Sales Manager Careers Information
Sales managers are the ultimate multi-taskers. Aside from overseeing the work of the sales staff, they must organize schedules, make sure payroll and taxes are completed on time, and hire and train new employees. Sales managers spend much of their time handling customer complaints and must be adept at keeping everyone happy and be very diplomatic.
Sales Manager Careers & Degrees
- Colorado Technical University - Undergraduate: Undergraduate - Online
- Associate of Science (ASBA) - Business Administration
- B.S. in Business Administration - Finance
- B.S. in Business Administration - Health Care Management
- B.S. in Business Administration - Human Resource Management
American Intercontinental University: Online
Typically, sales manager careers are labeled as either retail or non-retail:
Retail sales mangers, the job may consist of running an entire store or, if the establishment is particularly large, a department. These sales managers will often be seen on the sales floor alongside their sales staff, helping customers, tidying shelves, and generally making sure the store is operating smoothly. This is especially true during busy holiday seasons.
Non-retail sales managers are often employed in industries that rely on telemarketing and sales calls, such as phone service and pharmaceuticals. Unlike their retail counterparts, these sales managers do not need to tend to a physical store; instead, they must set sales quotas for their staff and approve the contracts they generate.
Sales Manager Careers Path
Sales managers have a variety of educational levels and the Associate and Bachelor’s degrees in business administration are two of the more typical paths. Most important to becoming a good sales manager, however, is prior experience as a sales representative.
Those interested in running a retail store should be willing to enter at a lower position and work his or her way up. Some larger companies have internship/training programs that people interested in becoming sales managers can attend, though these opportunities are often at the discretion of the company.
Sales Manager Careers: Compatible Personality Traits
Excellent organizational skills, people person, a leader, diplomatic, patient, multi-tasker, good under pressure, willing to work odd and/or long hours.
Sales Manager Careers: Salary Expectations
The average salary for a retail sales manager is $35,310 a year, with the middle fifty percent earning between $27,520 and $44,570. For non-retail sales managers, the average salary is $66,100 a year, with the middle fifty percent earning between $51,380 and $98,080. All of these figures include the commissions that many sales managers earn.
Sales Manager Careers: Job Outlook
The job outlook for sales managers, is not as healthy as for other industries. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment opportunities are projected to grow by 5%, which is less than the national average.
While the internet has helped sales managers be more productive, especially in terms of purchasing and price competition, it has also obviated the need for them. Greater efficiency coupled with more customers who purchase goods online has meant less need for physical stores and therefore sales managers.
Furthermore, few people leave the industry once obtaining a management position. Those with some postsecondary education and who have the most experience in their particular industries should have the best luck finding positions as sales managers.
Slightly off the Footpath
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Psychologists, on the Internet at http://bls.gov/oco/ocos025.htm (visited November 9, 2011).
