The Complete Guide to Becoming A Sales Manager
The real day-to-day work, the actual pay, and the honest truth about whether you have what it takes—before you spend a dime on a degree or a decade in the wrong job.
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
What do Sales Managers actually do all day? What do they really earn? And is it right for you? Get the unvarnished truth here.
About this book
Thinking about becoming a Sales Manager? Before you commit to the degree, the late nights, or the leap from a sales role, you need the facts—not the corporate fantasy. This guide walks you through the actual job: the forecast meetings, the CRM reports, the hiring decisions, and the uncomfortable conversation where you tell a struggling rep they're not hitting quota. You'll see the pay at every level, the industries that hire the most, and the regions that pay the best—so you can make a plan with real numbers, not guesses.
Reader Reviews
Ronald Taylor
★★★★★As someone completely new to sales, I appreciated that this book didn't assume I knew anything. It explained terms like 'pipeline' and 'quota' right in the text. The breakdown of the different paths to get the job, with the costs and timelines in a table, was super helpful. I'm a high school senior, and now I actually have a plan.
Laura Young
★★★★★I'm a college junior trying to figure out what to do with my life, and this book was a wake-up call. The chapter on what a Sales Manager actually does—the forecast calls, the CRM logging, the coaching sessions—made me realize it's a lot more operational than I thought, and that's exactly what I needed to know. I feel like I can actually make a decision now.
Jeffrey Davis
★★★★★I've been in B2B sales for five years and was eyeing a management spot. This guide didn't sugar-coat the hard parts, like the pay at the entry level or the fact that you're on the hook for your team's numbers. The salary table and the day-in-the-life chapter were worth the price alone. It confirmed I want to go for it, but with my eyes open.
Michelle White
★★★★★Good book overall, but I knocked off a star because I wished it had more specifics on the tech tools side, like which CRM systems are most common. But the 'Is This the Right Career for You?' checklist was spot-on, and it helped me see I'm more suited for an individual contributor role than management. Probably saved me a few years of misery.
Amanda Brown
★★★★★The chapter on landing your first job was exactly what I needed. It listed concrete things to do before applying, like shadowing a manager or cleaning up your LinkedIn. It felt like getting advice from a friend who's been there, not a recruiter trying to sell me on the job. Four stars because I wish it had a few more interviews with actual managers, but it's a solid read.