United Kingdom · Sales · Principal/Manager (12-16 years)

Manager, Enterprise Sales

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

See how AI is changing this job, and get the full read by email.

As Manager, Enterprise Sales, a good place to start on AI-Driven Coaching & Performance Optimisation is Planning Automation Across a Department, a free Future Fluency module at Level 5. You'd practise working out what in your department's work could be automated, what should not be, and what to recommend.

Free to start, no card.

Keep this job description

Where should we send it?

One email: what AI is changing in this job, the new skills it asks for, where it leads, and where to start free. With a link back here. Nothing else follows unless you confirm your address.

Your employer, or 'self-employed'

Leading a team? Try this with up to five of them for 14 days, free.

  • Experience bandPrincipal/Manager (12-16 years)
  • Direct reports6-8 reports
  • Reports toDirector, Enterprise Sales (L6)
  • UK framework levelUsually a manager, or the deepest specialist in a team

Also advertised as Enterprise Sales Manager · Sales Team Lead (Enterprise) · Regional Sales Manager (Enterprise) · Head of Enterprise Accounts (SMB/Mid-Market focus)

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in what real qualifications cover

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

Level 5 Award in Managing Sales Technology Systems Institute of Sales Professionals · Level 5 · covers 3 of 14 standards
Level 5 Certificate in Professional Sales Institute of Sales Professionals · Level 5 · covers 3 of 14 standards
Level 5 Diploma in Professional Sales Institute of Sales Professionals · Level 5 · covers 3 of 14 standards
EAL Level 4 Diploma in Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing (Development Competence) Excellence, Achievement & Learning Limited · Level 4 · covers 2 of 14 standards
ETCAL Level 4 NVQ Extended Diploma in Engineering Manufacture ETC Awards Limited · Level 4 · covers 2 of 14 standards
ETCAL Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Engineering Technical Support ETC Awards Limited · Level 3 · covers 1 of 14 standards

Matched from the standards this job is measured against: a suggestion, not an official ruling.

The units you would start with

Manage Sales Technology Systems Level 5 Award in Managing Sales Technology Systems
Produce engineering specifications EAL Level 4 Diploma in Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing (Development Competence)
Providing Technical Sales and Marketing Support for Engineering Activities ETCAL Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Engineering Technical Support

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner
Data Fluency turning numbers into a decision
AI Governance Fluency using AI responsibly
Foresight Fluency seeing round the corner
Change Fluency taking people through change
Your Plan Illustration

Built for Manager, Enterprise Sales

3 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

  1. Manage Sales Technology Systems Institute of Sales Professionals · covers 3 of 14 standards Level 5
  2. Produce engineering specifications Excellence, Achievement & Learning Limited · covers 2 of 14 standards Level 4
  3. Providing Technical Sales and Marketing Support for Engineering Activities ETC Awards Limited · covers 1 of 14 standards Level 3
These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

2AI and this work

Will AI change your work as a Manager, Enterprise Sales?

Nobody can say exactly how. Here is what this job is being asked for next, and where to start.

The new skills this role is being asked for

  • AI-Driven Coaching & Performance Optimisation
  • Digital Transformation Leadership
Why each one is rising

The future skills this job leans on

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

What happens when you start

Next, a free account. We build your Manager, Enterprise Sales plan as you set up, starting with the free Automation Fluency module. No card.

Your first Future Fluency module is free. After that, your AI tutor is £70 a month.

Keep this read. One email with what AI is changing in this job, the new skills it asks for and where to start free. Nothing else follows unless you confirm your address.

3What this role really is

An Enterprise Sales Manager leads a team of Enterprise Account Managers, coaching them on complex deals and owning a share of regional revenue.

4What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

Salesforce Sales Cloud (with custom objects/fields) Strategic

Influencing CRM configuration, workflow automation rules, and integration decisions to optimise sales processes for your team. You'll ensure your team's data hygiene and use the platform effectively for forecasting and reporting.

LinkedIn Sales Navigator, ZoomInfo, Lusha Strategic

Evaluating and selecting data providers based on territory needs and data quality; informing GTM strategy based on market intelligence. You'll guide your team on advanced research techniques.

Outreach.io, Salesloft Strategic

Setting engagement strategy, defining rules of engagement for your team, and ensuring compliance and brand consistency in all outreach. You'll analyse team-wide sequence performance.

