Sales Manager Resume Sample: 25+ Examples and Writing Tips

Listen:

You could sell a space heater in the Sahara.

But—

Do you know how to make your sales manager resume sell you to the recruiter?

Keep calm.

And learn how to beat the other 250+ hopefuls.

This guide will show you:

• Best sales manager resume examples that get jobs.
• How to ace your sales manager job description on a resume.
• How to write resumes for sales manager positions that get the interview.
• Expert tips and examples to boost your chances of landing a sales manager job.

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Need help with a different kind of resume? Explore our other guides:

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• Property Management Resume
• Salesforce Resume
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Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our Resume Examples.

Sales Manager Resume—Sample

1. Choose the Best Sales Manager Resume Format

Trust.

Trust is the cornerstone of any successful transaction.

The question is:

How to make your sales manager resume gain the recruiter’s trust in 7 seconds?

Start with selecting the best sales manager resume format:

• The reverse-chronological resume format will make your experience and key achievements clearly visible.
• Thanks to simple and readable resume fonts the recruiter will easily navigate from section to section. Choose the range between 10 and 14pt. Write simple headings. Avoid squeezing in too much information and make good use of white space.
• The best resume length? A single page. Unless your experience is monumental.
• Start your retail sales manager resume with a resume objective, summary, or summary of qualifications. Follow it up with experience and education sections.
• Put your sales manager resumeskills in a separate key skill section.Add information on your professional sales certifications and membership in professional sales associations and organizations. Consider adding a section on your interests and hobbies, as well as knowledge of foreign languages.

Expert Hint: If you want your regional sales manager resume to keep its formatting, export it as a PDF file. Plus, the PDF resume format is readable to the ATS.

2. Start with a Sales Manager Resume Objective That Turns Heads

Here’s the secret.

Tickle the recruiter pink from the very start.

How?

By writing a sales manager resume objective or resume summary that delivers.

Here’s a surefire formula that works each and every time.

1. An adjective

2. Job title

3. Years of experience

4. What you can offer and how it will help

5. Your biggest achievement

Sales Manager Resume Summary Example

See how it works?

The bad example not only sounds generic but shows the candidate is more of a taker than a giver.

The good example paints a picture of an experienced, qualified candidate who knows what sales management is about, and can prove it with facts and figures.

This kind of intro sells.

What If You’ve Got No Experience?

Listen:

You can’t become a sales manager without previous experience. Simple as that.

If you’re a career changer, you surely have some experience. Maybe not necessarily in the field, but it’s OK as long as it’s relevant.

The only difference is that your sales manager resume for entry-level positions would start with a sales manager resume objective, not a summary.

The difference between a resume objective and summary is a matter of semantics.

In short: the sales manager resume objective focuses on your achievements and explains why you’re a good fit. Unlike a resume summary which, well, summarizes your professional experience.

Sales Manager Resume—Objective

Just as previously, the most important difference here is that between a taker (bad example) and a giver (good example).

Remember—

The best sales manager resume objective should convince the hiring manager you have a lot to offer. And then some more.

Expert Hint: Here’s a trick of the trade. Write your introduction at the very end. When your entire sales manager resume is ready, reread it, pick out the best parts, and put them in your objective statement for sales manager resume.

3. Write the Sales Manager Resume Job Description and Skills Sections

Did you know that the overlap between what you and your competitors offer can be as high as 70%?

Is this good or bad news?

It’s devastating—

For your competition.

Because you are about to learn how to make the most of your 30% value wedge, and craft a magnetic sales manager resume job description.

Here’s the secret:

1. Analyze the job posting.

2. Pick out the sales manager resume skills the employer desires.

3. Describe your sales manager experience on the resume in the language of the job posting.

Sales Manager Responsibilities—Resume Example

Let’s break it down now.

Why would you write your sales manager resume “in the language of the job posting?”

Here’s the thing:

On average, a job opening attracts 250+ candidates. Most of the time resumes for a sales manager are machine-read by the ATS (Applicant Tracking System).

The ATS identifies sales manager resume keywords to screen for the qualified candidates.

So—

If you’re fully qualified but happen not to have included the keywords in your sales manager resume, your application may be rejected before any recruiter sees it.

Which begs the question:

How to impress the hiring manager?

For one thing: use resume action words.

A worn out “responsible for” phrase communicates nothing. Your sales manager resume should be full of such words as visited, executed, obtained, communicated, managed, led, etc. They are much more powerful and show what you’re really capable of.

Next, use numbers wherever you can. This is not to say there absolutely must be a number in all sales manager resume bullet points. No.

But—

What you should do is identify up to 2-3 key achievements, and single them out in a separate sales manager resume key skills subsection:

Regional Sales Manager Resume Sample—Key Achievements

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Last but not least.

Put the right sales manager skills on your resume.

What are the best sales manager skills for a resume?

To cut a long story short: the ones listed in the job posting.

Revisit the job ad to see if the skills are listed by name. Once you have them, put them on your sales manager resume in the key skills section.

Use the lists below to get inspired.

Sales Manager Skills—Resume Examples

Sales Manager—Soft Skills

• Relationship building
• Leadership
• Negotiation
• Problem-solving
• Adaptability
• Time management
• Organization
• Oral communication
• Collaboration
• Written communication
• Self-motivation

Sales Manager—Hard Skills

• Project management
• Team management
• Conflict resolution
• Budgeting
• Finance
• Negotiating
• Strategic planning
• Sales techniques
• Territory management
• Salesforce and other CRMs
• MicroStrategy
• Oracle Fusions Applications
• MS Office

Expert Hint: List the skills you’re really good at. Leave out the ones you only have a basic grasp of. This way your sales manager resume will be free from the so-called presenter’s paradox.

4. Turn Boring Education Into a Reason to Hire You

Education matters.

But not that much.

After all, it’s a sales manager resume. Not a newbie salesperson resume. It’s OK to limit your resume education section to the graduation date, college name, location, and degree.

Sales Manager Resume—Education

But—

Your additional managerial qualifications are more than welcome. Don’t fail to give them the attention they deserve. Add a resume certification section

Hotel Sales Manager Resume—Certifications

• NLP Practitioner Certification
• Six Steps to Closing Every Time (NASP)
• The Art of Prospecting (NASP)

The same is true about your membership in professional associations and attendance at industry-specific conferences.

Hotel Sales Manager Resume—Associations

• National Association of Sales Professionals (NASP)—Member

General Sales Manager Resume—Conferences

• 2017 Revenue Summit—Panel Moderator
• 2016 TOPO Sales Summit—Attendee

Expert Hint: On a sales manager resume the education section doesn’t have to be very detailed. But don’t fail to show how you keep growing professionally. Make separate sections for certifications, professional associations, and conferences.

6. Light Up Your Sales Manager Resume With These Extra Sections

Believe in yourself. Offer more than one option.

These aren’t catchy slogans. These are some of the most powerful sales strategies.

So—

Don’t be shy. Let your sales manager resume show you can offer even more than the acumen of a seasoned pro.

Show the recruiter you’re passionate, engaged, and well-rounded by including extra resume sections on your publications, interests, and knowledge of foreign languages.

Senior Sales Manager Resume Sample—Publications

• Selling Power—Interview about developing sales strategies
• Internet Retailer—Aritcle on the effectiveness of SEO sales strategies

Auto Sales Manager Resume—Interests

• Wakeboarding
• Foreign languages

International Sales Manager Resume—Languages

• German (Advanced)
• French (Conversational)
• Spanish (Conversational)
• Mandarin Chinese (Conversational)

Expert Hint Double your chances of getting the job by writing a resume cover letter. More than 50% of the recruiters expect to find it attached to your job application.

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Key Points

To write the best sales manager resume:

• Choose the best sales manager resume template. An entry-level sales manager resume experience section doesn’t have to be as spacious as that on a senior sales manager resume.
• Give your sales manager resume a fantastic look. Stick to one page. Use white space to avoid clutter, and focus on your relevant experience.
• Answer a specific job offer. Make sure the sales manager job description on your resume aims at a specific job posting.
• Make the most of your education. Mention your professional certifications, membership in professional organizations, and conferences you attended. All these prove you’re serious about professional development.
• Add a couple of extras. Show you’re a well-rounded candidate. List your publications, interests, as well as knowledge of foreign languages.

Questions on how to write the best sales manager resume? Want to share advice on how to prepare a resume for sales manager jobs (territory sales manager resume or auto sales manager resume)? We’d love to hear from you. Leave your comment below.