BY C. Lee Smith
How many sales managers are optimistic about sales growth this year? 31%. That data point comes from SalesFuel’s Voice of the Sales Manager survey and reflects the opinion of nearly 300 sales managers across the U.S. At the same time, only 24% of managers expect their department budget to increase significantly. This misalignment means sales managers will be required to accomplish more with less funding.
What are sales manager goals?
Sales managers will struggle to meet their goals this year. Common goals for sales managers are typically set jointly with senior leadership. Increased revenue is typically the most important sales manager goal. They may also commit to process and pipeline improvements such as tightening the sales cycle. And other goals may include selling in a new market and reducing customer churn.
How to achieve sales manager goals
We asked these managers about their optimism for the coming year. Around 31% expect their sales growth to increase significantly. Another 45% anticipate a slight sales increase. But the increase in their operating budgets will fall short. This mismatch holds true regardless of firm size or verticals.
How can sales managers close the gap between what they want to accomplish and being allocated fewer resources? There are multiple ways to develop yourself and your team. But I believe it comes down to reducing turnover, hiring the right people and using AI wisely.
Sales manager goals and objectives
Meeting sales manager goals means breaking big-
How can sales managers reduce turnover?
The typical sales manager reports 29% average turnover. Reducing that turnover should be among the top sales manager goals. Each person who leaves will need to be replaced and trained. It often takes a year or more to find a good replacement and get them up to speed.
What can a manager do to reduce turnover? Managers believe that sales training (50%), sales coaching (47%) and goal setting and accountability (46%) are the skills they need to be most effective in their role.
Our research shows that nearly 80% of surveyed reps give their sales manager a 4 or 5‑star rating. As much as they like and respect their managers, they’re always looking for the next opportunity. Higher compensation and PTO that they can realistically take are two ways that a competitor could lure away your talent.
Reps are also looking for high-
How can sales managers hire the best candidates?
When the sales manager is actively hiring a new rep, they need to use the best tactics and tools. One of the top sales manager goals should be to improve hiring outcomes. Around 45% of managers ask their candidates to take a sales skills assessment. And 27% use behavioral/
Assessment data can help to improve hiring decisions. A comprehensive psychometric assessment platform, like TeamTraitTM offers a complete profile of a candidate. And this tool also allows managers to measure a candidate’s fit with the position they are trying to fill. With TeamTrait’s Four-
Once they onboard their new hire, managers don’t have to guess at what to train the rep on. The assessment data will score the rep’s critical sales skills. Hiring managers can avoid wasting resources on unnecessary training and coach the new employee to faster productivity.
How can a sales manager increase sales?
A sales manager can increase sales by first studying the behavioral assessments for each team member. By reviewing that data, they can determine which reps work best as new business hunters and which reps are the key dealmakers. They will need to adjust job descriptions and assignments to match each person’s skills. In addition, they will need to focus on coaching to support their team members as they adjust to their new roles.
How to deploy AI tools wisely
Sales managers are well aware of the benefits AI tools can bring them. As they race to improve outcomes with fewer resources, relying on AI makes sense. Over 75% of sales managers already use ChatGPT, and 56% are Google Gemini users. For nearly 40%, the top AI uses are improving their writing and solving business problems.
25% can already see that AI technology is helping them get more done with fewer people. They’ve trained their sales teams to use AI for client support (36%) and connecting with prospects (30%).
In the year ahead, sales managers will face headwinds regarding AI use. For starters, 13% of sales reps believe AI will take their jobs in the next five years. A top sales manager goal should be to train their reps to use AI to take over the routine part of their jobs. Nearly 30% of sales managers admit a lack of training and confidence in using AI.
They should make the initial investment of time to learn which tools will benefit their team. The additional education will help the 20% of managers who are also concerned about job displacement connected to this new technology.
Key skills for sales managers to drive results
The key skills for sales managers to drive results in 2026 include being able to motivate their team members. In our research, sales reps mention that their managers also need to stop micromanaging and shifting blame. Sales managers are determined to achieve their goals this year and report that they are focused on the following skills:
- Sales training 50%
- Sales coaching 47%
- Goal setting and accountability 46%
Accomplishing more with fewer resources is never easy. But when working smarter is among the top sales manager goals, everyone in the business benefits.
Smart sales manager objectives
One way to develop sales manager goals is to follow the long-
| Factor | S.M.A.R.T. framework applied to sales |
| Specific | A specific goal would be to boost sales by 10%. |
| Measurable | Sales managers can track individual team member goals such as sales increase to ensure they add up to the department or company goals. |
| Assignable/ | To reach a goal, both the manager and sales reps must agree it is achievable. Looking at past activity can help indicate whether the new goal is achievable. |
| Realistic/ | The goals must be set to measure results and not effort to succeed. Simply being busy does not always translate into progress toward reaching goals. |
| Time- | Sales managers should set quarterly dates for review of goals and how progress is being made. At the quarterly point, the goals may need to be updated. |
Conclusion
Today’s sales managers are required to deliver better results with fewer resources. To meet today’s goals and objectives, they must delegate work effectively, coach their team members and help their reps use AI to improve workflows. Finally, they must reduce turnover by using the best tools, such as psychometric assessments, to hire the right candidates for their open positions
Image by Vlada Karpovich on Pexels.
What are sales managers goals and objectives?
A sales manager’s goal is a larger initiative such as increasing sales by 10%. They will need to set smaller objectives to reach their goal. For example, they may require one team member to boost sales by 15%, while another rep may only grow their individual sales by 5%.
How can a sales manager increase sales?
A sales manager increases sales by coaching their reps, by assigning the right goals and objectives to reps, and by hiring the right people to fill open positions.
What key skills do sales managers need in 2026?
Sales managers must possess the ability to motivate their team, to coach reps who need to improve their performance, and hold team members accountable for their results. They must also be able to delegate effectively.
How does a sales manager improve revenue?
Sales managers improve revenue by coaching their reps, by assigning the right goals and objectives to reps, and by hiring the right people to fill open positions. They must also help team members improve their skills.
