Sales Managers: Career Profile
Plan, direct, or coordinate the actual distribution or movement of a product or service to the customer. Coordinate sales distribution by establishing sales territories, quotas, and goals and establish training programs for sales representatives. Analyze sales statistics gathered by staff to determine sales potential and inventory requirements and monitor the preferences of customers.
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What Do Sales Managers Do?
Typical responsibilities of sales managers span:
- Oversee regional and local sales managers and their staffs.
- Resolve customer complaints regarding sales and service.
- Monitor customer preferences to determine focus of sales efforts.
- Confer with potential customers regarding equipment needs, and advise customers on types of equipment to purchase.
- Review operational records and reports to project sales and determine profitability.
- Plan and direct staffing, training, and performance evaluations to develop and control sales and service programs.
- Direct and coordinate activities involving sales of manufactured products, services, commodities, real estate, or other subjects of sale.
- Determine price schedules and discount rates.
Skills and Knowledge
Top sales managers draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
These are the skills most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Types of Sales Managers Jobs
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Account Manager
- Area Sales Manager
- Area Supervisor
- BD Director (Business Development Director)
- BD Executive (Business Development Executive)
- BD Manager (Business Development Manager)
- Business Developer
- Channel Manager
How Many Sales Managers Are There?
The U.S. employs around 99,123 sales managers working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to decline by -0.6% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Sales Managers
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $68,051 |
| Hourly median | $32.72 |
| 10th percentile | $47,242 |
| 25th percentile | $57,646 |
| 75th percentile | $78,456 |
| 90th percentile | $88,861 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Sales Managers Make in Different U.S. States?
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| New York | $214,350 |
| Delaware | $201,090 |
| Colorado | $174,840 |
| New Jersey | $171,490 |
| Virginia | $170,970 |
| Massachusetts | $170,610 |
| Washington | $167,210 |
| District of Columbia | $154,320 |
| Kansas | $151,440 |
| Georgia | $149,570 |
| Minnesota | $148,190 |
| Connecticut | $147,380 |
| Illinois | $142,170 |
| New Hampshire | $139,540 |
| Michigan | $136,480 |
| North Carolina | $134,860 |
| Wisconsin | $134,560 |
| Rhode Island | $134,180 |
| South Dakota | $133,590 |
| Wyoming | $132,940 |
| California | $132,440 |
| Texas | $132,250 |
| Utah | $130,430 |
| Ohio | $130,210 |
| Oklahoma | $130,010 |
| Arizona | $129,690 |
| Maryland | $129,180 |
| Pennsylvania | $128,640 |
| Iowa | $128,010 |
| Oregon | $127,780 |
| Tennessee | $127,060 |
| Indiana | $126,740 |
| Idaho | $126,560 |
| Florida | $126,410 |
| Montana | $125,170 |
| North Dakota | $124,500 |
| Nebraska | $124,440 |
| South Carolina | $123,860 |
| Vermont | $123,260 |
| Kentucky | $120,500 |
| Arkansas | $119,990 |
| Hawaii | $116,640 |
| Virgin Islands | $109,280 |
| Alabama | $108,740 |
| Maine | $106,340 |
| New Mexico | $106,330 |
| Mississippi | $106,290 |
| Nevada | $106,020 |
| Louisiana | $102,710 |
| Missouri | $102,420 |
| West Virginia | $101,920 |
| Alaska | $97,330 |
| Puerto Rico | $82,300 |
| Guam | $62,130 |
Where Sales Managers Earn the Most
Earnings for sales managers vary by region. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Atlantic | $175,196 | 13.9% | 0.92 |
| New England | $155,059 | 4.5% | 1.12 |
| Rocky Mountains | $149,533 | 3.6% | 0.99 |
| Great Lakes | $135,810 | 14.3% | 1.04 |
| Far Western US | $133,397 | 21.9% | 1.39 |
| Southeast | $131,863 | 20.7% | 0.87 |
| Southwest | $131,470 | 15.7% | 1.33 |
| Plains States | $131,262 | 5.1% | 0.79 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $211,670 | 40,990 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $200,450 | 9,170 |
| Boulder, CO | CO | $183,880 | 890 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | NJ | $181,500 | 850 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | CO | $177,240 | 360 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | CO | $176,620 | 6,580 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | MA | $175,360 | 11,110 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $174,610 | 17,890 |
Top Industries Employing Sales Managers
The bulk of sales managers work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Wholesale Trade | 123,910 | $135,530 |
| Retail Trade | 100,180 | $92,630 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 83,200 | $168,320 |
| Manufacturing | 63,920 | $150,210 |
| Finance and Insurance | 61,040 | $173,230 |
| Information | 42,020 | $170,280 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 35,830 | $166,330 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 27,330 | $125,010 |
Below are examples of industries where sales managers work:
Tech Stack
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Creative Cloud software (hot technology)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Bentley MicroStation (hot technology)
- Development environment software: Eclipse IDE (hot technology)
- Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
- Data mining software: Google Analytics (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Google Docs (hot technology)
- Sales and marketing software: HubSpot software (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: Hypertext markup language HTML (hot technology)
- Analytical or scientific software: IBM SPSS Statistics (hot technology)
- Sales and marketing software: Marketo Marketing Automation (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
What the Workplace Is Like
The work environment for sales managers is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Telephone Conversations
- Contact With Others
- Deal With External Customers or the Public in General
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
Education and Training
Typical sales managers positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Purchasing Managers (Primary-Long)
- Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products (Primary-Short)
- Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products (Supplemental)
- Logisticians (Supplemental)
- Management Analysts (Supplemental)
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists (Primary-Short)
- Online Merchants (Supplemental)
- Financial and Investment Analysts (Supplemental)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Aspiring sales managers typically earn programs in:
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
3 programs across 3 majors
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
1 programs across 1 majors
Health Professions and Related Programs
1 programs across 1 majors
About the Data
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 11-2022.00 (Sales Managers).
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