To write an eye-catching sales manager cover letter, you need to feature accomplishments that demonstrate your leadership capabilities and sales expertise. Emphasize your ability to manage personnel, define high-impact sales strategies, and drive revenue growth. This guide provides cover letter examples and expert tips to help capture the nuances of your sales experience and land that next big job opportunity.
Sales Manager Cover Letter Templates and Examples
- Entry-Level
- Mid-Career
- Senior-Level
How To Write a Sales Manager Cover Letter
To write a great sales manager cover letter that stands out in today’s competitive job market, you need the right pitch. Focusing on your previous success using metrics, monetary figures, and data is essential, but it’s also important to note the nuances of your sales background. What truly makes you unique as a manager or sales strategist? How can you leverage your expertise to generate results for the company you’re targeting? By answering these questions, you’ll have everything you need to build a winning sales manager cover letter.
1. Contact information and salutation
List all essential contact information at the top of your sales manager cover letter, including your name, phone number, email, and LinkedIn URL. Greet the hiring manager by name — Mr. or Ms. [Last Name]. If you can’t find the hiring manager’s name, use a variation of “Dear Hiring Manager.” Avoid using salutations such as “To Whom It May Concern,” as these types of greetings are less personal and widely considered outdated.
2. Introduction
Grab the attention of potential employers with a powerful introduction at the top of your sales manager cover letter. Emphasize your years of experience in sales and anchor your opening paragraph with a stunning achievement backed by a strong metric or monetary figure. This will draw the hiring manager in and entice them to explore your sales background more thoroughly.
Notice how in the example below, the applicant explores the innovative strategies they’ve employed throughout their sales career. Technology is a highly competitive market and often difficult to penetrate. This context makes the 30% increase in revenue even more impressive and adds a dynamic element to their sales manager cover letter.
Example
I’m interested in applying for the sales manager role with Excelsior Technologies. During my time with Armin IT Solutions, I implemented new sales strategies to expand market penetration and facilitate revenue growth across two territories, resulting in a 30% increase in sales revenue for 2023. My expertise as a sales leader within the technology industry would be an asset to your team in this position.
3. Body paragraphs
Continue to describe your most compelling career achievements and qualifications in the body paragraphs of your sales manager cover letter. Start by mentioning something specific about the company’s reputation, products, or culture and why you’re interested in joining their team. Focus on your ability to manage sales teams, develop new strategies, and drive revenue growth.
In the example below, the candidate provides an impactful overview of their sales career. In addition to featuring powerful numbers and strong leadership capabilities, they also draw attention to their expertise in marketing. A brand’s image is inextricably linked to sales, which is why this rebranding initiative is such an important part of their story to highlight. By exploring the nuances of your professional experience, you can greatly enhance the impact of your sales manager cover letter.
Example
Wyndham Hotel & Resorts’ reputation as a top-five luxury hotel brand draws me to apply for this position. As a sales manager with Hotel Indigo, I drove a large-scale rebranding initiative to revitalize the brand’s image and drive new bookings by over 20%. I can create value for your team based on my previous successes:
- Developed and implemented a new account-based sales and marketing strategy for a premiere hotel with over 400 rooms, resulting in over $2 million in new business over three years
- Oversaw a team of more than 30 hotel representatives, delivered training on guest relations and upselling techniques, and improved sales revenue for add-on services by 25%
- Coordinated with marketing teams and executive leadership to support a large-scale rebranding initiative, contributing to a 20% increase in bookings in 2022
4. Sales manager skills and qualifications
Hiring managers aren’t interested in reading through a long list of skills on your sales manager cover letter. They want to see how you’ve successfully applied these skill sets to generate revenue throughout your career. As you build your content, carefully integrate keywords from the job description into your paragraphs. Below are various key skills to consider adding to your sales manager cover letter:
| Key Skills and Qualifications | |
|---|---|
| Account management | Business development |
| Business-to-business (B2B) sales | Business-to-consumer (B2C) sales |
| Client relations | Cold calling |
| Consultative sales | Cross-selling |
| Customer relationship management (CRM) | Inside sales |
| Lead generation | Lead qualification |
| Prospecting | Salesforce |
| Sales management | Sales operations |
| Sales strategy | Solution selling |
| Strategic selling | Upselling |
5. Closing section
Close out your pitch with a call to action (CTA) in the final paragraph of your sales manager cover letter. Reinforce how your expertise in people management and sales strategy can create value for potential employers. Be sure to thank the hiring manager for their time and consideration in the last sentence.