Gong.io, Chorus.ai Strategic

Using market intelligence from team calls to inform product marketing, competitive strategy, and executive messaging. You'll analyse team calls for best practices and coaching opportunities, building snippet libraries for training.

Clari, BoostUp.ai Strategic

Owning the regional forecast roll-up, responsible for forecast accuracy presented to the Director. You'll use AI-driven insights to identify deal risk and upside across your team's pipeline and coach them accordingly.

PowerPoint, Excel (Advanced), Google Slides Strategic

Developing the master presentation templates and financial models used by your team for client proposals, QBRs, and internal reporting. You'll review and refine your team's presentations for C-level audiences.

5What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choiceComing in Where you are nowThe step above
Deal Discounting No authority. Escalate to Manager. Up to 5% on standard pricing, with Manager approval. Up to 7.5% on standard pricing, with Manager approval. Can recommend higher to Director.
Hiring & Firing No authority. No authority. No authority. May participate in interview panels.
Strategic Account Planning Executes tasks within a plan defined by a Senior AE or Manager. Develops and executes strategic account plans for their named accounts, with Manager review. Leads strategic account planning for their most complex accounts, often mentoring junior AEs. Manager provides light touch review.
Process Improvement & Tool Adoption Adheres to existing processes and uses assigned tools. Identifies minor inefficiencies in existing processes and proposes solutions to Manager. Proactively identifies significant process bottlenecks and proposes solutions. May pilot new tools or methodologies.

6How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.

Team Quota Attainment
The percentage of the total revenue target achieved by your entire team.
Target · >105% of assigned team quota (e.g., £10M-£15M ARR)

Your team's annual quota is £12M. If they close £12.8M, that's 106.6% attainment. This is the big one.

Forecast Accuracy
How close your team's projected revenue is to the actual revenue closed each quarter. This shows how well you understand your pipeline.
Target · +/- 5% variance between committed forecast and actual closed revenue

You commit £3M for Q3. If your team closes £2.9M, that's a -3.3% variance, which is good. If you close £2.5M, we've got a problem.

Average Deal Size & Multi-Year Contracts
The average value of new deals your team closes and the percentage of those deals that are signed for 2+ years. This shows strategic selling.
Target · Increase average new business deal size by 15% YoY; >50% of new business contracts are 2+ years

Last year, your team's average deal was £150K. This year, it's £172.5K. Plus, 60% of those are 3-year deals. That's good, solid growth.

Pipeline Generation & Health
The total value of new opportunities your team creates and the overall health (velocity, stage progression) of their collective pipeline.
Target · Maintain a rolling 3.5x-4x pipeline-to-quota ratio; 80% of pipeline opportunities advance stages weekly

Your team's quarterly quota is £3M. You need at least £10.5M-£12M in active pipeline at any given time to hit that consistently. You'll be tracking this religiously.

Team Development & Coaching Effectiveness
How well you're coaching, mentoring, and developing your team members, leading to improved individual performance and career growth.
  • Individual AEs consistently hitting or exceeding quota after your coaching
  • positive feedback in 1-on-1s and performance reviews
  • AEs progressing to Senior roles
  • high team morale and low regrettable attrition
  • consistent participation in deal strategy sessions.
Strategic Account Planning & Execution
The quality of strategic account plans developed by your team and your ability to guide them through complex, multi-year account growth strategies.
  • Robust 12-24 month account plans for top accounts (e.g., using SAMA principles)
  • successful 'land and expand' motions within key accounts
  • clear evidence of multi-threading and executive engagement across the team's deals
  • successful QBRs with clients.
Cross-functional Collaboration & Influence
Your ability to work effectively with other departments (Product, Marketing, RevOps, Legal) to unblock deals, gather resources, and represent the needs of your team and clients.
  • Positive feedback from peers in other departments
  • successful resolution of inter-departmental conflicts impacting sales
  • proactive engagement in product roadmap discussions
  • effective advocacy for sales team needs (e.g., new sales tools, marketing collateral).
Process Adherence & Improvement
Ensuring your team follows our established sales processes and CRM hygiene, while also identifying and proposing improvements.
  • High CRM data quality scores for your team
  • consistent use of MEDDPICC or similar qualification frameworks
  • proactive suggestions for improving sales playbooks or tools
  • team members consistently following deal stage definitions and forecasting procedures.

7Would you like it

Both sides. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy
Developing Others

You'll spend a good chunk of your day in 1-on-1s, reviewing call recordings, role-playing tough conversations, and strategising on deals. Seeing an AE you've coached close their biggest deal yet will be a massive buzz.

