← All careers

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

$138,060

Typical range

$67k – $249k

Job outlook

+5% (faster than average)

AI exposure

Plan a path to Sales Managers

Education

Typical entry: Bachelor's degree

Plan my path to this →

Typical progression

  1. Sales Managers Intern

    Internship

    $36,000

    ~4 mos to advance

  2. Junior Sales Managers

    Entry / Junior

    $66,910

    ~2 yrs to advance

  3. Sales Managers

    Established

    $138,060

    ~3 yrs to advance

  4. Senior Sales Managers

    Senior

    $193,284

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

Explore all

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