Sales Managers
Also called: Account Manager, Area Sales Manager, Area Supervisor, BD Director (Business Development Director), BD Executive (Business Development Executive), BD Manager (Business Development Manager), Business Developer, Channel Manager
Plan, direct, or coordinate the actual distribution or movement of a product or service to the customer.
What sales managers do
Typical tasks
- 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.
- Direct and coordinate activities involving sales of manufactured products, services, commodities, real estate, or other subjects of sale.
- Determine price schedules and discount rates.
- Prepare budgets and approve budget expenditures.
- Confer or consult with department heads to plan advertising services and to secure information on equipment and customer specifications.
- Visit franchised dealers to stimulate interest in establishment or expansion of leasing programs.
- Represent company at trade association meetings to promote products.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Sales Managers salary
The median annual wage for sales managers is $148,270 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $73,170 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $290,540. The mean annual wage is $164,350.
The mean hourly wage of $79.00 is 10.9× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Sales Managers (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $148,270 → in 3 years $160,000 → in 5 years $168,400 → in 10 years $191,200 (10-year range $164,400–$222,000). The model assumes pay growth of +2.6% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Sales Managers
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Sales Managers? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Sales Managers
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Sales Managers United States | 営業課長 Japan | |
|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | $148,270 | ¥9.67M ≈ $61,479 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | $191,200 | ¥11.58M |
| Outlook score | 58 | 49 |
| AI replacement risk | 65% High | 52% Moderate |
| Workers | 637K | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Sales Managers
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 4 — considerable preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★★★☆ Demanding (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become sales managers
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as sales managers
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.