National sales managers should have been successful salespeople. Apart from being excellent salespeople, they should have management and leadership skills. Typically they supervise regional managers, area managers and district managers, territory managers and product specialists. They might also be required to conduct direct sales.
They should be well-versed in the products or services the company offers. They should be skilled in the analysis of sales performance. Because one of their responsibilities is to oversee the regional offices for sales, they should be able to travel across the country frequently. They should organize regular video conferences instead of having meetings the regional managers of sales face-to-face. National sales managers should provide prompt feedback to those who report to them. They should conduct job reviews of performance regularly and in line with the company's guidelines, policies, and policies. They should be ethical. They should have excellent presentation and interpersonal abilities. They should have excellent writing and oral communication abilities. They should stay current with the latest developments in their field. They could be asked to coach or mentor younger sales executives.
Most employers will only hire candidates who have a bachelor's degree in business, management marketing, finance, or accounting. Some companies consider candidates with a significant amount of years of experience instead of the bachelor's degree. They will typically need to be proficient with Microsoft Office, as well as marketing software that can be employed for sales and product analysis.