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The differences between category managers and sales managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 8-10 years to become a category manager, becoming a sales manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a category manager has an average salary of $102,035, which is higher than the $73,952 average annual salary of a sales manager.
The top three skills for a category manager include strategic sourcing, category strategy and supplier performance. The most important skills for a sales manager are product knowledge, customer satisfaction, and sales performance.
| Category Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $102,035 | $73,952 |
| Hourly rate | $49.06 | $35.55 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 108,424 | 119,066 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 39 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 8 |
Category managers are usually employed in the retail industry. They are primarily responsible for the sales enhancement of a specific group of products. The managers are involved in pricing, marketing, inventory, and vendor management. Their daily tasks include meeting with suppliers to talk about the plans, conducting orientation to the market research company, and updating category reports. Qualified applicants must have a degree in business administration or a related field as well as relevant job experience in a related job.
Sales managers are responsible for leading the organization's sales team. They oversee the progress and performance of the whole team, set area assignments to team members, and set weekly or monthly quotas. Sales managers oversee training team members during onboarding and providing further coaching to help them achieve their goals. They manage the challenges that team members may meet and help mitigate any problems that come along the way. Sales managers also set the strategic direction of the sales team and follow through by ensuring that the team's activities are in line with the goals.
Category managers and sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Category Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Average salary | $102,035 | $73,952 |
| Salary range | Between $74,000 And $138,000 | Between $42,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Capgemini |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a category manager and a sales manager in terms of educational background:
| Category Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between category managers' and sales managers' demographics:
| Category Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.7% Female, 44.3% | Male, 68.7% Female, 31.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% 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 | 10% | 7% |