How to hire a commercial sales manager

How to hire a commercial sales manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step commercial sales manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a commercial sales manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new commercial sales manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a commercial sales manager do?

Post a commercial sales manager job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the commercial sales manager you need to hire. Certain commercial sales manager roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect commercial sales manager also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of commercial sales manager salaries for various roles:

   Type of Commercial Sales Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Commercial Sales Manager	Sales managers direct organizations' sales teams. They set sales goals, analyze data, and develop training programs for organizations’ sales representatives.	$26-68
   Product Manager/Sales	A sales product manager is responsible for monitoring the sales performance of a specific product and ensuring that the marketing strategies adhere to market standards and client requirements. Sales product managers work closely with the marketing and public relations team to enhance the product's brand image on various market platforms to reach the target audience... Show more	$36-75
   Sales Account Manager	The account sales manager is in charge of the retention of their customer relationship. They have to supervise the portfolio of existing clients, develop new business with them, and seek new sales opportunities... Show more	$15-48

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Sales Targets
   • CRM
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Product Knowledge
   • Work Ethic
   • Project Management
   • HVAC
   • Account Management
   • Sales Professionals
   • Sales Growth
   • Business Plan
   • Cold Calls
   • Sales Strategies

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead efforts on the renewable energy, energy efficiency and GHG goals & KPI's.
   • Manage the commercial agreements between Rolls-Royce and their customers (airline owners and/or operators) in the Americas region.
   • Analyze and manage export-import logistics for select Chilean products import to Spain.
   • Manage a team of sales executives to establish and maintain professional relationships with healthcare professionals in their prospective territories.
   • Produce accurate KPI reports for strategic and tactical decision making.
   • Experience in apply, commercial and residential HVAC products and installation accessories.

   More commercial sales manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your commercial sales manager job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A commercial sales manager salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a commercial sales manager in Arkansas may be lower than in Pennsylvania, and an entry-level commercial sales manager usually earns less than a senior-level commercial sales manager. Additionally, a commercial sales manager with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average commercial sales manager salary

   $90,126yearly

   $43.33 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level commercial sales manager salary

   $56,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average commercial sales manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$119,402	$57
   2	Oregon	$113,299	$54
   3	Michigan	$107,228	$52
   4	District of Columbia	$106,479	$51
   5	New Jersey	$104,379	$50
   6	Connecticut	$102,216	$49
   7	Ohio	$101,645	$49
   8	New York	$101,049	$49
   9	Maine	$98,922	$48
   10	Massachusetts	$96,572	$46
   11	Delaware	$96,468	$46
   12	Illinois	$91,744	$44
   13	North Carolina	$88,002	$42
   14	Minnesota	$85,536	$41
   15	Florida	$85,331	$41
   16	Arizona	$85,219	$41
   17	Texas	$81,699	$39
   18	Indiana	$75,672	$36
   19	Utah	$72,405	$35
   20	Georgia	$72,143	$35

   Average commercial sales manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Microsoft	$132,738	$63.82	23
   2	Pluralsight	$128,897	$61.97
   3	General Electric	$128,221	$61.64	4
   4	Algolia	$126,530	$60.83
   5	TripActions	$124,956	$60.08
   6	Amazon	$124,367	$59.79	290
   7	Proofpoint	$117,066	$56.28	163
   8	Datadog	$112,907	$54.28	15
   9	Zscaler	$112,765	$54.21	2
   10	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$110,457	$53.10	178
   11	Community Coffee	$107,521	$51.69	4
   12	DXC Technology	$104,294	$50.14	14
   13	Arista Networks	$103,050	$49.54	32
   14	SpaceX	$101,787	$48.94	22
   15	Digital Realty	$95,967	$46.14	6
   16	The Hanover Insurance Group	$95,829	$46.07	9
   17	McKesson	$95,736	$46.03	8
   18	Hamilton Beach	$94,880	$45.62	2
   19	Xcel Energy	$94,414	$45.39
   20	Adt LLC	$93,493	$44.95	22

4. Writing a commercial sales manager job description

   A job description for a commercial sales manager role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a commercial sales manager job description:

   Commercial sales manager job description example

   Airbus is an international pioneer in the aerospace industry. We are a leader in designing, manufacturing and delivering aerospace products, services and solutions to customers on a global scale. We aim for a better-connected, safer and more prosperous world.
   
   A commercial aircraft manufacturer, with Space and Defense as well as Helicopters Divisions, Airbus is the largest aeronautics and space company in Europe and a
   worldwide leader . Airbus has built on its strong European heritage to become truly international - with roughly 180 locations and 12,000 direct suppliers globally. The company has aircraft and helicopter final assembly lines across Asia, Europe and the Americas, and has achieved a more than sixfold order book increase since 2000. AIRBUS requires that all new employees and temporary workers of Airbus be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Airbus allows candidates who are not fully vaccinated at the time of hire a reasonable amount of time to obtain vaccinated status. This position requires vaccination against COVID-19 or, if applicable, an approved accommodation for religious or medical reasons.
   Position Summary: The Manager, Commercial Sales position is responsible for delivering against his/her annual order intake and sales revenues to help meet the company's overall sales targets and objectives in commercial sales. This position is focused on hunting for new customers in the Commercial Market in the United States and Canada and expanding business over time with a defined set of customer accounts.
   Primary Responsibilities: Develop sales strategies and plans for targeting new business and growing existing accounts towards achieving the company's sales goals: 75% Direct sales growth within the assigned markets/accounts, reseller network and manage customer expectation. Create the strategies and execute the tactics needed to drive additional benefits to clients that result in revenue generating contracts.
   Manage an accurate sales forecasting, planning and budget process while achieving high levels of competency in exceeding sales goals and customer satisfaction: 25%
   Additional Responsibilities: Represent the Company at sales meetings, trade shows and conferences as required. Work closely with other departments to establish successful programs (Customer Support/Success execution).
   
   Qualified Experience / Skills / Training: Education: Bachelor's degree in Business or related field required. Knowledge in GIS and remote sensing required.
   Experience: 7+ years of direct sales experience. Remote Sensing and geo-spatial Industry experience required. Proven track record of consistently achieving sales targets on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis.
   Knowledge, Skills, Demonstrated Capabilities: Ability to source, sell, and close large deals and carrying quota should be familiar concepts. Knowledge of sales process, business acumen, as well as sales forecasting and closing techniques. Proven track record of closing six and seven figure sales opportunities. Strong organizational and time management skills. Strong analytical skills, coupled with experience in product and solution selling. As a leader in our field, Airbus in America provides relocation assistance for qualified positions and a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Airbus in America provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetics, pregnancy, marital status, veteran status or other legally protected status. In addition to federal law requirements, Airbus in America complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, demotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, benefits and training. Airbus in America expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetics, pregnancy, marital status, veteran status or other legally protected status. Improper interference with the ability of Airbus' employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge. As a matter of policy, Airbus does not sponsor visas for US positions unless specified. Only applicants with current work authorization will be considered. Airbus does not offer tenured or guaranteed employment. Either the company or the employee can terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice.
   
   Job Posted by ApplicantPro

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right commercial sales manager for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your commercial sales manager job on Zippia to find and recruit commercial sales manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting commercial sales managers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new commercial sales manager

   Once you've found the commercial sales manager candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new commercial sales manager. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a commercial sales manager?