What is a Sales Supervisor?
Occupation Description Directly supervise and coordinate activities of sales workers other than retail sales workers. May perform duties such as budgeting, accounting, and personnel work, in addition to supervisory duties.
Daily Life Of a Sales Supervisor
- Monitor sales staff performance to ensure that goals are met.
- Confer with company officials to develop methods and procedures to increase sales, expand markets, and promote business.
- Examine products purchased for resale or received for storage to determine product condition.
- Provide staff with assistance in performing difficult or complicated duties.
- Attend company meetings to exchange product information and coordinate work activities with other departments.
- Direct and supervise employees engaged in sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or performing specific services.
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Qualities of a Sales Supervisor
These are the skills Sales Supervisors say are the most useful in their careers:
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
Related Job Titles for this Occupation:
- Telemarketing Supervisor
- Flooring Sales Manager
- Circulation Crew Leader
- Supervisor
- Director of Group Sales
Job Opportunities for Sales Supervisors
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 405,200 jobs in the United States for Sales Supervisor. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 4.9% which is below the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 20,000 new jobs for Sales Supervisor by 2026. The BLS estimates 39,000 yearly job openings in this field.

The states with the most job growth for Sales Supervisor are Utah, Washington, and Nevada. Watch out if you plan on working in Maine, Vermont, or Alaska. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Sales Supervisor Salary
The salary for Sales Supervisors ranges between about $40,310 and $143,690 a year.

Sales Supervisors who work in New York, Rhode Island, or South Dakota, make the highest salaries.
How much do Sales Supervisors make in different U.S. states?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $79,250 |
Alaska | $63,800 |
Arizona | $64,470 |
Arkansas | $74,120 |
California | $72,740 |
Colorado | $92,490 |
Connecticut | $81,400 |
Delaware | $83,940 |
District of Columbia | $86,540 |
Florida | $80,290 |
Georgia | $73,570 |
Hawaii | $73,650 |
Idaho | $69,610 |
Illinois | $76,080 |
Indiana | $91,800 |
Iowa | $77,260 |
Kansas | $68,140 |
Kentucky | $75,120 |
Louisiana | $75,740 |
Maine | $67,360 |
Maryland | $86,890 |
Massachusetts | $92,530 |
Michigan | $81,230 |
Minnesota | $81,580 |
Mississippi | $74,200 |
Missouri | $79,510 |
Montana | $79,850 |
Nebraska | $74,100 |
Nevada | $66,710 |
New Hampshire | $94,220 |
New Jersey | $92,700 |
New Mexico | $62,440 |
New York | $107,430 |
North Carolina | $99,310 |
North Dakota | $76,300 |
Ohio | $80,390 |
Oklahoma | $76,830 |
Oregon | $66,670 |
Pennsylvania | $95,410 |
Rhode Island | $97,550 |
South Carolina | $70,360 |
South Dakota | $93,430 |
Tennessee | $84,890 |
Texas | $81,870 |
Utah | $80,330 |
Vermont | $79,270 |
Virginia | $99,880 |
Washington | $87,590 |
West Virginia | $58,470 |
Wisconsin | $94,100 |
Wyoming | $67,030 |
What Tools do Sales Supervisors Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Sales Supervisors:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Web browser software
- Microsoft Access
- Data entry software
- SAP
- Microsoft Project
- Microsoft Dynamics
- Salesforce software
- YouTube
- Delphi Technology
- NetSuite ERP
- Oracle Eloqua
- Work scheduling software
- Financial accounting software
- Salesforce.com Salesforce CRM
- Customer information databases
How to Become a Sales Supervisor
Are there Sales Supervisors education requirements?

What work experience do I need to become a Sales Supervisor?

Where Sales Supervisors Are Employed

Below are examples of industries where Sales Supervisors work:

Other Jobs You May be Interested In
Career changers with experience as a Sales Supervisor sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
- Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products
- Gaming Managers
- Education Administrators, Preschool and Childcare Center/Program
References:
Image Credit: Nick Nijhuis via Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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