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Business & Finance

Sales Managers

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.

Median salary (BLS)

$148,270

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$73k – $291k

Job outlook

+5% (faster than average)

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $112,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Sales Managers

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

Education

Typical entry: Bachelor's degree

Plan my path to this →

How to qualify

Estimate

Cost to qualify

$40,500–$153,000

Time to qualify

4.5 yr

Renewal

—

  1. 1

    Bachelor's degree

    Degree

    Four years at public in-state rates — average published tuition & fees ≈ $11,610/yr, plus books. Private and out-of-state run higher; grant aid lowers most students' actual net price.

    $40,000–$150,000 · 4 years source

  2. 2

    Industry certification (optional for many roles)

    Certification

    Role-dependent — e.g. CPA, Series 7/65, PMP, SHRM. Not always required, but often expected for advancement.

    $500–$3,000 · 6 months source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Sales Managers" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Sales Managers Intern

    Internship

    $36,585

    ~4 mos to advance

  2. Junior Sales Managers

    Entry / Junior

    $73,170

    ~2 yrs to advance

  3. Sales Managers

    Established

    $148,270

    ~3 yrs to advance

  4. Senior Sales Managers

    Senior

    $219,405

Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.

Key skills

A typical day

  • •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.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Business & Finance

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.