An AE on your team, who was struggling with executive engagement, lands a meeting with a client's CEO after you helped them refine their value proposition. That's your win, too.

Achieving Team Success

Your primary focus shifts from your individual number to your team's collective quota. You'll feel the pressure, but also the immense satisfaction, when your team hits their target together. It's a shared victory.

Leading your team to hit 110% of their quarterly target, celebrating together, and knowing you were instrumental in that collective achievement.

Strategic Impact & Problem Solving

You'll be constantly analysing team performance, identifying bottlenecks, and figuring out how to improve processes or adapt strategy to market changes. It's less about individual transactions and more about the bigger picture.

Identifying that your team is consistently losing deals at the negotiation stage, then implementing a new training programme and negotiation playbook that improves win rates by 10%.

What frustrates people
  • Internal Resource Battles: Constantly fighting for Sales Engineer time or Marketing support for your team's deals, knowing everyone's stretched thin.
  • The CRM Data Police: Spending hours every week chasing your team to update Salesforce fields just to satisfy RevOps, feeling like it's taking away from actual coaching.
  • The Mid-Year Comp Plan 'Adjustment': The soul-crushing moment when the company changes the compensation plan or quota in the middle of the year, often making it harder for your team to hit their accelerators.
  • The Champion Who Ghosts Your AE: One of your team's key deals goes sideways because their main advocate inside the client organization suddenly leaves, putting months of work back at square one.
  • Post-Sale Implementation Nightmares: Your team closes a huge deal, only to watch the professional services team bungle the implementation, forcing you to play mediator with an angry customer.
  • Procurement Gridlock: Having a verbal 'yes' from the economic buyer, but the deal is stuck in the client's legal and procurement department for six months over a single liability clause.
  • Unrealistic Leadership Pressure: Getting daily calls from your Director asking for updates on a massive deal that you've already told them has a 9-month decision cycle, even after you've given an honest forecast.
What this role does not give you
  • Daily individual closing: While you'll support deals, you won't be the one sending the final contract every day.
  • Complete autonomy over strategy: You'll contribute, but the overarching sales strategy comes from above.
  • A quiet, predictable work environment: Expect constant interruptions, urgent requests, and shifting priorities.
  • A purely external-facing role: A significant portion of your time will be spent internally, coaching and managing.

8Who you work with

This role is absolutely critical for hitting our regional revenue targets and maintaining a healthy, predictable sales pipeline. You'll directly shape the performance and development of our frontline Enterprise Account Managers, which means you're building the future of our sales organisation. Your ability to forecast accurately and drive consistent results directly influences investor confidence and our overall business strategy. Frankly, without strong sales managers, the whole thing falls apart.

Inside the business
  • Sales Operations (RevOps) - for forecasting, CRM hygiene, and process improvements
  • Product Management - to relay market feedback and influence roadmap
  • Marketing - for lead generation, campaign alignment, and sales enablement content
  • Professional Services / Customer Success - to ensure smooth handovers and client satisfaction
  • Legal & Finance - for contract negotiations, compliance, and budget approvals
Outside the business
  • C-level executives within key client accounts (when supporting team members)
  • Key partners and integrators in the sales ecosystem
  • Industry analysts and thought leaders (occasionally, for market insights)

9What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

  • Proven track record of consistently exceeding individual enterprise sales quotas (e.g., 5+ years at >100% attainment as an L3 Senior Enterprise Account Manager or similar).
  • Demonstrable experience coaching or mentoring junior sales professionals, with tangible examples of their growth and success.
  • A deep, practical understanding of complex, multi-stakeholder enterprise sales cycles (typically 6-18 months).
  • Experience with formal sales methodologies (e.g., MEDDPICC, Value Selling, TAS) and actively applying them to drive results.
  • Strong analytical skills, particularly in pipeline management, forecasting, and identifying performance trends.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a proven ability to present to and influence C-level executives.

10What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Advanced CRM Configuration & Automation

As sales processes become more complex, the ability to influence and understand CRM configuration and automation rules (e.g., Salesforce Flow, custom objects) becomes critical for managers. It's about ensuring the CRM truly supports your team's workflow, not hinders it.

