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The differences between channel managers and product managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a channel manager, becoming a product manager takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a product manager has an average salary of $111,729, which is higher than the $87,573 average annual salary of a channel manager.
The top three skills for a channel manager include customer service, CRM and digital marketing. The most important skills for a product manager are product management, QA, and product strategy.
| Channel Manager | Product Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $87,573 | $111,729 |
| Hourly rate | $42.10 | $53.72 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 106,753 | 125,678 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 46 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 10 |
A channel manager is responsible for supervising client relations within the assigned partner accounts. Channel managers handle the project management strategies to achieve clients' satisfaction by following their specifications and requirements. They manage marketing and promotional campaigns to improve brand awareness of the target market audience. A channel manager also oversees media relations techniques, as well as publishing digital content that would attract customers and generate more revenue resources for the business. A channel manager coordinates with channel partners for maintaining optimal performance and maximum productivity.
A product manager is responsible for ensuring product development, providing the best marketing strategies, and effectively handling the sales and marketing team. Product managers' duties include monitoring the market trends and conditions, identifying business opportunities and plan initiatives, and collaborating the product launch process with the appropriate departments. A product manager is also responsible for generating ideas on improving product features, determining timetables and reasonable pricing, and analyzing product sales. A product manager must have excellent strategic and decision-making skills to contribute to its growth and profitability.
Channel managers and product managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Channel Manager | Product Manager | |
| Average salary | $87,573 | $111,729 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $121,000 | Between $81,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Retail |
There are a few differences between a channel manager and a product manager in terms of educational background:
| Channel Manager | Product Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between channel managers' and product managers' demographics:
| Channel Manager | Product Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9% | Male, 65.3% Female, 34.7% |
| 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, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 10% |