

1. The head of the sales department belongs to the “managers” category.

2. The head of the sales department reports directly to the general director.

3. The appointment and dismissal of the head of the sales department is carried out by order of the general director.

4. A person with a higher professional education and at least two years of management experience is appointed to the position of head of the sales department.

5. During the absence of the head of the sales department, rights, functional duties, and responsibilities are transferred to another official, as reported in the order of the institution.

6. The head of the sales department is guided in his activities by:

• Charter of the organization;
• legislation of the Russian Federation;
• this job description;
• Internal labor regulations, other governing acts of the institution;
• instructions and instructions from management.

7. The head of the sales department must know:

• structure, specialization of the organization;
• economic, civil legislation;
• financial planning rules;
• economic development plans of the institution;
• reporting documents accepted by the institution;
• basics of pricing and marketing;
• procedure for developing commercial agreements;
• rules for preparing documentation and concluding contracts;
• standards of industrial sanitation, fire protection, labor protection, safety precautions;
• norms of business communication and etiquette.

II. Job responsibilities of the head of the sales department

The head of the sales department performs the following job responsibilities:

1. Manages the sales of the organization’s products.

2. Takes part in pricing and customer loyalty programs.

3. Plans current and long-term sales plans for products.

4. Establishes and controls the activities of personnel involved in sales.

5. Monitors the status of accounts payable and receivables of counterparties.

6. Organizes activities for maintaining, analyzing, and summarizing the customer information base.

7. Develops a procedure for remuneration of sales department employees.

8. Participates in the organization and holding of exhibitions.

9. Provides training and organizes trainings for subordinate employees, together with the development department.

10. Participates in the acceptance, processing, analysis of complaints for goods from customers. Prepares appropriate documentation.

11. Develops plans to supply the sales department and retail establishments of the institution with the necessary assortment and volume of products within the established time frame.

13. Controls the interaction between clients and subordinate employees.

14. Develops and communicates individual sales plans to employees and attracting new clients.

15. Participates in negotiations with key clients and consulting them.

16. Monitors the performance of subordinates and takes measures to improve it.

17. Analyzes sales information. Prepares reports on product sales. Takes measures and makes recommendations to improve competitiveness and speed of goods turnover.

18. Studies the actions of competitors, prices, procedures and conditions for selling their products.

19. Monitors compliance with the rules for the sale of goods and services.

III. Rights

The head of the sales department has the right:

1. Receive information about decisions of the institution’s management regarding the work of the sales department and related departments.

2. Make independent decisions within your competence.

3. Establish job responsibilities for subordinate employees.

4. Send proposals to the management to improve their own work and the activities of the institution.

5. Encourage employees and impose penalties on them after agreement with the general director.

6. Participate in the preparation of draft orders, instructions, instructions, plans, contracts, and other documents.

7. Interact with the heads of structural divisions of the institution on official issues.

8. Endorse documents within your own competence.

9. Require management to create conditions for the performance of their functional duties, the safety of material assets and documents.

10. Inform the manager about identified shortcomings in the activities of the institution, send proposals for their elimination.

11. Receive explanations about the reasons for violations of quality and deadlines for completing tasks by subordinates.

12. Do not begin to perform your job duties if there is a danger to life or health.

IV. Responsibility

The head of the sales department is responsible for:

Implementation of sales plans and department activities.

2. Conducting unauthorized representation of the organization’s interests.

3. Violation of the provisions of the governing documents adopted by the institution.

4. Implementation of programs to promote products on the market.

5. Improper performance of one’s official duties.

6. Consequences of independent decisions, own actions.

7. Causing damage to the organization, its employees, the state, or contractors.

8. Violation of the norms of etiquette and business communication.

9. Disclosure of confidential information, trade secrets, unlawful handling of personal information.

10. Providing knowingly false information.

11. Violation of internal labor regulations, labor discipline provisions, fire protection, and safety standards.

The head of the sales department is a specialist whose tasks include organizing the sales of services or goods. He is responsible for the work of the department as a whole - monitors delivery times, ensures implementation of the sales plan, manages and trains managers, communicates with partners and suppliers, and participates in responsible negotiations. A successful sales leader can quickly rise to executive, finance or general manager positions.

