O*NET-SOC 11-2022.00

Sales Managers

Plan, direct, or coordinate the actual distribution or movement of a product or service to the customer. Coordinate sales distribution by establishing sales territories, quotas, and goals and establish training programs for sales representatives. Analyze sales statistics gathered by staff to determine sales potential and inventory requirements and monitor the preferences of customers.

Preparation

ItemValue
Preparation zoneZone 4 – Considerable preparation needed
What O*NET says the zone requiresConsiderable skill, knowledge, or experience is needed
Broad occupation in O*NETTrue (Yes)
Skills listed for this occupation6
Abilities listed for this occupation6
Tasks listed for this occupation5
Interest scores given for this occupation6

Skills

The 6 skills with the highest importance values in this occupation's records.

SkillO*NET elementImportanceDate
Persuasion2.B.1.c4.1207/2016
Active Listening2.A.1.b4.007/2016
Speaking2.A.1.d4.007/2016
Coordination2.B.1.b3.8807/2016
Critical Thinking2.A.2.a3.8807/2016
Negotiation2.B.1.d3.8807/2016

The importance value is what each record itself carries on O*NET's importance scale; the date is the date in each record.

Abilities

The 6 abilities with the highest importance values in this occupation's records.

AbilityO*NET elementImportanceDate
Oral Comprehension1.A.1.a.14.007/2016
Oral Expression1.A.1.a.34.007/2016
Written Comprehension1.A.1.a.24.007/2016
Deductive Reasoning1.A.1.b.43.8807/2016
Speech Clarity1.A.4.b.53.8807/2016
Speech Recognition1.A.4.b.43.8807/2016

The importance value is what each record itself carries on O*NET's importance scale; the date is the date in each record.

Tasks

The tasks O*NET records for this occupation, with the type, respondent count and date each record carries.

TaskTypeIncumbents respondingDate
Direct and coordinate activities involving sales of manufactured products, services, commodities, real estate, or other subjects of sale.Core2307/2016
Resolve customer complaints regarding sales and service.Core2307/2016
Review operational records and reports to project sales and determine profitability.Core2307/2016
Oversee regional and local sales managers and their staffs.Core2307/2016
Determine price schedules and discount rates.Core2307/2016

Work interests

The interest scores O*NET gives this occupation, on the six interest types.

InterestScoreDate
Enterprising7.011/2023
Conventional5.5811/2023
Social3.2911/2023
Investigative1.6611/2023
Realistic1.4911/2023
Artistic1.3111/2023

More occupations in preparation zone 4

Source: O*NET 29.1 Database (Occupation Data, Job Zones, Skills, Abilities, Task Statements, Interests), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Data fetched 2026-10-31. See about and sources.