IT Sales Manager - who it is and what he does
Who is IT Sales Manager and what is his duty
IT Sales Manager - a specialist who is responsible for the initial communication with the client: from the first contact and offer of the company's services to the conclusion of the transaction. He is responsible for calls with the client, attracting the client to buy a product(to persuade the client in buying a product and working with the company for the next time) and for successful deals and giving new clients to the company.
IT Sales Manager tasks:
- Searching for new clientsOne of the main tasks is to find a new client to communicate with.
- Conacting with clientsPhone calls, emails, e-conferences and such more.
- Presenting the companyIT Sales Manager presents his company and shows what he can help a client with.
- Making contracts with clientsAdjusting and signing a contract
- Preparing a commercial offerOffering a company services to a client to have next deals with him.
Every time, it takes months or even a year to make a good deal and attract the client. In the IT industry, the client knows what he wants, so this process is quite long and difficult, but has nice results at the end of the hard work.
Often heard, that the job of Sales Manager is too difficult and underrated at the same time. Yes, being the IT Sales Manager is extremely hard and responsible. Company needs new clients all the time, and often all the work is done by SalesMan(that's how IT Sales Managers are called sometimes), so you can't call it underrated.
The work of SalesMan has its own order and is organized.
Often heard, that the job of Sales Manager is too difficult and underrated at the same time. Yes, being the IT Sales Manager is extremely hard and responsible. Company needs new clients all the time, and often all the work is done by SalesMan(that's how IT Sales Managers are called sometimes), so you can't call it underrated.
The work of SalesMan has its own order and is organized.
Chain of sales and communication
- 1Searching for client, or how it is called - lead generation
- 2"Cold" contact with clientIf contact with a client is successful, SalesMan needs to ask the client what his problem is, analyze it and propose a solution to it. Sometimes, clients have problems you can solve, but they are not ready to communicate and work with you. "Heat them up" - make "follow-up" contacts, share information with them. Remind clients that you're ready to help!
- 3Make meetings and conversations
- 4Offer
- 5Contract details adjustment
- 6Concluding a contract
- 7Follow-up, repeat sales, additional sales
This list hasn't to be the same in all situations. It's basic and in every case it can be changed any way. Also you can shorten this list and have a small and less-detailed plan of what SalesMan does:
- 1Pre-salesActions that made before concluding a contract like communicating with client.
- 2SalesThe sales themselves.
- 3After-salesClient support and further work with the client.
Some people think that all an IT Sales Manager does is talking with clients and making deals with them. But they're mostly wrong with that. It takes only ⅓ of your time to communicate with them and sell the product. But the rest of your work time is spent on administrative tasks, internal strategy meetings, research, helping other teams, time to switch and improve skills.
What do you need to be IT Sales Manager
IT Sales Manager - is an extremely hard and responsible job as we said before and it has its own requirements. Without at least a few of them this job will be quite complicated and inefficient.
If you have these skills, but you're afraid of trying this, make an attempt to improve them along the way. Even some introverted and incommunicable people normally made it and now have good results at it.
How is the effectiveness of the Sales manager evaluated? The extent to which sales is effective is assessed by the volume of sales of the company's services and project conversion percentages. It also takes into account how profitable or unprofitable/problematic the sale was. There are companies where there is only a fixed rate of payment, and there are those where a percentage of the deals concluded by the seller is added to the fixed salary.
- Communication skill;
- Knowledge of how product is created, everything about it to make a presentation much easier and more clear to the client;
- Orientate in trends and markets;
- Fluent level of English or even another language;
- Time-management skill;
- Motivation, stress-factor stability, patience and ctr.
If you have these skills, but you're afraid of trying this, make an attempt to improve them along the way. Even some introverted and incommunicable people normally made it and now have good results at it.
How is the effectiveness of the Sales manager evaluated? The extent to which sales is effective is assessed by the volume of sales of the company's services and project conversion percentages. It also takes into account how profitable or unprofitable/problematic the sale was. There are companies where there is only a fixed rate of payment, and there are those where a percentage of the deals concluded by the seller is added to the fixed salary.
Pros and Cons of being IT Sales Manager
Pros
- The job as SalesMan is excellent for extraverts and people who like to communicate and work with someone - everyday you meet different clients with different problems and every of them need their own solution.
- The next important advantage is an opportunity to improve tech, IT and social skills - working with different client companies lets you learn something new.
Cons
- Unstable schedule - sometimes SalesMen have to make calls at night or very early morning.
- Long sale cycle - some of them can long for 3-4 months or even a year to make a deal. That's why new people are afraid to try it.
- Irregular income - Sales Managers are getting percent from a successful contract, so your income depends on your work.
- Huge responsibility and psychological load - a client can decline a contract with you after making a lot of meetings, calls and communications, right at the end of your path!
How to be SalesMan and where you can move after
The easiest way to start a career in sales is from the position of a lead generator - this position does not involve communicating with potential customers, but only searching for their contacts, and will allow you to better understand the specifics of sales in IT. A position of lead generator is technically a base for an IT Sales Manager. A sales manager needs to be fluent in a foreign language, understand the subject of sales, have a minimal understanding of technologies and software development processes, and know the market.
Companies hire new employees with strong English skills for this position, but it will be helpful to have at least some project-related IT experience to truly understand the workflow. After getting to the Sales Manager position and having it for a few years, you can move to something bigger and more important.
IT Sales Managers possible career ways:
Companies hire new employees with strong English skills for this position, but it will be helpful to have at least some project-related IT experience to truly understand the workflow. After getting to the Sales Manager position and having it for a few years, you can move to something bigger and more important.
IT Sales Managers possible career ways:
- Key Account Manager - a specialist who works with key clients;
- Head of Sale Department;
- Project Manager;
- BizDev - if you want to coordinate company business.
Frequently Asked Questions
The IT Sales Manager is responsible for overseeing the sales team, generating leads, and closing deals with clients in the technology industry.
Common job duties of an IT Sales Manager include developing sales strategies, managing sales teams, building and maintaining client relationships, and negotiating contracts.
An IT Sales Manager should have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, as well as strong sales skills and knowledge of the technology industry.
Infosoft is a team of IT and QA engineers. We provide companies with technical talents and product development experience to create world-class software. You can scale up and down your remote software developing team at any time without any financial risk.
Our other articles:
Contact Us
Feel free to write and call us. We really love to communicate with our clients.
+380(63)233-32-78
ip@infosoft.ua
ip@infosoft.ua