What Sales Management Association does

The Sales Management Association (SMA) is a privately-held professional association founded in 2008 by Robert J. Kelly and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, operating through Sales Management Association, Inc. The organization serves sales force effectiveness practitioners — including professionals in sales operations, sales enablement, commercial effectiveness, and sales leadership — through a membership-based platform. Approximately 85% of members are practitioners, with the remainder comprising students, academic faculty, consultants, and solution providers. SMA is described as the only global, cross-industry professional association specifically focused on sales force effectiveness.

SMA monetizes through tiered membership subscriptions (free Subscriber, US$395/year Individual Practitioner, US$2,765/year Corporate up to 10 logins, and US$625/month Corporate Unlimited), paid professional certifications (CSOP at US$950, CSMP, BDR, and Coaching Virtual Salespeople at US$4,497), conference registration fees, and underwriting from corporate partners. The association runs a web-based content delivery platform hosting 700+ archived webcasts since 2010, approximately 50 new webcasts annually, a job description library with 25+ definitive role templates, sales compensation plan spreadsheet templates, and benchmarking research drawn from thousands of B2B sales organizations over 15+ years. CSOP and CSMP certifications are issued as blockchain-verifiable credentials, an uncommon technology differentiator for a professional association of this size.

The association maintains an active events calendar anchored by the annual Sales Force Productivity Conference held in Atlanta each Fall since 2011, and the Thought Leadership on the Sales Profession Conference hosted at Harvard Business School, Columbia Business School, HEC Paris, and Stanford Graduate School of Business. It maintains partnerships with academic institutions including DePaul University's Center for Sales Leadership, the University of Houston's Sales Excellence Institute (SEI), and Florida State University's Sales Institute. Corporate underwriting support is provided by Akeron, Microsoft, InnoVyne, Axiom Sales Kinetics, Ignite Selling, and Lanshore. Operations run on a lean team of 1–10 employees under founder/Chairman Robert J. Kelly, with no external institutional investment, private equity backing, or parent company identified.

Name

Sales Management Association

Legal name

Sales Management Association, Inc.

Website

https://salesmanagement.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sales Management Association is a private professional association serving sales force effectiveness practitioners (sales operations, enablement, and leadership) globally through tiered memberships, professional certifications (CSMP/CSOP/BDR), benchmarking research, webcasts, and an annual conference, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sales Leadership & Revenue Executive Coaching (EDABANAL)

Keywords

• Sales force effectiveness
• Professional certification programs
• Sales benchmarking research
• Professional association membership
• Sales management training

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Tiered membership fees providing access to different levels of content, resources, and benefits. Basic membership is free, Individual Practitioner membership is $395/year, and Corporate membership is $2,765/year (up to 10 logins). Corporate plan provides unlimited logins for $625/month billed annually.
2. Professional Certification: Revenue from certification programs including CSOP ($950 standard, discounted to $725 for individual members, $350 for corporate members) and CSMP. Additional certification programs include Coaching Virtual Salespeople ($4,497 standard, with discounts for multiple enrollees).
3. Conference and Event Revenue: Registration fees for the annual Sales Force Productivity Conference and other events. Members receive priority registration and discounted registration. The association also offers 3 free conference registrations for corporate members with 50% discount on 4th and subsequent registrations.
4. Underwriting and Sponsorship: Financial support from underwriters including Akeron, Microsoft, InnoVyne, Axiom Sales Kinetics, Ignite Selling, and Lanshore. Underwriters provide financial, content, or media support to the association's community of sales leadership professionals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Sales Management Association provides a membership-based professional community and content platform for sales force effectiveness practitioners. Its core offerings include tiered membership subscriptions (free Subscriber, $395/year Individual Practitioner, $2,765/year Corporate, and $625/month Corporate Unlimited), professional certifications (CSMP, CSOP, BDR), on-demand management courses, benchmarking research reports, approximately 50 webcasts annually, and annual conferences.

