How To Become A Contract Sales Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a contract sales manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Bill Thorne

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a contract sales manager. For example, did you know that they make an average of $47.95 an hour? That's $99,732 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 23,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a contract sales manager?

Bill Thorne

Executive Director of the NRF Foundation and Senior Vice President of Communication and Public Affairs of NRF, National Retail Federation

Retail is the largest private-sector employer in the country, directly employing 32 million people and supporting 52 million jobs overall - roughly one-quarter of the U.S. workforce. While COVID-19 has presented new and unexpected challenges, retailers have continued to showcase the industry's resilience and adaptability time and again. The safety and security of customers and employees remains our greatest priority. It is no doubt that the professional environment has changed this year, but retail continues to offer a plethora of career opportunities for graduates and seasoned veterans alike.

ScoreContract Sales ManagerUS Average

Salary

7.6

Avg. Salary $99,732

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.4

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.24%

Asian 4.07%

Black or African American 3.24%

Hispanic or Latino 9.82%

Unknown 4.41%

White 78.23%

Gender

female 24.82%

male 75.18%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

6.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.4

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a contract sales manager

Explore contract sales manager education requirements

Most common contract sales manager degrees

Bachelor's

63.6 %

Associate

13.7 %

High School Diploma

10.7 %

Start to develop specific contract sales manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	14.26%
Product Knowledge	11.19%
CRM	9.45%
Sales Management	5.86%
Building Relationships	4.67%

Complete relevant contract sales manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New contract sales managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a contract sales manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real contract sales manager resumes.

Research contract sales manager duties and responsibilities

Lead in development of proposal response strategies base on analysis of RFP.
Develop and implement a sales and advertising campaign to establish/increase client base; achieve high level of customer satisfaction.
Cooperate with GSA schedule holders for government contracts.
Coordinate strategy response meetings in order to gather essential information need for the pricing model and RFP response.

Apply for contract sales manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a contract sales manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do contract sales managers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Contract sales manager reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020

Pros

Motivating people and helping to create success in each person's day. Honor God serve people in rich people's lives, pursue excellence in service.

Cons

Not enough time in each day to get everything accomplished.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020

Pros

Coming in contact with people, motivating staff, making the numbers, profitability for everyone

Cons

I like everything

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019

Pros

Working and meeting new people. Helping customers with their purchases. Helping employees better themselves and their sales processes.

Cons

Nothing

What is a contract sales manager and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a contract sales manager?

Contract sales manager career paths

Key steps to become a contract sales manager

Explore contract sales manager education requirements

Most common contract sales manager degrees

Start to develop specific contract sales manager skills

Complete relevant contract sales manager training and internships

Research contract sales manager duties and responsibilities

Apply for contract sales manager jobs

How did you land your first contract sales manager job

Average contract sales manager salary

How do contract sales managers rate their job?

Contract sales manager reviews