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The differences between channel managers and 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 a channel manager and a sales manager. Additionally, a channel manager has an average salary of $87,573, which is higher than the $73,952 average annual salary of a sales manager.
The top three skills for a channel manager include customer service, CRM and digital marketing. The most important skills for a sales manager are product knowledge, customer satisfaction, and sales performance.
| Channel Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $87,573 | $73,952 |
| Hourly rate | $42.10 | $35.55 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 106,753 | 119,066 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
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.
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.
Channel managers and sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Channel Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Average salary | $87,573 | $73,952 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $121,000 | Between $42,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Meta | Capgemini |
| Best paying industry | Professional | - |
There are a few differences between a channel manager and a sales manager in terms of educational background:
| Channel Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between channel managers' and sales managers' demographics:
| Channel Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9% | Male, 68.7% Female, 31.3% |
| 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% |