Product overview

The Sales Management Association offers a comprehensive membership-based platform for sales force effectiveness professionals. The portfolio includes professional certifications (CSMP, CSOP, BDR), on-demand courses, benchmarking research reports, approximately 50 annual webcasts, annual conferences (Sales Force Productivity Conference and Thought Leadership Conference), a resource library with 400+ archived webcasts, job description templates, sales compensation plan templates, and advisory services. These offerings are delivered through tiered membership levels (Subscriber, Individual Practitioner, Corporate) and provide sales operations, sales enablement, and sales leadership professionals with research, training, networking, and professional development resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CSOP (Certified Sales Operations Professional): Professional certification program for sales operations professionals, combining on-demand learning, instructor-led workshops, and peer networking.
• CSMP (Certified Sales Management Professional)
• BDR Certification (Business Development Representative)

Products and services

• Professional Certification Programs Professional certification offerings including Certified Sales Management Professional (CSMP), Certified Sales Operations Professional (CSOP), and Business Development Representative (BDR) certifications for sales leaders and practitioners, combining on-demand learning, instructor-led workshops, and peer networking.
• Online Courses and Learning Modules On-demand management courses covering sales operations, compensation management, coaching, sales process, territory design, and related topics for professional development of sales leaders and practitioners.
• Research and Benchmarking Reports Benchmarking research reports on sales force effectiveness, sales operations, compensation, technology adoption, and AI usage in sales organizations, drawing on 15+ years of data collected from thousands of B2B sales organizations.
• Webcasts Approximately 50 webcasts conducted annually on topics relevant to sales management and sales force effectiveness, with recordings archived in the resource library.
• Sales Force Productivity Conference Annual conference held in Atlanta each Fall since 2011 covering sales effectiveness, sales operations, and sales management topics, with priority registration and discounted rates for members.
• Thought Leadership on the Sales Profession Conference Conference collaboration between academics and executive leaders held at elite business schools including Harvard Business School, Columbia Business School, HEC Paris, and Stanford Graduate School of Business.
• Job Descriptions Library Library of 25+ definitive job descriptions for sales force roles from BDR to CRO, including Sales Operations and Enablement positions, available to members.
• Sales Compensation Plans Template Library Spreadsheet templates for commonly used sales compensation plans including commission-based, quota-based, profitability multiplier, and two-quota plans, available to members.
• Sales Force Effectiveness Advisory Services Advisory services leveraging best practice benchmarks including sales force assessments, territory optimization, compensation plan design, and sales culture assessments, based on 15+ years of benchmarking research.
• Coaching Virtual Salespeople Certification Five-month virtual certification program designed in partnership with Factor 8 to help managers coach better, lead stronger, and improve team performance; includes five manager training courses, six live virtual sessions with role plays, group and 1:1 feedback. Priced at US$4,497 standard with volume discounts (US$4,029 for 2-4 managers; US$3,500 each for 5+).

