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The differences between directors of technical sales 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 director of technical sales and a sales manager. Additionally, a director of technical sales has an average salary of $96,380, which is higher than the $73,952 average annual salary of a sales manager.
The top three skills for a director of technical sales include CRM, cloud and sales process. The most important skills for a sales manager are product knowledge, customer satisfaction, and sales performance.
| Director Of Technical Sales | Sales Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $96,380 | $73,952 |
| Hourly rate | $46.34 | $35.55 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 161,516 | 119,066 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
A director of technical sales oversees and directs an organization's sales operations, aiming for profit growth and optimal services. Their duties usually entail setting goals and product roadmaps, establishing sales strategies, developing sales programs and marketing projects, and conducting research to find business and client opportunities. They may also participate in securing deals with key clients and business partners, developing sales forecasts, and recruiting employees. Moreover, as a director of technical sales, it is essential to lead and empower staff to reach goals while implementing company standards and policies.
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.
Directors of technical sales and sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Director Of Technical Sales | Sales Manager | |
| Average salary | $96,380 | $73,952 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $143,000 | Between $42,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | The Wonderful Company | Capgemini |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a director of technical sales and a sales manager in terms of educational background:
| Director Of Technical Sales | Sales Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | 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 directors of technical sales' and sales managers' demographics:
| Director Of Technical Sales | Sales Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.5% Female, 13.5% | 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% |