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The differences between fleet managers and sales managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a fleet manager, becoming a sales manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a sales manager has an average salary of $73,952, which is higher than the $49,492 average annual salary of a fleet manager.
The top three skills for a fleet manager include customer service, DOT and vehicle fleet. The most important skills for a sales manager are product knowledge, customer satisfaction, and sales performance.
| Fleet Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $49,492 | $73,952 |
| Hourly rate | $23.79 | $35.55 |
| Growth rate | - | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 14,157 | 119,066 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 45 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 8 |
A fleet manager is responsible for monitoring the delivery processes, including the maintenance and registration of delivery vehicles, recruiting delivery drivers, and regularly inspecting the vehicle's engine to boost optimal performance for efficient deliveries. Fleet managers purchase the vehicles, negotiating contracts with trusted manufacturers, and try to keep minimal costs without compromising quality. They also manage delivery schedules, respond to the receivers' inquiries and concerns, and resolve delivery complaints immediately. A fleet manager must have excellent communication and analytical skills, especially on strategizing profitability techniques and identify related business opportunities.
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.
Fleet managers and sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Fleet Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Average salary | $49,492 | $73,952 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $77,000 | Between $42,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | Anaheim, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | VIA Motors | Capgemini |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a fleet manager and a sales manager in terms of educational background:
| Fleet Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between fleet managers' and sales managers' demographics:
| Fleet Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Average age | 45 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% | Male, 68.7% Female, 31.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 6.2% White, 59.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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 | 5% | 7% |