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.
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. The role reports a median annual salary of $138,060 in the US with the middle 80% earning between $65,200 and $239,200 and is projected to grow 5% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.49 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Active Listening, Speaking, Persuasion, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness.
Salary distribution (US)
Real salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The p10–p90 spread tells you more than the median alone.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £57,625 a year for Sales accounts and business development managers (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £43,049 to £79,598 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 3556). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Managers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Sales Managers, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 1. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
The usual route into this career in India. Each step links to the official page it comes from.
- 1 · Qualification Bachelor's degree in any subject (CA, CS or CMA also qualify)[1]
- 2 · Entrance exam CAT for admission to a management programme at an IIM[1]
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- CAT eligibility — Indian Institutes of Management (read on 2026-09-27)
Entrance exams on this route — Dates, eligibility and cut-offs for the exams on the way to this career:
25 open listings on our jobs board → Recent listings whose job title matches this career. Some jobs in this career are advertised under other titles.
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Sales and Marketing
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Mathematics
- Economics and Accounting
- Computers and Electronics
- Education and Training
A day in the life
You kick off the morning with a team huddle reviewing yesterday's numbers, celebrating wins, and game-planning how to close deals stuck in the pipeline. Much of your day involves coaching reps on their pitches, joining high-stakes calls with major prospects, and negotiating contract terms that work for both sides. Between calls you analyze CRM data to spot trends, adjust territory assignments, and set quarterly targets. The energy on a sales floor is contagious—when your team lands a big account, the excitement is electric, and the competitive drive keeps every day feeling like a new challenge.
Illustrative: one typical day. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- 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.
- Plan and direct staffing, training, and performance evaluations to develop and control sales and service programs.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Sales Managers do?
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.
What does a typical day look like in Sales Managers?
You kick off the morning with a team huddle reviewing yesterday's numbers, celebrating wins, and game-planning how to close deals stuck in the pipeline. Much of your day involves coaching reps on their pitches, joining high-stakes calls with major prospects, and negotiating contract terms that work for both sides. Between calls you analyze CRM data to spot trends, adjust territory assignments, and set quarterly targets.
How much does Sales Managers earn?
The median annual salary for Sales Managers in the US is $138,060. The middle 80% of workers earn between $65,200 and $239,200 annually. Entry-to-mid-career earners typically fall between $91,910 and $192,430.
What is the job outlook for Sales Managers?
The role is projected to grow 5% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Current US employment is approximately 619,500 workers.
How do I become sales managers?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Sales Managers need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Active Listening, Speaking, Persuasion, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness, Coordination. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Sales Managers?
Our AI-durability model gives Sales Managers a score of 0.49 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Sales Managers has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.