# 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 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/sales-managers
- SOC code: 11-2022.00
- Career family: Management
- Median annual pay: $148,270 (10th percentile $73,170, 90th percentile $290,540)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +4.5%
- Openings a year: 47,300
- Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code ECS)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 8 |
| Investigative (I) | 11 |
| Artistic (A) | 6 |
| Social (S) | 40 |
| Enterprising (E) | 100 |
| Conventional (C) | 76 |

## What you'd do

- Selling or Influencing Others (importance 97/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 93/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 93/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 91/100)
- Developing and Building Teams (importance 90/100)
- Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates (importance 89/100)
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization (importance 89/100)
- Coaching and Developing Others (importance 88/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 83/100)
- Getting Information (importance 82/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Negotiation, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Management of Personnel Resources, Monitoring, Persuasion, Reading Comprehension, Social Perceptiveness

## Knowledge

Sales and Marketing, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administration and Management, Personnel and Human Resources, Computers and Electronics, Education and Training, Communications and Media, Economics and Accounting, Mathematics

## 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, Client Relationship Manager, Commercial Director

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Business Administration, Management and Operations](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5202) (CIP 5202, 2,372 colleges)
- [Marketing](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5214) (CIP 5214, 1,126 colleges)
- [Business/Commerce, General](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5201) (CIP 5201, 975 colleges)
- [Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5120) (CIP 5120, 175 colleges)
- Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services (CIP 1902, 29 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Carnegie Mellon University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/carnegie-mellon-university-406) | Business Administration, Management and Operations | $97,419 | $160,783 | $19,000 |
| [University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor-main-campus-2956) | Business Administration, Management and Operations | $96,806 | $144,654 | $19,500 |
| [University of California-Berkeley CAL](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-california-berkeley-cal-2881) | Business Administration, Management and Operations | $94,811 | $144,599 | $10,656 |
| [Northeastern University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/northeastern-university-1923) | Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration | not reported | $142,985 | $21,908 |
| [Long Island University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/long-island-university-1520) | Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration | not reported | $136,840 | not reported |
| [University of Pennsylvania UPENN](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-pennsylvania-upenn-3009) | Business Administration, Management and Operations | $108,743 | $136,806 | $19,250 |
| [Emory University-Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/emory-university-main-campus-916) | Business Administration, Management and Operations | $87,830 | $136,731 | $15,000 |
| [University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill-main-campus-2990) | Business Administration, Management and Operations | $88,182 | $135,874 | $9,250 |

## Related careers

- [Marketing Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/marketing-managers): $166,790 median pay
- [Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/sales-representatives-of-services-except-advertising-insurance-financial-services-and): $69,990 median pay
- [Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/market-research-analysts-and-marketing-specialists): $78,760 median pay
- [Advertising and Promotions Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/advertising-and-promotions-managers): $133,660 median pay
- [Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/wholesale-and-retail-buyers-except-farm-products): $77,710 median pay
- [Purchasing Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/purchasing-managers): $148,080 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.