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The differences between general sales managers and inside 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 an inside sales manager. Additionally, a general sales manager has an average salary of $118,744, which is higher than the $78,425 average annual salary of an inside sales manager.
The top three skills for a general sales manager include customer service, dealership and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for an inside sales manager are customer service, CRM, and salesforce.
| General Sales Manager | Inside Sales Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $118,744 | $78,425 |
| Hourly rate | $57.09 | $37.70 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 196,210 | 129,882 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| 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.
An inside sales manager is the one who leads the sales team to meet the organization's sales targets. The sales managers recruit, handle, and train the professional development of the sales team. It is their duty to set the goals of the company, provide sales reports, set departmental budgets, and track sales. They collaborate with the marketing department to make sure that the sales staff receives quality leads. Also, they address and resolve complaints from customers.
General sales managers and inside sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| General Sales Manager | Inside Sales Manager | |
| Average salary | $118,744 | $78,425 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $196,000 | Between $49,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | Westport, CT | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maine | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Meta | Accenture |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a general sales manager and an inside sales manager in terms of educational background:
| General Sales Manager | Inside Sales Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| 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 inside sales managers' demographics:
| General Sales Manager | Inside Sales Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.5% Female, 14.5% | Male, 63.3% Female, 36.7% |
| 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% |