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Sales Managers

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeHigh pressure Bright Outlook

What they 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 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.

Kinds of work

  • Enterprising: Leading, persuading, selling and starting new projects or businesses.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.

High pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $148,270 Median per year · $71.28/hr Most earn $73,170–$290,540

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Prepare budgets and approve budget expenditures.
  • Prepare budgets and approve budget expenditures.
  • Represent company at trade association meetings to promote products.
  • Advise dealers and distributors on policies and operating procedures to ensure functional effectiveness of business.
  • Direct clerical staff to keep records of export correspondence, bid requests, and credit collections, and to maintain current information on tariffs, licenses, and restrictions.
  • Determine price schedules and discount rates.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
5% more jobs by 2035, faster than average · about 47,300 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods6.6%
  • Automobile dealers6.0%
  • Computer systems design and related services5.7%
  • Management of companies and enterprises5.4%
  • Merchant wholesalers, durable goods4.4%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 4 to 6 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeExperience before this job: 4 to 6 years

Sales Manager is not an entry-level job. People usually need a bachelor's degree plus about 4 to 6 years of related sales experience before they move into this role, so expect roughly a decade from starting school to managing a team.

  1. Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, or a related field

    4 years

    You learn how businesses sell, price, and reach customers, and you build the writing and communication skills that sales teams rely on.

  2. Sales Representative

    4-6 years

    You learn to find customers, win deals, and meet quotas, and you see firsthand what drives buyers. Strong results here are what employers look for when they promote people into management.

  3. Sales Manager

    Career goal

    You set territories, quotas, and goals, train sales reps, and study sales numbers to decide where the team should focus.

Where it can lead

  1. Director of Sales

    3-5 years of experience first

    You oversee several sales managers or a whole region, set longer-term revenue plans, and work more closely with company leaders. It usually requires a track record of hitting targets as a manager.

  2. General and Operations Manager

    2-4 years of experience first

    You run a broader part of the business, such as a branch, division, or location, not just the sales team. Sales experience is a common path into this role, but you also need to understand finance and operations.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take math and statistics classesStrong math helps you understand sales targets, percentages, and trends that managers track every day.
  • Join a business, DECA-style, or debate clubClubs that practice presenting, selling ideas, and working on teams build the confidence sales work requires.
  • Get a customer-facing part-time jobA job at a store, restaurant, or front desk teaches you how to talk with customers, handle complaints, and meet goals.
  • Start a small sales projectSelling homemade goods, school fundraiser items, or services for neighbors shows you how pricing, customers, and profit work.
  • Take an English or speech classClear writing and speaking are essential for pitching products and leading a sales team.

In college

  • Major in business, marketing, or salesA business-related major gives you the core knowledge about markets, pricing, and management that this career builds on.
  • Take statistics and data analysis coursesSales managers study sales data to set quotas and forecast demand, so these skills are used every day.
  • Pursue a sales or marketing internshipInternships let you see how real sales teams set goals, handle clients, and report results, and they often lead to entry-level offers.
  • Join a sales or marketing student organizationCampus groups offer practice pitching, networking with professionals, and sometimes competitions that look good on a resume.
  • Work a campus or retail job that involves targetsJobs with sales goals show employers you can perform under pressure and work toward measurable results.

Tips for getting started

  • Look for sales jobs or internships early, even part-time retail or customer-facing work, since employers want to see that you can sell and handle people.
  • Take courses in statistics, accounting, or spreadsheets, because managers spend a lot of time reading sales numbers and forecasting.
  • Get comfortable leading people now by taking on group projects, running a club event, or leading a team at a job, since you will train and guide sales reps later.

Related jobs that often lead here

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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