So, you got the job. Congratulations!

Once you’ve taken a little time to celebrate a new chapter in your sales career and have let things sink in a little bit, it’s time to get back to business and start taking the necessary steps to prepare yourself for your new sales management role.

4 Tips for a Sales Manager to Do Immediately After Landing the Job

1. Give Your Notice/Start Transitioning

Once you land your new job, you need to successfully transition away from your current position. If you work for a different organization, you need to give appropriate notice and establish a timeline for transition that works for both your old and new companies. If you are taking a step up with your current company, work with people internally and establish a plan to make the transition as smooth as possible.

2. Get Advice from Multiple Sources

It is always a good idea to get some advice from multiple sources. Talk with the outgoing sales manager (if possible) and other managers, including your new boss, at your new company. If you have a mentor or trusted advisor, confide in them.

3. Assess Your Sales Team

You need to know who you are working with and figure out as much as you can about your new sales team:

• Who is each person? What are they good at? What are their capabilities?
• What motivates the team? What is the best way to inspire them?
• Which tools and systems are being used? Are there opportunities to improve inefficiencies?

Assessing your team will help you figure out what you are working with and what you need to do to be an effective leader for the team.

4. Understand the Scope of Your New Position

Even if you’ve held sales management positions previously, every role is unique and you need to understand the scope of your position:

• What kind of sales manager do you need to be?
• Do you have a young or experienced team?
• What can you do? What can’t you do?
• What is expected of you?
• What are the goals and strategic direction for your team?

If this is your first sales manager position, you will have to understand that being a sales rep and manager are very different. Your job is not to sell anymore; your job is to support your sales reps and help them sell.

More Advice for Sales Managers

Are you an aspiring sales manager? Looking to improve your sales management skills? Read these blog posts from our sales recruiters:

5 Typical Traits of Successful Sales Managers

The Top 7 Characteristics of a Successful Sales Manager

SalesForce Search is a sales recruiting company which specializes in the recruitment and placement of sales professionals. We recruit sales people in every sector of the economy including, software, manufacturing, financial services and medical devices. Find the right sales person for your organization, start your search here.