A commercial manager is a professional who works in the sales area within a company. This type of professional can have various educational backgrounds in administration and finance.
Roles of a Commercial Manager
Since it is a high-level hierarchical position, the commercial manager has several responsibilities, such as managing customer service, coordinating sales teams, developing strategies, and setting targets for the company’s growth. A commercial manager usually has direct and indirect contact with clients, and is also responsible for making new contacts and handling any problems that may arise between a salesperson and the company’s client.
Women in the Commercial Management Market
It is still not very common to see women in high positions such as commercial manager. According to studies, women still hold only 37% of management positions in companies, which is an improvement, but still far from the ideal of gender equality. These numbers may indicate that a woman might face certain difficulties to become a commercial manager, but it by no means implies that it is unlikely or impossible. Taking into account the progress of recent years and the social transformations we have experienced, we can say that it is becoming increasingly normal for a woman to achieve a management position, and the trend is for these numbers to continue growing over the years.
What is the Profile of a Commercial Manager?
First, it is important for a commercial manager to have leadership skills and know how to act in front of a team of professionals. This does not mean being rigid or harsh, but understanding the needs of each individual so that the planned results are achieved. One of the main characteristics of a good boss is knowing how to motivate people, as well as having good knowledge about the team they work with.
Professional Characteristics
Besides knowing how to work in a team, a commercial manager should also have good planning skills and be well organized so that all plans occur within the deadlines set by the company. Another feature that helps a commercial manager be a good professional is the ability to deal with problems and solve them, since the work is done in an area where problems appear constantly. Therefore, being in control of everything that happens within the department is also very important, especially when managing a large team. All these characteristics must be combined with a willingness to do a good job and the effort to deal with clients on a daily basis. Because in addition to knowing how to motivate her team, a commercial manager also needs to be motivated and prepared to face the challenges of the profession.
What Does a Commercial Manager Do?
The work of a commercial manager can be summarized as managing the sales resources of a company. But of course, the work goes far beyond that, with various branches within companies, and we can find different types of commercial managers, each with a specialization and different tasks to be carried out. The main types are:
- External Commercial Manager
- Commercial Service Manager
- Commercial Representation Manager
Although the tasks of each of these roles sometimes overlap, the specificities of each open up possibilities for professionals in this field to choose among several possible paths.
External Commercial Manager
An external commercial manager is responsible for dealing with everything that happens outside the company regarding the sales area. In other words, this professional will deal directly with clients and with the company’s sales representatives, finalizing sales transactions, negotiating better prices, and resolving problems that clients may have with the product being sold. In addition, an important role of an external commercial manager is to manage the relationship with the company’s sales representatives. The work of these professionals needs to be closely monitored; it’s also the external commercial manager’s job to assist in solving problems and indicate possible ways for the professionals to achieve their goals. For this reason, to occupy this role a good leadership spirit and great ability to motivate the team are necessary.
Commercial Service Manager
A commercial service manager, unlike an external commercial manager, deals with the sales issues that happen within the company, so this type of professional is also called an internal commercial manager. Their main roles are customer service after-sales, that is, handling problems that occur after the entire transition between the client and the sales representative has been completed. They also train professionals for the sales area, and these trainings are for qualifying current salespeople as well as preparing new employees for their positions. There are also other roles that a commercial service manager needs to perform, such as developing sales study reports for the company by region, month, or by each product type. It’s also this professional’s responsibility to develop reports on sales representatives and provide feedback on their performance within the company. In smaller companies, many of the duties of a commercial service manager and an external commercial manager are combined and assigned to a single professional. In larger companies, however, it is common to see this separation of roles and a greater organization in the sales area.
Commercial Representation Manager
Although many companies also combine the role of commercial representation manager with other functions, this position exists for better organization of the sales area. Many of the responsibilities of a commercial representation manager are similar to those of an external commercial manager, since both roles deal with the external sales part of a company. The main difference is that a commercial representation manager focuses on how the company’s image will be presented to clients. To do this, their role is to manage the team of sales representatives, assist them in everything needed and also motivate them, evaluate their team’s work and understand how it can be improved.
Education for a Commercial Manager
A commercial manager can have several different educational backgrounds to perform their role. A high-level hierarchical role will normally require the woman to have a good education as well as experience in the field. To become a commercial manager, a woman can get a degree in business administration, economics, accounting, or marketing.
Main Business Administration Colleges in Brazil
- Fundação Getúlio Vargas – Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
- Universidade de Brasília – Brasília (DF)
- Faculdade Ibmec de Minas Gerais – Belo Horizonte (BH)
- Universidade Federal da Bahia – Salvador (BA)
- Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo – Vitória (ES)
Main Economics Colleges in Brazil
- Universidade Católica de Brasília – Brasília (DF)
- Fundação Getúlio Vargas – Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
- Universidade Estadual de Campinas – Campinas (SP)
- Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro – Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
- Universidade de São Paulo – São Paulo (SP)
Main Accounting Colleges in Brazil
- Universidade FIPECAFI – São Paulo (SP)
- Faculdade Brasileira – Vitória (ES)
- Universidade Estácio de Sá – Nova Iguaçu (RJ)
- Universidade de Santa Cecília – Santos (SP)
- Centro Universitário Euro-Americano – Brasília (DF)
Main Marketing Colleges in Brazil
- Universidade de São Paulo – São Paulo (SP)
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais – Belo Horizonte (MG)
- Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing – São Paulo (SP)
- Universidade de Brasília – Brasília (DF)
- Universidade Anhembi Morumbi – São Paulo (SP)
Commercial Manager Specializations
As we can see, there are several possible degrees to become a commercial manager, but it is necessary to specialize to reach higher positions with better salaries. A postgraduate degree in commercial management or strategic sales management can range from R$ 800.00 to R$ 1,600.00, depending on the institution where the course is taken and the region of the country. In a graduate program in commercial management, the student will find courses such as applied finance, customer management, trade marketing, corporate interpersonal communication, sales administration, among others. The focus of most courses is on how the student can become a professional able to deal with all aspects of sales to be a high-quality commercial manager. To enroll in a postgraduate commercial management course, the student can have completed any of the degrees mentioned above.
How Much Does a Commercial Manager Earn?
Commercial manager salaries can vary depending on the company they work for, but it is possible to calculate an average, as these professionals end up carrying out very similar roles within their companies.
How Much Does a Trainee Commercial Manager Earn?
- Small company: R$ 3,614.00
- Medium company: R$ 5,422.00
- Large company: R$ 8,133.00
How Much Does a Junior Commercial Manager Earn?
- Small company: R$ 4,699.00
- Medium company: R$ 7,048.00
- Large company: R$ 10,573.00
How Much Does a Full Commercial Manager Earn?
- Small company: R$ 6,109.00
- Medium company: R$ 9,163.00
- Large company: R$ 13,745.00
How Much Does a Master Commercial Manager Earn?
- Small company: R$ 10,324.00
- Medium company: R$ 15,486.00
- Large company: R$ 23,229.00
Holding a high position isn’t always easy. Many times you will have to deal with many types of people and be forced to make difficult decisions in little time. But if this is common in high-level roles, it is even more common when working in sales. That’s why it’s important to know that within the job, there are ups and downs, disappointments, joys, and the problems that any other job will also have. Despite this, for those who enjoy working with sales, being a commercial manager is one of the highlights of a career. See Also: Nurse – What They Do and How Much They Earn? Photos: Nikon D3100, geralt
