How To Become A General Manager/Director Of Sales: What It Is and Career Path

What is a general manager/director of sales and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average general manager/director of sales salary is $73,998. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes 6-8 years of experience to become a general manager/director of sales. General managers/director of sales with a Certified Sales Professional (CSP) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 23,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreGeneral Manager/Director Of SalesUS Average

Salary

5.8

Avg. Salary $73,998

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 31.98%

male 68.02%

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 general manager/director of sales

Explore general manager/director of sales education requirements

Most common general manager/director of sales degrees

Bachelor's

66.3 %

Associate

15.2 %

Master's

9.1 %

Start to develop specific general manager/director of sales skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	14.96%
Front Desk	10.73%
Payroll	7.75%
Guest Satisfaction	6.20%
Room Hotel	3.31%

Complete relevant general manager/director of sales training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New general managers/director of sales 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 general manager/director of sales based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real general manager/director of sales resumes.

Research general manager/director of sales duties and responsibilities

Full responsibility for all sales activities for a start-up electronic commerce company managing electronic data flow in the healthcare industry.
Partner with executive chef and culinary team to create customize menus.
Perform bookkeeping, payroll, tax reporting, accounts payable and receivables as well as account reconciliation.
Interact effectively with sales, events, culinary, vendors, competitors, and all hotel departments to ensure guestsatisfaction.

Prepare your general manager/director of sales resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your general manager/director of sales resume.

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