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Sales Manager

$148,270
median / year
$73,170 – $290,540
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Lead a sales team, set targets and territories, and coach reps to hit revenue goals.

You may also see this posted as: District Sales Manager, Sales Director, Sales VP (Sales Vice President), Fractional Sales Executive, National Sales Manager, Regional Sales Manager.

Where you work

Offices, with travel to clients and regions.

The hours

Full-time, often more than forty hours

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • 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.

Good fit if you like…

Enterprising

leading, persuading, selling, or turning an idea into action

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

Social

helping, teaching, caring for, or supporting other people

O*NET job zone 4 of 5

High preparation—usually a four-year degree plus experience—is common.

Work styles that matter most

Leadership OrientationSocial OrientationDependabilityPerseverance

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointSalesforce softwareAdobe Acrobat

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$148,270
per year
Hourly median
$71.28
per hour
What most earn
$73,170–$290,540
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~49,000
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+4.7%
About average
Working in the U.S.
637,080
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

BLS estimates 0.9% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

Bachelor's degree

Training path: Bachelor's degree.

Related work experience: Less than 5 years.

On-the-job training: None.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

What it takes

Team leadershipSales strategyCoachingData analysis

The honest take

High pay tied to results, so income and pressure both rise with the team's numbers.

Standard Occupational Classification 11-2022. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.