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The differences between area sales directors and national sales managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both an area sales director and a national sales manager. Additionally, a national sales manager has an average salary of $102,742, which is higher than the $90,206 average annual salary of an area sales director.
The top three skills for an area sales director include customer service, CRM and sales management. The most important skills for a national sales manager are customer service, product development, and trade shows.
| Area Sales Director | National Sales Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $90,206 | $102,742 |
| Hourly rate | $43.37 | $49.40 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 77,250 | 94,554 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
Area sales directors manage, train, and motivate the organization's team members to run revenue growth. Besides developing and managing efficient sales distribution networks, area sales directors also create reliable marketing strategies and sales strategies for the sales team's target setting and assigned territory. These professionals collect market feedback and customer feedback and update the organization about these comments/responses. They engage in periodical forecasting, analyze sales information, monitor sales team members' performance, and update the company heads.
A national sales manager is responsible for leading a large group of sales teams, monitoring sales performance, and implementing strategic sales procedures to drive revenues and achieve the organization's profitability goals. National sales managers identify business opportunities by analyzing current market trends and closing business partnerships to boost the company's brand popularity and attract more customers. They also monitor marketing strategies and negotiate continuous agreements with existing customers to keep them purchasing the company's services. A national sales manager creates sales forecasts, ensuring that the services provided by the organization align with the standard budget goals.
Area sales directors and national sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Area Sales Director | National Sales Manager | |
| Average salary | $90,206 | $102,742 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $141,000 | Between $67,000 And $155,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Hartford, CT |
| Highest paying state | - | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | NetApp |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an area sales director and a national sales manager in terms of educational background:
| Area Sales Director | National Sales Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between area sales directors' and national sales managers' demographics:
| Area Sales Director | National Sales Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.2% Female, 32.8% | Male, 80.4% Female, 19.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |