Interview with a Sales Manager

After spending a few years as a sales representative, I became a sales manager for a computer sales organization that sold computers to individuals and businesses all over the country. Within a few years I had taken on the role of vice president of sales for a computer peripherals sales organization. I was a sales manager for around eight years and spent three years as a vice president of sales.

Being a sales manager is not nearly as easy as the sales representatives think it is. My primary job was to make sure that my sales staff reached its monthly sales goals. I trained sales representatives and helped reps to go out on sales calls. I also dealt with angry customers, personally handled the larger deals and had to create and monitor my departmental budget. I was also responsible for creating the marketing and sales materials that my reps took out to customer sites with them. Continue Reading

Interview with a Marketing Manager

I worked as a marketing manager and a sales manager in the computer sales industry. It was at a time when computer companies were trying to keep the budget down, so they would assume that a sales manager should also be able to handle marketing. My experience was that they are two completely different things and I was fortunate to have marketing training from my college days to help me adjust to doing the job of two people. Continue Reading