Salesforce Flow & Process Builder · Custom Objects & Fields (Strategic Use) · Reporting & Dashboard Optimisation · Integration with Sales Tech Stack

  • This month: Spend an hour with a Salesforce Admin or RevOps specialist to understand our current automation rules and data structure.
  • Next quarter: Identify one manual task your team performs regularly in Salesforce and propose an automation solution to RevOps.
  • Month 3-6: Take an online course on Salesforce Admin fundamentals (Trailhead is great) to deepen your understanding.
  • Ongoing: Actively participate in RevOps meetings, advocating for enhancements that benefit your team's productivity.

Quick win: Review your team's current CRM dashboards. Can you identify 2-3 ways to make them more actionable for daily use? Suggest these to RevOps.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Regularly attending industry conferences and sales leadership summits (e.g., Sales Innovation Expo, Dreamforce) to stay abreast of trends and network.
  • Participating in sales leadership peer groups or forums to share best practices and challenges with other managers.
  • Reading key sales leadership books and articles (e.g., 'The Challenger Sale,' 'Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions').
  • Engaging in formal leadership training programmes, both internal and external, to hone your management and coaching skills.
  • Seeking out mentorship from more senior sales leaders within the organisation or externally.

12The rising capability

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

AI-Driven Coaching & Performance Optimisation

AI-powered conversation intelligence and sales forecasting tools are becoming incredibly sophisticated. Managers who can effectively use these tools to extract actionable insights for coaching and performance will have a significant edge. It's about moving from gut-feel coaching to data-backed, personalised development plans.

  • Sentiment Analysis in Sales Calls
  • Pattern Recognition in Deal Cycles
  • Personalised Coaching Paths
  • Ethical AI Use in Sales

Digital Transformation Leadership

Clients are undergoing massive digital transformations, and they expect their sales partners to understand these challenges deeply. As a manager, you need to guide your team to speak the language of digital strategy, not just product features. This also applies internally, as we adopt more digital tools and processes.

  • Cloud Adoption & Migration Strategies
  • Data Analytics & Business Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity & Data Governance
  • Agile Methodologies (Client-side)

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Strategic Account Planning (TAS, SAMA principles)
  • Value & Solution Selling
  • Qualification Methodologies (MEDDPICC)
  • Complex Negotiation & Contracting
  • Executive Engagement
  • Territory & Pipeline Management (Scientific Approach)

14The pathway

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

  1. 1

    Senior Enterprise Account Manager (L3)

    3-5 years as an L3

    Skills to master

    • Consistently over-achieving individual quota, mentoring junior AEs informally, leading complex multi-threaded deals, mastering strategic account planning, and demonstrating strong internal influence.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Consistently hitting >110% of individual quota for 3+ consecutive years.
    • Successfully closing multi-million pound deals with C-level engagement.
    • Receiving positive feedback from peers and leadership on informal coaching and mentorship.
    • Proactively taking on leadership responsibilities (e.g., leading a sales playbook initiative, onboarding new hires).
  2. 2

    Principal Account Manager / Strategic Account Director (L4)

    2-3 years as an L4

    Skills to master

    • Managing a handful of the company's most strategic global accounts, focusing on multi-year, 8-figure transformations, often acting as a player-coach to other AEs, and demonstrating significant strategic influence.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Managing a portfolio of 1-3 of the company's largest, most complex accounts with significant expansion.
    • Consistently delivering 8-figure deals and driving multi-year strategic client partnerships.
    • Formal or informal leadership of small project teams or initiatives.
    • Strong internal reputation for strategic thinking and problem-solving on key accounts.
  3. 3

    Sales Operations Lead (with AE experience)

    5-8 years in Sales Ops, plus prior AE experience

    Skills to master

    • Deep understanding of sales processes, CRM optimisation, data analysis, and sales enablement. This path is less common but can be very effective if combined with strong prior AE experience.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Proven ability to design and implement sales processes that improve efficiency and effectiveness.
    • Expertise in Salesforce administration and reporting.
    • Strong analytical skills to identify sales performance trends and recommend solutions.
    • Prior experience as an AE, understanding the day-to-day challenges of the role.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This role can lead to VP of Enterprise Sales, Chief Revenue Officer, or a General Manager position with full ownership of a region or business unit.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Manager, Enterprise Sales is actually changing.

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Manage Sales Technology Systems, worked against Manager, Enterprise Sales.