Example
I would like to schedule an interview to tell you more about how my expertise in sales strategy can help Excelsior Technologies continue to improve its position within the global market. You may contact me via phone or email for any questions you may have about my background. I appreciate your time and consideration.
Best regards,
Kevin Morrison
Sales Manager Cover Letter Tips
1. Quantify your sales experience
Incorporating hard numbers, metrics, and monetary figures is essential for any sales-related cover letter. Quantifying your achievements sends a clear message to potential employers that you have a proven track record of success as a sales professional. That said, it’s important to be tactical in terms of how you feature numbers and data. For example, at a larger company, you might emphasize revenue growth using a monetary figure. If you have experience in a smaller organization where the figure might not look as impressive, it might be better to focus on quota attainment instead.
2. Feature your leadership and people management skills
As a sales manager, you’ll often be tasked with managing, leading, and developing personnel. Hiring managers want to see you can communicate effectively with sales staff, cross-functional teams, and client stakeholders. In the example below, the candidate displays these different facets of their leadership background using tangible achievements from their career:
- Managed a team of more than 15 sales representatives and account executives, provided support during high-level consultations, and identified opportunities to improve performance, resulting in a 40% increase in sales revenue in 2022 and an average close rate of 35%
- Served as the point of contact for escalated client issues, managed stakeholder relationships with multi-million dollar accounts, and improved client retention from 75% to 90%
- Coordinated with the sales director to implement new sales strategies, expand market penetration, and facilitate revenue growth across two territories
3. Highlight your industry knowledge
Having a comprehensive understanding of both the product and market is essential for driving sales conversions. A broad industry knowledge allows you to make a much stronger case for why customers should adopt your products or services. In the example below, the candidate demonstrates a strong background in hospitality. This may differentiate them from other applicants when pursuing sales manager roles in this industry:
I’m interested in applying for the sales manager position with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. With over 12 years of sales experience, I’ve successfully developed new account-based sales and marketing strategies for a premiere hotel with more than 400 rooms. This resulted in over $2 million in new business over three years. My knowledge of the hospitality industry will allow me to excel in this role.
Sales Manager Text-Only Cover Letter Templates and Examples
- Entry-Level
- Mid-Career
- Senior-Level
Jennifer Greene
Sales Manager | [email protected] | (123) 456-7890 | Philadelphia, PA 12345 | LinkedIn
January 1, 2024
Celia Alvarez
Senior Hiring Manager
Northeast HVAC Solutions
(987) 654-3210
[email protected]
Dear Ms. Alvarez:
I’m reaching out about the sales manager position with Northeast HVAC Solutions on LinkedIn. As you can see from my attached resume, I have a proven track record of managing, coaching, and developing high-performance sales teams to exceed revenue goals. I can achieve similar results for your organization in the sales manager role.
Northeast HVAC Solutions’ reputation for customer success is what interests me in joining your team. At Cadence HVAC Co., I led continuous improvement initiatives and successfully increased client satisfaction from 80% to 93%. I’m the ideal fit for this opportunity based on my career achievements:
- Managed and built a team of over 40 sales representatives and account executives, coordinated the sales process for commercial HVAC equipment, and implemented new sales incentives
- Coordinated cross-functionally with the marketing department to align quarterly sales campaigns with overarching marketing strategy, resulting in a 10% increase in sales conversions
- Achieved 130% of annual sales quota and generated over $25 million in annual revenue
I hope to speak with you further regarding how my sales management experience within the HVAC industry could be an asset to your team. Feel free to contact me via phone or email at your convenience. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Best regards,
Jennifer Greene
Sales Manager Cover Letter FAQs
Why should I include a sales manager cover letter?-
Although a cover letter won’t be required for every job you apply for, submitting one can help bolster the strength of your application. Crafting a custom cover letter for each company speaks to both your professionalism and genuine enthusiasm for the opportunity. This small personal touch is sometimes all it takes to make a lasting impression on the hiring manager.
How do I make my cover letter stand out?-
To grab the attention of potential employers with your cover letter, emphasize your unique sales approach coupled with powerful metrics and strong numbers. Highlight your ability to interface effectively with clients, communicate value propositions, and enhance the performance of sales teams. Demonstrate the value you can bring to their organizations.
How long should my cover letter be?-
It’s generally advised to keep your cover letter concise and focused, limited to no more than three or four paragraphs. This ensures the hiring manager’s attention is fixed on your most notable contributions and achievements from your sales career. If you include too much information and vague details, the reader may become disinterested before they’ve engaged with your content.
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