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Administrative and managerial workers of corporations and organizations

How to become a Sales Manager

Manages and supervises the work of the sales section in a company or similar organisation.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say university is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

People are either promoted from within or hired mid-career. Internally, some reach the role after working in other departments and then spending some years in sales, while others build experience in sales jobs. Mid-career, some apply for the manager post and others transfer from a parent company or similar. Either way, people usually have some years of sales experience before becoming manager. Some companies require you to pass internal exams in finance, marketing, business strategy and similar within a set time to become sales manager. When promoted to a management role, people usually take some kind of management training, such as training on workplace compliance (including sexual harassment and power harassment), on HR management such as assessing staff performance, and on showing leadership, supporting staff and building a better workplace culture. One quality a sales manager needs is to stay positive and calm. In manufacturing, for example, you stand between the product design and development departments and the customer, handling complaints while coordinating. In meetings with many different people, you need to lead the discussion. You must be keen to study, on your own initiative, the knowledge and skills needed to sell in your industry and your company's products. As leader of the sales section, so you can be a role model for staff, you need problem-solving skills to analyse the situation, find what is holding back your own work and put solutions into action; a drive to achieve results; and the presentation and negotiating skills to draw out what customers need and get them to buy with confidence. As business becomes more global, companies that also sell in overseas markets need some language skills. You may get industry information by keeping good relationships with customers' presidents and executives, so communication skills matter for managers too. As a manager, with staff of different ages and experience, you need to pass on what you have learned in sales, and have the leadership to make the most of each person's strengths and motivate them. You also need to notice changes in staff, such as signs that someone is worried. Qualities especially needed in a sales manager include the judgement to know when and how to respond when problems arise, and a wide network within the company so you can advise staff on who to talk to when starting something. Industries differ in how they deal with sales staff, so you also need to adapt to each customer's industry.

Ways in

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Sales Manager?

People are either promoted from within or hired mid-career. Internally, some reach the role after working in other departments and then spending some years in sales, while others build experience in sales jobs. Mid-career, some apply for the manager post and others transfer from a parent company or similar. Either way, people usually have some years of sales experience before becoming manager. Some companies require you to pass internal exams in finance, marketing, business strategy and similar within a set time to become sales manager. When promoted to a management role, people usually take some kind of management training, such as training on workplace compliance (including sexual harassment and power harassment), on HR management such as assessing staff performance, and on showing leadership, supporting staff and building a better workplace culture. One quality a sales manager needs is to stay positive and calm. In manufacturing, for example, you stand between the product design and development departments and the customer, handling complaints while coordinating. In meetings with many different people, you need to lead the discussion. You must be keen to study, on your own initiative, the knowledge and skills needed to sell in your industry and your company's products. As leader of the sales section, so you can be a role model for staff, you need problem-solving skills to analyse the situation, find what is holding back your own work and put solutions into action; a drive to achieve results; and the presentation and negotiating skills to draw out what customers need and get them to buy with confidence. As business becomes more global, companies that also sell in overseas markets need some language skills. You may get industry information by keeping good relationships with customers' presidents and executives, so communication skills matter for managers too. As a manager, with staff of different ages and experience, you need to pass on what you have learned in sales, and have the leadership to make the most of each person's strengths and motivate them. You also need to notice changes in staff, such as signs that someone is worried. Qualities especially needed in a sales manager include the judgement to know when and how to respond when problems arise, and a wide network within the company so you can advise staff on who to talk to when starting something. Industries differ in how they deal with sales staff, so you also need to adapt to each customer's industry.

How much does a Sales Manager earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥9,667,600 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Administrative and managerial workers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Sales Manager?

Not always. In this job's census occupation group, 54% of workers are university graduates. Ways in include: Business & Commerce degrees.

Will AI change the work of a Sales Manager?

Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026