Places of work

The position of head of the sales department is in demand in many organizations involved in production, purchase and sale or provision of services.

History of the profession

At the beginning of the 20th century, trade became a separate line of business - a system of wholesale centers was formed, the global transport industry developed, and large retail chains appeared. It was during this period that the demand for trade professionals—for sales managers—increased. It was also necessary to control the functions of managers and monitor the implementation of assigned tasks. This is how the profession of head of the sales department arose.

Responsibilities of the Head of Sales Department

The main job responsibilities of the head of the sales department are as follows:

• sales department management;
• planning the work of the department (ideology, goals, objectives, motivation);
• selection, adaptation and training of employees;
• searching and attracting clients;
• drawing up reports;
• management, maintenance and development of the client base.

Sometimes the functions of the head of the sales department include:

• creation of motivational programs;
• market analysis and collection of customer information;
• representing the company at conferences and demonstration events.

Requirements for the head of the sales department

Here is an approximate list of basic requirements for the head of the sales department:

• At least 1 year of management experience (preferably in sales);
• active sales experience;
• Experience in recruiting managers of various profiles;
• PC knowledge.

Fluency in English and a car are often required.

Sample resume for head of sales department

Resume sample.

How to become a head of sales department

To become the head of the sales department, you will need a higher education (preferably in the field of marketing or management).

In this case, any education in the field of activity of the employing company is suitable.

Also, in order to cope well with a position, you need a number of specific skills - the ability to negotiate, organize a work team and many other skills.

The head of the sales department is a fairly attractive position, both in terms of salary and in terms of professional development (almost every manager will tell you that they would like to become the head of a department). But not everyone understands the degree of responsibility and the difficulty of the managerial burden, because, in fact, the fate of the company is in his hands.
So, what are the main functional responsibilities of the head of the sales department? Should he... Sell? Manage? Stimulate? Let's figure it out.

2. Responsibilities of the head of the sales department

Due to the specifics of the business, different companies will have different job responsibilities of the head of the sales department. By and large, it should ensure sales. In most cases, the head of the sales department has to focus his work on the activities of many other departments. Consequently, operational sales management is not an unimportant responsibility.

Most businesses are built on sales, which means a manager's responsibilities may begin in the planning department and end in the after-sales service department. Some of the duties listed below are performed by other departments of the company and are not the functions and responsibilities of the head of the sales department (again, everything is individual). Let's look at all the possible job responsibilities that affect sales. They can be divided into 4 categories: strategic, operational, process, personnel.

3. Strategic Responsibilities

If you have any difficulties in selecting the head of the sales department, I recommend reading about how to choose the right professional for this position in the article

The head of the sales department is a specific position. On the one hand, this is already a top management team and a fairly prestigious place. On the other hand, many employees perceive it as a kind of springboard for career advancement.

The head of the sales department is a position that implies fairly high levels of authority and workload. A person is responsible for the work and performance of an entire department; it is his responsibility to create and maintain conditions for the effective work of the team. The responsibilities of the sales manager also include strategy development: direct participation in meetings, planning, decisions to reduce or expand staff, marketing activities and much more.

Personal and professional qualities

Naturally, not every person, due to his or her professional qualifications, will be able to occupy this position. Along with the makings of a diplomat and a respectful attitude towards his subordinates, the head of the sales department should not be deprived of business acumen and the necessary rigidity regarding his position and decisions made. For a leader, high performance and demands, first of all, on himself are required.

We should not forget about the so-called corporate responsibility. A person without the correct social position, who is not aware of the consequences of his own actions for society, is undesirable in this position. The actions of such people cast a shadow on the company, harming its image and media image.

