In addition to promoting sales and training staff, a showroom manager is responsible for the showroom's appearance. You'll find large and expensive items there, from cars to furniture to appliances. The showroom manager is responsible for everything that makes the showroom inviting to customers, from cleanliness to a friendly sales staff to the most modern and desirable merchandise.

Customer Service

A successful showroom manager needs a specific skill set in order to sell products. To succeed as a showroom manager, you must be well-spoken, confident and persuasive. (Reference 1) Listening skills are important too for meeting customers’ and employees’ needs. Shrewd negotiation skills are vital. You need some background in finance to calculate fees and loan interest when you’re closing a deal and for planning the showroom budget. Leadership skills are important to motivate and manage your sales staff.

All in a Day's Work

The showroom manager typically schedules salespeople, assigns them duties and monitors their progress throughout the day to put them in a position to succeed. You step in when customers have complaints. In a car dealership, for example, the manager steps in when a sale is nearly complete and either starts crunching the numbers on the transaction or gives it final approval. You also take responsibility for the appearance of the showroom, displaying the merchandise in strategic locations. The popular items go in the front window, for instance.

The Long Haul

A showroom manager must tend to myriad duties beyond day-to-day showroom management. You track your inventory, monitoring which items sell the best so you can restock accordingly. If you order too many sectional couches, for example, you might consider offering a special discount or promotion in order to clear your inventory. Tracking trends in the industry and conducting sstudies can also help boost sales. (Reference 2) To track customer satisfaction, you follow up and let your clients evaluate your service to help you and your staff improve.

Closing the Deal

Most showroom managers have a college degree and have taken courses in economics, business, mathematics and statistics. Many start out as a salesperson, then move up to manager after several years of experience. You may advance to become manager of the entire store rather than just the showroom, or even open your own business. The average annual pay for a sales manager in 2012 was $105,260, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.