Manage Sales Technology Systems Level 5

Applied to your work in Manager, Enterprise Sales

This unit aims to equip learners with the knowledge of functional requirements of sales technology systems and how to support users for effective adoption. Learners will be able to monitor system effectiveness, identify areas for improvement, and ensure the effective usage of sales technology to optimise sales performance.

How the thinking builds
  1. 1 Remember
  2. 2 Understand
  3. 3 Apply
  4. 4 Analyse
  5. 5 Evaluate
  6. 6 Create
An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time.

See Your Progress Grow Illustration
Manager, Enterprise Sales
  • Strategic Account Planning (TAS, SAMA principles)
  • Value & Solution Selling
  • Qualification Methodologies (MEDDPICC)
  • Complex Negotiation & Contracting
  • Executive Engagement
  • Territory & Pipeline Management (Scientific Approach)
This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

16The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Manager, Enterprise Sales is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. Director, Enterprise Sales (L6)

    3-5 years as a Manager

    Leading a larger regional or national business unit, managing other sales managers, and owning a significant P&L (typically £20M+).

    • Go-to-Market Strategy Development
    • M&A Integration (Sales Perspective)
    • Strategic Partner Ecosystem Development
    • Large-scale Sales Transformation Programme Management
  2. Head of Sales Operations (L5/L6 equivalent)

    3-5 years as a Manager

    Leading the entire Sales Operations function, optimising processes, tools, and data for the entire sales organisation.

    • Salesforce Architecture & Ecosystem Management
    • Compensation Plan Design & Administration
    • Sales Enablement Strategy & Content Development
    • Cross-functional Process Integration (Sales-Marketing-CS)
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

As a Sales Manager, your time is precious. You're juggling coaching, forecasting, deal strategy, and a mountain of admin. What if you could give your team back hours every week, and free up your own time to focus on what truly matters: developing your people and closing big deals? AI isn't just for individual reps; it's a game-changer for sales leadership.

We're not talking about replacing human connection; we're talking about automating the tedious, repetitive tasks that drain your team's energy and your own. Imagine having an AI assistant that helps you spot deal risks, coach more effectively, and even draft performance reviews. This isn't science fiction; it's what our top managers are already doing.

AI-Powered Coaching Insights

Use conversation intelligence (like Gong or Chorus) to get AI-generated summaries of your team's sales calls. Quickly identify coaching opportunities, track talk-to-listen ratios, and spot common objections across your team, all without listening to every single call. It's like having a super-efficient coaching assistant.

Proactive Deal Risk & Forecast Analysis

Leverage AI platforms (like Clari or BoostUp.ai) that analyse CRM data, email sentiment, and call activity to flag at-risk deals in your team's pipeline before a human could. Get an unbiased 'deal health score' and identify which deals need your immediate attention, improving forecast accuracy dramatically.

Automated Performance Review & Feedback Drafting

Feed AI tools performance data (quota attainment, activity metrics, call summaries) and watch it generate a first draft of a performance review or coaching feedback. This helps you overcome 'blank page syndrome' and ensures you're providing consistent, data-backed feedback to your team, saving hours per review cycle.

Territory & Account Prioritisation

Use AI to analyse historical sales data, market trends, and account firmographics to help your team prioritise which accounts to target and where the biggest 'white space' opportunities lie. It takes the guesswork out of territory planning and ensures your team is focused on the highest-potential deals.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become a Manager, Enterprise Sales?

Common routes in include Senior Enterprise Account Manager (3-5 years as an L3), Principal Account Manager / Strategic Account Director (2-3 years as an L4) and Sales Operations Lead (with AE experience) (5-8 years in Sales Ops, plus prior AE experience). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a Manager, Enterprise Sales progress to?

This role can lead on to Director, Enterprise Sales (3-5 years as a Manager) and Head of Sales Operations (3-5 years as a Manager), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a Manager, Enterprise Sales?

Increasingly, AI-Driven Coaching & Performance Optimisation and Digital Transformation Leadership. These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

Free tools

Want a read on where you stand?

Three free tools, no account needed. Each one ends with a role, a level and a way in.

17Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 5

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

More jobs in sales

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.

If you leave this industry

The skills built here transfer to leadership roles in other B2B SaaS companies, consulting, or private equity work reviewing sales organisations. Building and leading a sales team is a skill in demand across sectors.

This role profile is © 2026 Growth Engineering Technologies Ltd. Built from UK occupational standards and regulated qualification data, and written for Zavmo.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Start my free Automation Fluency module What happens next: a free account, then we build your plan as you set up. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.