Responsibilities

The job description of the head of the sales department is not unified. It is individual for each area of ​​business. The responsibilities of the head of the sales department largely depend on the structure of the enterprise. An approximate list of tasks that define his competence looks like this:

• negotiations with potential dealers or buyers;
• drawing up a plan for the month/quarter/year for purchases and sales;
• distribution of workload and responsibilities among middle managers;
• organization and purpose of marketing research;
• work with independent research centers;
• overseeing advertising policy and public relations;
• implementation of contractual policy;
• developing the basis for cooperation with other firms and companies providing services to the enterprise;
• participation in the development of programs for rewarding and stimulating employees of their department.

Interaction with management

The sales department will always be the dominant one in the structure of a commercial enterprise. The viability of a project completely depends on his work, so close interaction with the top management of the enterprise (CEO, board of directors) is part of the work of the head of the sales department.

As part of this interaction it is necessary:

• make proposals to improve the work of your department and the company as a whole;
• report identified shortcomings and irregularities in the work of your own and other departments;
• receive and give clarifications;
• request and provide reports and other documents related to activities;
• other.

Motivation

First of all, the head of the sales department must be as self-motivated as possible. Of course, no one has canceled the minimum plan, but this position assumes constant dynamics, an increase in intensity and volume. After all, the next step is the management of the entire enterprise.

16.11.2016

The editors of the ACTIVE SALES business school managed to communicate with the owner of a number of businesses in Minsk. The businessman shared his revelations and gave advice, or rather, requests or pleas about the minimum job responsibilities and functions of the head of the sales department.

The head of the sales department is a very responsible and serious position. The success of the business depends in almost everything on the head of the sales department: whether the entire department will be able to function at full capacity, whether new sales channels will develop, whether the sales system will work. In other words, the leader is both a Swede, a reaper, and a player of the pipe.

Unfortunately, the typical sales manager sees his functions as 90% control and 10% administration. In fact, the manager gets a chance to play with other people's money and people in a living business.

And for a successful game in both directions there are minimum requirements from a real business.

Photo from the site: netology.ru

Functions of the head of the sales departmentat least they look like this:

• Updating the client base

The boss is required to be able to contact not only old clients, but also to continuously update and refine the client base, as well as segment the base across all channels.

• Setting goals and sales plan

The head of the sales department must be able to divide tasks among employees so that everyone knows what needs to be done in a given situation and what follows what. And don’t put out the fire or finish the plan by the 20th of the month, but clearly analyze the situation and choose the right strategy in your area of ​​responsibility.

• Informing the company about the current market situation

Not all companies have a marketing department. By carefully collecting and processing data, it is possible to save a company from many problems. Therefore, you need to monitor the market daily, and conduct a full market analysis at least once a month. Today there are enough companies that, at an adequate cost, will assess the market, find out the competitive advantages of your competitors, and go through your offices as a secret shopper. And they will bring you all the marketing research data on a silver platter in graphs and with recommendations.

• Interim control and assessment of the company's sales results

Every product, method of sales and market situation require analysis and evaluation of the results of the sales manager’s work.

_________

I note that a sales manager is not necessarily a sales representative in FMCG or a salesperson in the B2B sector.

We have a direction - the restaurant business (HoReCa) and we train every waiter and bartender to be a sales manager, and not just present the bill to the guest.

_________

In the absence of an effective and transparent control mechanism, it will not be possible to form an objective assessment. Therefore, control and evaluation are important in the work of any company.

Photo from: freerangestock.com

• Processing customer complaints

Salespeople are often not competent enough to deal with customer complaints. You need to carefully handle customer complaints and understand what exactly causes their dissatisfaction. Otherwise, complaints will grow. Moreover, you need to be emotionally developed, and today most of both sellers and sales managers bury their heads in the sand, rather than take the initiative into their own hands to solve customer problems and complaints. And this is a very important function of the head of the sales department.

• Employee motivation

A good manager is a person who knows why a company needs a particular employee, what keeps them in your company, and does not give them the opportunity to leave for competitors.

______________________

If you treat every employee of the company with respect, you will notice 100% commitment from the team.