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 15 years of benchmarking research from thousands of B2B sales organizations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AkeroncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAkeron offers a comprehensive end-to-end SPM (Sales Performance Management) solution for incentive compensation management. Headquartered in Lucca, Italy, with offices in Paris, London, and New York. Serves global, cross-industry clients including multinational corporations and SMBs. Provides underwriter support to SMA community.
• MicrosoftcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMicrosoft Corporation is a global technology company offering software, services, and cloud infrastructure. Headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Provides underwriter support to SMA community with technology and innovation focus.
• InnoVynecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerInnoVyne is a consulting partner dedicated to achieving excellence in Sales Performance Management. Founded in 2013. 200+ end-to-end implementations, 60+ certified consultants, $500M+ in annual compensation supported. Global delivery from Canada, USA, and India offices. ISO 27001 certified.
• Axiom Sales KineticscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerProvides sales teams with a proven sales methodology, industry-best coaching framework, and client-branded customized learning content. Offers unique software solution for embedding learning into normal sales cadence. Continuous learning approach delivers up to 4x greater proficiency and adoption.
• Ignite SellingcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLeading global Sales Enablement and Performance Improvement Company. Enables businesses to exceed revenue goals through sales simulations and strategic sales coaching. Uses interactive Learning Maps and Competitive Sales Simulations in virtual and classroom environments.
• DePaul University's Center for Sales LeadershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the largest and best centers for sales management education. Draws from sizable and diverse student body with faculty having deep business expertise. Mission is to connect the best students with the best companies. Graduates approximately 150-175 students each year with full concentration or minor in sales.
• University of Houston's Sales Excellence Institute (SEI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of U.H.'s C.T. Bauer School of Business. Strives to be the leading global network for sales research and education. Sponsored by over 25 corporations including 3M, State Farm, Ecolab, Liberty Mutual, Edward Jones, and many others.
• The Sales Institute at Florida State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDedicated to preparing students with world-class sales education and training. Utilizes most current sales training technologies developed through continuous research. Conducts leading-edge research on the sales profession and drivers of salesperson and sales force effectiveness.
• Factor 8coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner for Coaching Virtual Salespeople certification. Designed to help managers coach better, lead stronger, and improve team performance faster. Five-month virtual program with five manager training courses, six live virtual sessions with role plays, group and 1:1 feedback.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sales Enablement Society (SE Forum): Global community and professional organization for sales enablement practitioners, providing events, benchmarking, and a credentialing program. Overlaps closely with SMA's enablement and operations audience, competes for the same corporate training budgets, and uses a similar membership + certification + conference model.
• Richardson Sales Performance: Sales training and consulting company offering custom curriculum, workshops, and a Sales Excellence Institute with research and certification. Comparable to SMA in serving sales leadership audiences with research-backed training, though it is a commercial training provider rather than a non-profit association.
• AA-ISP (American Association of Inside Sales Professionals): Membership association for inside sales and sales development professionals offering certification, research, and an annual conference. Directly comparable to SMA in structure, target persona (sales practitioners and leaders), and monetization model (membership + certification + events), though it focuses on inside/SDR roles rather than the full sales force effectiveness stack.
• ValueSelling Associates: Sales methodology and training firm offering workshops, certification, and a ValueSelling framework used by B2B sales organizations. Comparable to SMA in its focus on B2B sales effectiveness and structured certification, but monetizes through methodology licensing and instructor-led training rather than membership subscriptions.
• RAIN Group: Sales training and consulting firm that produces proprietary research, runs training programs, and offers sales certifications to individuals and enterprises. Comparable to SMA in research-driven content, training, and sales-effectiveness focus, though delivered through a paid services model rather than a membership association.

Emerging players

• Heinz Marketing: B2B sales and marketing consulting firm publishing research, benchmarking, and training content for sales and marketing leaders. Comparable to SMA in research-driven content for B2B sales audiences, but operates as a consultancy rather than a membership association.
• Pavilion (formerly Sales Hacker): Membership community for sales, marketing, and revenue leaders offering benchmarking, peer groups, content, and events. Directly comparable to SMA in the B2B sales leader community and content model, but extends beyond sales into broader revenue operations.

Broad incumbents

• Sandler Training: Global sales training franchise delivering methodology-based training, certification, and coaching to B2B sales teams. Comparable to SMA in addressing sales force effectiveness, but competes on a sustained-coaching training model rather than a content, research, and community association model.
• Salesforce / Trailhead: Salesforce's Trailhead learning platform and Sales Cloud ecosystem offer free and paid sales training, certification (Salesforce Administrator, Sales Cloud Consultant), and a large practitioner community. Comparable to SMA in offering sales-relevant certification and learning, but bundled into a much broader CRM and cloud platform.
• Miller Heiman (Korn Ferry): Long-established sales performance and methodology business, now part of Korn Ferry, offering training, certification, and consulting to large B2B sales organizations. Comparable to SMA in serving enterprise sales leaders with research-backed training, but operates as a large consulting portfolio practice rather than a niche membership association.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SMAssociation
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheSalesManagementAssociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/groups/104432
• Instagraminstagram.com/smassociation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sales Management Association