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The differences between general sales managers and commercial 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 general sales manager and a commercial sales manager. Additionally, a general sales manager has an average salary of $118,744, which is higher than the $90,126 average annual salary of a commercial sales manager.
The top three skills for a general sales manager include customer service, dealership and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a commercial sales manager are customer service, sales targets, and CRM.
| General Sales Manager | Commercial Sales Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $118,744 | $90,126 |
| Hourly rate | $57.09 | $43.33 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 196,210 | 144,012 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
General sales managers are responsible for monitoring the daily operation of the sales team and analyze marketing strategies to improve sales performance and generate more revenues. General sales managers develop strategic plans, adjust sales quotas as needed, identify business opportunities, research current market trends, and evaluate the annual budget. General sales managers also respond to the customers' inquiries and high-level complaints, providing immediate resolutions to ensure customer satisfaction. A general sales manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle the sales department, especially on sales techniques in reaching the business' profitability goals.
Commercial sales managers have various duties and responsibilities. These include managing marketing campaigns via phone, direct mail, and the internet, supervising the sales executive teams to develop and maintaining good relations with healthcare professionals, and managing client relationships and identifying opportunities for new business. Additional duties include evaluating supply chain and logistics infrastructure, negotiating contract terms, and bidding on new projects. Commercial sales managers are also responsible for overseeing the company's business growth, identifying areas that can be developed, and generating quotes for prospective customers.
General sales managers and commercial sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| General Sales Manager | Commercial Sales Manager | |
| Average salary | $118,744 | $90,126 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $196,000 | Between $56,000 And $142,000 |
| Highest paying City | Westport, CT | Newark, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maine | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Meta | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a general sales manager and a commercial sales manager in terms of educational background:
| General Sales Manager | Commercial Sales Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between general sales managers' and commercial sales managers' demographics:
| General Sales Manager | Commercial Sales Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.5% Female, 14.5% | Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6% |
| 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% |