Field entry, published 2026-11-03T00:00:00.000Z, updated 2026-11-03T00:00:00.000Z. Group: Major Group 1: Managers

How are commercial managers classified?

Commercial managers are grouped by the market facing function they lead: winning customers, shaping how a product or service is presented, building demand, or developing new business. The commercial side of an organisation looks outward, while administrative management looks inward. That outward direction is a helpful first distinction, although in practice the two sides work closely together, because a sales plan needs a budget, a marketing campaign needs staff, and a new partnership needs contracts.

Classification follows the function in charge. A manager who directs sales teams, sets sales targets, chooses channels and decides pricing approach is doing sales management. A manager who directs marketing strategy, brand positioning, market research and campaign planning is doing marketing management. A manager who directs advertising or public relations work is leading communication with audiences, even though the tools differ from sales. The ILO structure keeps these functions separate below Major Group 1, so the first step for a detailed reading is to name the commercial function, not the product being sold.

What separates sales management from selling?

Selling is a skilled occupation in its own right. A salesperson builds relationships, presents products, negotiates deals and closes orders. A sales manager directs that activity across a team, territory or channel. The manager sets targets, allocates territories, coaches staff, monitors performance, decides how to respond to competitors and reports results upward. A top salesperson who sells more than anyone else is not automatically a sales manager, and a sales manager who occasionally joins a key meeting is not automatically a salesperson.

This distinction matters in commission based work, where titles and pay can blur the picture. A person called a sales director in a small firm might in fact spend most days selling, with little team direction or strategy. Conversely, a person called a regional lead might direct a substantial sales operation, set local strategy and manage several teams. Classification looks past the label to the pattern of work: who plans the sales effort, who is responsible for the team result, and who decides how the sales resource is used.

How are marketing, advertising and public relations managers grouped?

Marketing management covers the whole path from understanding a market to presenting an offer in that market. It includes research into customer needs, segmentation, product positioning, pricing strategy, distribution choices and campaign planning. Advertising management is narrower in focus, concentrating on paid communication and creative campaigns. Public relations management concentrates on reputation, media relationships, stakeholder communication and crisis communication. These are related, and one manager may cover more than one area, especially in a smaller organisation.

When functions are combined, the main task test helps again. A manager who spends most time on brand and campaign strategy, with occasional press work, leans toward marketing. A manager whose main responsibility is media and reputation, with campaign work as a secondary duty, leans toward public relations. A manager who directs an advertising agency’s client work may be directing a service business as well as a communication function, so the setting and the scope of direction need to be read together. For a precise group, the official ILO hierarchy should be consulted, because it separates these commercial functions in a way that a job advertisement rarely does.

Where does business development fit?

Business development managers look for new markets, new partners, new channels and new opportunities. Their work overlaps with sales and marketing, but the emphasis is on growth beyond the current customer base: identifying prospects, building partnerships, opening territories, negotiating strategic agreements and shaping proposals for new lines of business. In some organisations this is a sales function. In others it is a strategic function that sits close to senior leadership.

The classification reading should focus on what is being developed and directed. A business development manager who directs a team and owns a growth plan is doing managerial work. A business development executive who mainly researches leads and arranges meetings is doing a more specialist or sales support role. The word development in a title does not settle the matter, because it is also used for product development, software development and personal development in unrelated occupations.

What mistakes are common here?

One common mistake is to classify every commercial job as managerial because it involves customers and money. Customer service, retail selling, market research analysis and copywriting are all valuable occupations, but they are not managerial unless directing the function is the main work. Another common mistake is to classify by product rather than function. Selling software, selling machinery and selling insurance all involve sales management when the manager directs the sales function, even though the products and the technical knowledge differ.

Commercial management, in short, is defined by outward facing direction: directing how an organisation reaches, persuades and grows its market. Name the function, test whether directing it is the main task, and then use the ILO structure to find the grouping that matches that function.

Sources checked

1. International Labour Organization, ISCO-08 structure

Back to the Major Group 1: Managers group or browse all occupations.