Distribution sales manager vs national sales manager

The differences between distribution sales managers and national 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 distribution sales manager and a national sales manager. Additionally, a national sales manager has an average salary of $102,742, which is higher than the $64,821 average annual salary of a distribution sales manager.

The top three skills for a distribution sales manager include customer service, customer complaints and sales people. The most important skills for a national sales manager are customer service, product development, and trade shows.

Distribution sales manager vs national sales manager overview

	Distribution Sales Manager	National Sales Manager
Yearly salary	$64,821	$102,742
Hourly rate	$31.16	$49.40
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	119,543	94,554
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	8	8

What does a distribution sales manager do?

A distribution sales manager is tasked to find whole and retail sellers to distribute goods and services. Alongside distribution, the manager's tasks include monitoring all sales, orders, product performance, and retailer feedback to further improve the product. The distribution manager must also have skills in email marketing, B2B correspondence, engage with potential clients and customers, and ensuring all orders are fulfilled on time and without delays.

What does a national sales manager do?

A national sales manager is responsible for leading a large group of sales teams, monitoring sales performance, and implementing strategic sales procedures to drive revenues and achieve the organization's profitability goals. National sales managers identify business opportunities by analyzing current market trends and closing business partnerships to boost the company's brand popularity and attract more customers. They also monitor marketing strategies and negotiate continuous agreements with existing customers to keep them purchasing the company's services. A national sales manager creates sales forecasts, ensuring that the services provided by the organization align with the standard budget goals.

Distribution sales manager vs national sales manager salary

Distribution sales managers and national sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Distribution Sales Manager	National Sales Manager
Average salary	$64,821	$102,742
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $111,000	Between $67,000 And $155,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	Hartford, CT
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Washington
Best paying company	Accenture	NetApp
Best paying industry	Technology	Manufacturing

Differences between distribution sales manager and national sales manager education

There are a few differences between a distribution sales manager and a national sales manager in terms of educational background:

	Distribution Sales Manager	National Sales Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

Distribution sales manager vs national sales manager demographics

Here are the differences between distribution sales managers' and national sales managers' demographics:

	Distribution Sales Manager	National Sales Manager
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 72.3% Female, 27.7%	Male, 80.4% Female, 19.6%
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%

Differences between distribution sales manager and national sales manager duties and responsibilities

Distribution sales manager example responsibilities.

Manage a distributor network throughout EMEA.
Travele to Quito Ecuador to manage opening of Latin American site.
Work as part of a team to achieve ISO 9002 certification.
Arrange and manage the approval process for EU and Australian product markings.
Manage directly a budget of $1.1MM for POS, events, and incentives ,.
Manage POS inventory levels and all POS purchasing, including evaluating potential suppliers and cost effectiveness.

National sales manager example responsibilities.

Manage nationwide SAAS sales team, train, hire, develop territories, create budgets, marketing and sales development.
Manage relationships with clients via CRM, conducted/coordinate city wide site visits, craft creative presentations, proposals and bid packets.
Lead team on product redesign to web-base SaaS infrastructure and generate feature content base on customer need and marketability.
Introduce a foreign manufacture into a dominant domestic automotive and aerospace markets while achieving business goals and domestic tool production plans.
Experience with on-line, call center, recruitment with the use of Salesforce software.
Implement CRM tool tailor specifically for the collegiate market, creating equity and accountability in the inside and outside sales force.

Distribution sales manager vs national sales manager skills

Common distribution sales manager skills

Customer Service, 21%
Customer Complaints, 9%
Sales People, 7%
Product Line, 7%
Retail Store, 6%
Business Development, 6%

Common national sales manager skills

Customer Service, 10%
Product Development, 10%
Trade Shows, 7%
Sales Growth, 6%
Sales Strategies, 5%
Business Development, 4%

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Distribution Sales Manager
Distribution Sales Manager vs National Sales Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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