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The differences between distribution sales 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 distribution sales manager and a sales manager. Additionally, a sales manager has an average salary of $73,952, 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 sales manager are product knowledge, customer satisfaction, and sales performance.
| Distribution Sales Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $64,821 | $73,952 |
| Hourly rate | $31.16 | $35.55 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 119,543 | 119,066 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
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.
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.
Distribution sales managers and sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Distribution Sales Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Average salary | $64,821 | $73,952 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $111,000 | Between $42,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Accenture | Capgemini |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a distribution sales manager and a sales manager in terms of educational background:
| Distribution Sales Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | 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 distribution sales managers' and sales managers' demographics:
| Distribution Sales Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.3% Female, 27.7% | 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% |