Please enable javascript to play this video. Sales managers often are required to travel. Most sales managers work full time, and they often have to work additional hours on evenings and weekends. Employment of sales managers is projected to grow 7 percent from 2016 to 2026, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Employment growth of these managers will depend primarily on growth or contraction in the industries that employ them. Explore resources for employment and wages by state and area for sales managers. Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of sales managers with similar occupations. Sales managers recruit, hire, and train new members of the sales staff. Sales managers direct organizations' sales teams. Sales managers recruit, hire, and train new members of the sales staff, including and. Sales managers advise sales representatives on ways to improve their sales performance. In large multiproduct organizations, they oversee regional and local sales managers and their staffs. Sales managers also stay in contact with dealers and distributors. They analyze sales statistics generated from their staff to determine the sales potential and inventory requirements of products and stores and to monitor customers' preferences. Sales managers work closely with managers from other departments in the organization. For example, the marketing department identifies new customers that the sales department can target. The relationship between these two departments is critical to helping an organization expand its client base. Sales managers are increasingly using data on customer shopping habits to identify potential customers more effectively. This allows them more time to facilitate sales through customized sales pitches to individual customers. The following are examples of types of sales managers: Business to business B2B sales managers oversee sales from one business to another. These managers may work for a manufacturer selling to a wholesaler, or a wholesaler selling to a retailer. Examples of these workers include sales managers overseeing sales of software to business firms, and sales managers overseeing wholesale food sales to grocery stores. Business to consumer B2C sales managers oversee direct sales between businesses and individual consumers. These managers typically work in retail settings. Examples of these workers include sales managers of automobile dealerships and department stores. Sales managers have a lot of responsibility, and the position can be stressful. Sales managers held about 385,500 jobs in 2016. The largest employers of sales managers were as follows: Wholesale trade 20% Retail trade 18 Manufacturing 12 Professional, scientific, and technical services 10 Finance and insurance 9 Sales managers have a lot of responsibility, and the position can be stressful. Work Schedules Most sales managers work full time, and they often have to work additional hours on evenings and weekends. Courses in business law, management, economics, accounting, finance, mathematics, marketing, and statistics are advantageous. Work Experience in a Related Occupation Work experience is typically required for someone to become a sales manager. The preferred duration varies, but employers usually seek candidates who have at least 1 to 5 years of experience in sales. Sales managers typically enter the occupation from other sales and related occupations, such as , , or. In small organizations, the number of sales manager positions often is limited, so advancement for sales workers usually comes slowly. In large organizations, promotion may occur more quickly. Important Qualities Analytical skills. Sales managers must collect and interpret complex data to target the most promising geographic areas and demographic groups, and determine the most effective sales strategies. Sales managers need to work with colleagues and customers, so they must be able to communicate clearly. Sales managers must be able to evaluate how their sales staff performs and must develop strategies for meeting sales goals. Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. Most employers use a combination of salary and commissions or salary plus bonuses. Commissions usually are a percentage of the value of sales, whereas bonuses may depend on individual performance, on the performance of all sales workers in the group or district, or on the organization's performance. Most sales managers work full time, and they often have to work additional hours on evenings and weekends. Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program Employment of sales managers is projected to grow 7 percent from 2016 to 2026, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Employment growth of these managers will depend primarily on growth or contraction in the industries that employ them. An effective sales team remains crucial for profitability. As the economy grows, organizations will focus on generating new sales and will look to their sales strategy as a way to increase competitiveness. Online shopping is expected to continue to increase, meaning more sales will be completed without a sales worker involved in the transaction. Because sales managers will be needed to direct and navigate this mix between online and brick-and-mortar sales, sustained demand is expected for these workers. Job Prospects Similar to other managerial positions, competition for these jobs is expected to be strong as there are more applicants than open positions. Employment projections data for sales managers, 2016-26 Occupational Title SOC Code Employment, 2016 Projected Employment, 2026 Change, 2016-26 Employment by Industry Percent Numeric SOURCE: U. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. The link s below go to OES data maps for employment and wages by state and area. All state projections data are available at. Information on this site allows projected employment growth for an occupation to be compared among states or to be compared within one state. CareerOneStop CareerOneStop includes hundreds of with data available by state and metro area. There are links in the left-hand side menu to compare occupational employment by state and occupational wages by local area or metro area. There is also a to search for wages by zip code. Similar Occupations This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of sales managers. Occupation Job Duties ENTRY-LEVEL EDUCATION 2017 MEDIAN PAY Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products or services. They work with , , and financial staff members. They contact potential clients, make sales presentations, and maintain client accounts. They help companies understand what products people want, who will buy them, and at what price. There are two types of retail sales workers: retail salespersons, who sell retail merchandise, such as clothing, furniture, and automobiles; and parts salespersons, who sell spare and replacement parts and equipment, especially car parts. They contact customers, explain the features of the products they are selling, negotiate prices, and answer any questions that their customers may have about the products. Fundraising managers coordinate campaigns that bring in donations for their organization. They craft media releases and develop social media programs to shape public perception of their organization and to increase awareness of its work and goals. Purchasing managers oversee the work of buyers and purchasing agents. Insurance sales agents explain various insurance policies and help clients choose plans that suit them. It may also discuss the major industries that employed the occupation. This tab may also describe opportunities for part-time work, the amount and type of travel required, any safety equipment that is used, and the risk of injury that workers may face. Pay The Pay tab describes typical earnings and how workers in the occupation are compensated—annual salaries, hourly wages, commissions, tips, or bonuses. Within every occupation, earnings vary by experience, responsibility, performance, tenure, and geographic area. For most profiles, this tab has a table with wages in the major industries employing the occupation. It does not include pay for self-employed workers, agriculture workers, or workers in private households because these data are not collected by the Occupational Employment Statistics OES survey, the source of BLS wage data in the OOH. Contacts for More Information The More Information tab provides the Internet addresses of associations, government agencies, unions, and other organizations that can provide additional information on the occupation.
