architectural sales management analysis

Building and architectural companies are in constant need of architectural sales managers owing to the increasing cost of building new buildings and the role of the profession in the process.
The forecast for the future shows an annual rise of around 1.48 percent per year up to 2018.
Ideal career seekers are typically those with similar experience in the same line for at least more than five years as an assistant architecture sales manager.
The estimated annual wage for the position is approximately $122,670 for the architectural management position and the sales representatives are approximately $58,515. Therefore, for a sales manager, depending on the level of experience they can earn between the two variables or more with a median of around $100000 annually.The educational requirements are primarily a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in architectural design, and five years of experience in an assistant manager position for the sales department of architectural products.The responsibilities involve setting the territories of the sales agents, monitoring the market trends for the designs, team-leading, monitoring of the performance of the sales people, attending trade forums, and maintaining a healthy relationship with the customers and contractors among others.Analysis of the Architectural Sales Management JobThe construction industry requires the help of the architects in coming up with particular aesthetic designs that enhance the beauty of a building and its glass windows to the potential client. The designs for housing units and products such as movable walls units, windows, and glass attract clients and investors who want to utilize such services in building their business parks in other places in the world. Therefore, there is a need for marketing of these designs and products to the construction firms and customers. Further, the architectural firms require efficient sales managers who have the knowledge of the technical expertise of the field to be in a position of fostering a good relationship with the contractors, potential clients, and the sales agents in the field. Also, with this knowledge, they can be able to conform to the organizational goals of a particular firm and advise them on how to increase profitability through the sale of the architectural products and services. In this regard, the analysis views some of the requirements, responsibilities, outlook, and salary trends of the architecture sales manager to give more insight to the qualifications to achieve such a position.According to the articles by Recruiter (2010), the career for the architecture managers is likely to grow with a forecast of up to 2018, at the rate of 1.48% annually. According to this statistics, by the year 2018, about 20680 new jobs for the positions involving both managers from the architecture and engineering fields will be filled (Recruiter, 2010). In this case, the statistics reveal that there is still demand for the sales managers for architectural products. The fact that the levels of development buildings are increasing as well as the need for the professional to advise them on best designs, the demand will create new vacancies for the job in future. Moreover, globalization is making companies in this industry to expand their services to other states which require additional managing staff to oversee the growth of turnover in the new regions. The graph below indicates an overview of the outlook for the position up to 2018 from 2010.Figure 1: Job outlookSource recruiter.comThe position involves an individual who is currently in a leadership position such as the assistant architecture sale manager. Also, the individual must have grown through the ranks of management such from a sales representative in the architectural field, to a team leader, line manager, and the current position. The aim of the assessment of the current situation is for the employers to weigh on the capability of the individual to handle the responsibilities of the new and higher position than the current one if given a chance. Also, through exposure in the relevant field, the individual is likely to have more knowledge on the current trends in the specific field, the challenges the industry faces in marketing the architectural products, and how to be an effective planner and organizer. Though the skills can be acquired through earning institutions, there is a need for practicing them in the field so that one can understand the dynamics and put that knowledge to use. Besides, new challenges can come up which requires a person with experience in the field to have a current position in an assistant managerial level so that they can be able to handle them effectively based on their wisdom over the year about decision making.According to the statistics in the Salary.com (2017) website, the values indicate that the architectural manager earns between a range of $106845 to $174631 annually, depending on the level of experience of an individual. The median therefore for the position using the annual rate is about $122,670 as at June 2017. For the sales representatives, the annual median according to the statistics in Payscale.com (2016) website, the average is about $58515. Therefore, using these two measures to average the salary of an architecture sales manager who is slightly lower than the overall one, the salary can have a median of about $100000. The following graphs show the trends in the salary increments as the managers and sales representatives advance their salary level as they advance their experience in the profession.Figure 2: Sales Representative Job Salary TrendsSource payscale.comFigure 3: Salary Scale Trends for the Architecture ManagersSource salary.comThe educational and experience requirements for the positions may vary within a company. However, the standards for the position remain the same regarding the minimum entry requirements. According to an article by Ceiling (2016) on this particular advertisement, the minimum educational requirements for the position are a bachelor's degree in the relevant fields either architecture r sales. However, the individual must have an experience of five years as a sales person or more to be eligible for application to the position. Other abilities include competencies in verbal and written communication, team leadership, and ability to effectively manage relationships with others. In a job advert by Antony Ltd (2017), it indicates that on top of having a minimum of a bachelor's degree in the architecture design field, the candidate should also be able to deal with local authorities, surveyors, and contractors who form the stakeholders in the industry. Also, the individual should have the experience of installation and development of the glass and window design since the company deals with these products.Lastly, the position involves responsibilities that reflect not only management duties but also the development of strategic marketing initiatives (Black & Decker, 2016). The person should be able to find solutions to new challenges in the market to increase the turnover in the respective company. According to Antony Ltd (2017), the person in that position should ensure that the territory sales representatives work efficiently, and meet their targets to maximize the turnover through coordination of their activities. Also, the individual is responsible for planning, development of a strategic marketing plan and setting goals for the assigned region to achieve the objectives of the organization. Lastly, the individual should advise higher levels of management above the position on how to increase sales and deal with some of the challenges in pursuit of the objective of an architectural firm.ReferencesAntony Ltd. (2017). Architectural Sales Manager job | Antony Acquisitions Ltd | 9266578. Telegraph Jobs. Retrieved 28 July 2017, from https://jobs.telegraph.co.uk/job/9266578/architectural-sales-manager/Black, S., & Decker. (2016). Regional Sales Manager -InnerSpace- Western US job - Stanley Black & Decker - San Francisco, CA. Indeed.com. Retrieved 28 July 2017, from https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=62f8d32f377539ef&q=Architectural+Sales+Manager&tk=1bm513ak34eslbue&from=webCeiling, A. (2016). Architectural Specialties, Sales Manager (Northern California) Job job - Armstrong Ceiling - San Francisco, CA. Indeed.com. Retrieved 28 July 2017, from https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=b716e0e241d796d1&q=Architectural+Sales+Manager&tk=1bm52p8jo4eslb8u&from=webPayscale.com. (2016). Architectural Sales Representative Salary. Payscale.com. Retrieved 28 July 2017, from http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Architectural_Sales_Representative/SalaryRecruiter. (2010). Career Outlook and Job Vacancies for Architectural and Engineering Managers.Recruiter. Retrieved 28 July 2017, from https://www.recruiter.com/careers/architectural-and-engineering-managers/outlook/