Sales Manager
Business
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.
What you'd do all day
The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.
- 1Oversee regional and local sales managers and their staffs.
- 2Resolve customer complaints regarding sales and service.
- 3Monitor customer preferences to determine focus of sales efforts.
- 4Confer with potential customers regarding equipment needs, and advise customers on types of equipment to purchase.
- 5Review operational records and reports to project sales and determine profitability.
- 6Plan and direct staffing, training, and performance evaluations to develop and control sales and service programs.
- 7Direct and coordinate activities involving sales of manufactured products, services, commodities, real estate, or other subjects of sale.
- 8Determine price schedules and discount rates.
- 9Prepare budgets and approve budget expenditures.
- 10Confer or consult with department heads to plan advertising services and to secure information on equipment and customer specifications.
- 11Visit franchised dealers to stimulate interest in establishment or expansion of leasing programs.
- 12Represent company at trade association meetings to promote products.
- 13Advise dealers and distributors on policies and operating procedures to ensure functional effectiveness of business.
- 14Assess marketing potential of new and existing store locations, considering statistics and expenditures.
- 15Direct, coordinate, and review sales and service accounting and record-keeping, as well as receiving and shipping.
- 16Direct clerical staff to keep records of export correspondence, bid requests, and credit collections, and to maintain current information on tariffs, licenses, and restrictions.
- 17Direct foreign sales and service outlets of an organization.
Also known as
What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.
- GAM
- Sales VP
- BD Manager
- BD Director
- BD Executive
- Zone Manager
- Sales Manager
- Export Manager
- Sales Director
- Sales Managers
How far is this from you?
Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.
1
Entry straight after SPM
2
SPM + sijil / short TVET course
3
Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)
Typical entry
Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)
5
Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route
Subjects that matter here
The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.
What you'd need to know
The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.
- Sales and Marketing96%
BusinessEconomics
- Customer and Personal Service87%
- English Language82%
English
- Administration and Management81%
BusinessEconomics
- Personnel and Human Resources67%
Business
- Computers and Electronics64%
Computer Science / ICTElectrical & Electronic Eng. Studies
Tools you'd use
Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.
What the work feels like
Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.
- Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
- Contact with other peopleConstant contact
- Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
- Leading or coordinating othersVery high
- Handling conflict situationsOften
- Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
- Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
- Noisy environmentRarely
Where this job is heading
Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.
- Coach staff on sales tactics.
- Establish and monitor staff's sales goals.
AI and demand for this job
A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.
Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)
This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.
Of Malaysian Claude conversations, about this kind of work
Measures how much people use Claude for this work, not how many Malaysians do this job — and more AI use can mean people relying on it, not that it's replacing them.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.
TalentCorp and ILMIA's Critical Occupations List — evidence of a real hiring shortage in Malaysia right now.
Sales and Marketing Managers · Shortage indicators met: 5/12
Pay in Malaysia
We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.
Where to check:
- JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
- DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
- SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
Check what you may qualify for
Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.
How to get here
Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.
Related careers
If this interests you, these are worth a look too.
About this information
This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.
O*NET occupation: Sales Managers
Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org