______________________

Photo from: freerangestock.com

• Maintaining reports and documentation

Documentation and reports are an integral part of the work of any employee. Many people think that this is unnecessary work. However, recording in documents is necessary to control the sales department. And the head of the sales department is obliged to draw up document forms; this is his direct responsibility.

• Organization and holding of meetings

It is unlikely that anyone other than the head of the sales department will be able to organize and conduct a meeting. It is necessary to form a positive opinion of employees towards meetings; they must prepare for the fact that meetings are a solution to very important issues and proposals. What is the minimum for this point: each employee at the meeting must defend his personal sales plan for the next period - week, month, quarter.

• Monitoring the performance of duties

Despite the fact that no one prefers criticism, monitoring and evaluating the work of employees is very necessary. From Western practice the ratio came to us: 90% praise, and 10% scold. Our Belarusian and Russian business practice shows that it is used the other way around: we praise 10%, and scold 90%. The truth is in the middle here, as always, but finding the right solution to each situation is the minimum function of the head of the sales department.

• Mutual understanding between managers and sellers

It is difficult to find a salesperson who is satisfied with his own salary or a manager who is satisfied with the volume of sales. Just like the eternal struggle between the sales department and the marketing department. Therefore, this point is extremely important for the entire company. The most important function of the head of the sales department is the ability to build communications between all departments in the company. Because sales are the most important department in a company; without sales there will be no other department and no business as a whole.

_____________________

As John Rockefeller said:

“The ability to deal with people is a commodity that can be bought just like we buy sugar or coffee, and I will pay more for such a skill than for anything else in the world.”

_____________________

A manager is not only a person who can manage the sales department or the entire company. Take a responsible approach to choosing the head of the sales department. These simple truths that we have listed above will help your manager work better and more efficiently.

• – gives in 1 day an assessment of all the necessary skills that you will understand during the first year of work.

Trainings and business seminars for managers:

• – in 1-2 days this training will teach you how to manage your time and organize the work of the sales department
• – training for managers of the sales department and other departments of the company. It will help to sort out all the functions of the head of the sales department.

A job description is a local document that should be in every enterprise. This document indicates all the official responsibilities of a particular employee.

Before hiring a new employee and signing an employment contract with him, the employer is obliged to let him read his job description. If this is neglected, the employer will not be able to bring the employee to disciplinary liability for failure to fulfill his official duties.

The instructions are developed by personnel officers together with a lawyer. It is approved by the employer or the hired manager, if he is vested with such authority. The document must bear the main seal of the employer.

Job responsibilities of the head of the sales department

The head of the sales department regulates product sales. And since most types of business are built on sales, the responsibilities of such an employee are quite broad.

This employee belongs to the specialist category. The duties of the head of the sales department include:

• sales organization;
• development of measures to increase their efficiency and profitability;
• development of sales plans for future periods;
• coordination of this plan with the company management;
• preparation of final and interim reports;
• maintaining current sales documentation;
• development of strategic tasks for subordinates;
• development, together with HR department specialists, of new programs for additional motivation and stimulation of employees of their department;
• implementing these programs and drawing up reports on them for the HR department;
• conducting negotiations with existing and new partners;
• full coordination of the work of the entire sales department and each of its subordinates individually;
• promoting the development of long-term relationships with the company’s clients;
• systematization and analysis of the entire customer base of the enterprise;
• systematization of market indicators and preparation of reports on these indicators;
• distribution of applications from clients (both existing and new) among employees of your department;
• conclusion of new contracts;
• ensuring safe working conditions for its employees;
• organizing advanced training for your subordinates;
• exercising control over product shipments;
• participation in the selection of new employees for your department;
• compliance with internal regulations and labor discipline;
• compliance with occupational safety and health regulations;
• control over the fulfillment of obligations under already concluded contracts;
• ensuring that department employees have appropriate qualifications;
• control over the status of payments in your department;
• control over the implementation of sales plans and other indicators by its employees;
• monitoring that department employees correctly enter into new contracts;
• other responsibilities that may depend on the specifics of the company's activities.