General sales manager vs outside sales manager

The differences between general sales managers and outside 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 outside sales manager. Additionally, a general sales manager has an average salary of $118,744, which is higher than the $84,408 average annual salary of an outside sales manager.

The top three skills for a general sales manager include customer service, dealership and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for an outside sales manager are product knowledge, CRM, and customer service.

General sales manager vs outside sales manager overview

	General Sales Manager	Outside Sales Manager
Yearly salary	$118,744	$84,408
Hourly rate	$57.09	$40.58
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	196,210	138,054
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	8	8

What does a general sales manager do?

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.

What does an outside sales manager do?

An outside sales manager is responsible for monitoring the sales staff performance in selling goods and services to existing and potential clients and ensuring that the team meets sales objectives. Outside sales managers set reasonable sales targets and establish techniques to maximize the staff's efficiency and productivity. They regularly connect with the clients to determine their needs and make any adjustments to business plans as needed. An outside sales manager should have excellent knowledge of the current market trends to identify business opportunities that would generate more revenues and resources.

General sales manager vs outside sales manager salary

General sales managers and outside sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Sales Manager	Outside Sales Manager
Average salary	$118,744	$84,408
Salary range	Between $71,000 And $196,000	Between $51,000 And $138,000
Highest paying City	Westport, CT	Albany, NY
Highest paying state	Maine	Hawaii
Best paying company	Meta	Dominion Enterprises
Best paying industry	Professional	Finance

Differences between general sales manager and outside sales manager education

There are a few differences between a general sales manager and an outside sales manager in terms of educational background:

	General Sales Manager	Outside 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

General sales manager vs outside sales manager demographics

Here are the differences between general sales managers' and outside sales managers' demographics:

	General Sales Manager	Outside Sales Manager
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 85.5% Female, 14.5%	Male, 79.1% Female, 20.9%
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%

Differences between general sales manager and outside sales manager duties and responsibilities

General sales manager example responsibilities.

Manage financial bookkeeping for the company using Quickbooks.
Manage hotel through complete interior/exterior renovation and flag change to IHG brand.
Develop new sales leads for group, LNR corporate, and leisure travel.
Manage all LNR and CRN rates in accordance with brand standards and hotel needs.
Manage front office, executing plans to increase occupancy and ADR through walk-ins, up-sells, and management of rate variance.
Manage all scheduling and payroll functions to maximize sales and productivity while meeting/exceeding company financial goals.

Outside sales manager example responsibilities.

Manage a team of sales executives to establish and maintain professional relationships with healthcare professionals in their prospective territories.
Develop a complete marketing program where none previously exist, now serves as CRM base for company.
Used CRM tools in order to provide current and detail information relate to activities, opportunity pipeline, and close business.
Channele marketing through the establishment of international distributors servicing Mexico (Hermosillo, Mexicali, and Tijuana) and Korea.
Plan and schedule work perform by HVAC technicians.
Educate and present new approach to facility managers and plant managers including ROI analysis.

General sales manager vs outside sales manager skills

Common general sales manager skills

Customer Service, 15%
Dealership, 12%
Customer Satisfaction, 6%
Sales Management, 6%
Sales Process, 4%
Sales Training, 3%

Common outside sales manager skills

Product Knowledge, 12%
CRM, 10%
Customer Service, 10%
Sales Territory, 7%
Sales Strategies, 4%
Sales Growth, 3%

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General Sales Manager
General Sales Manager vs Outside Sales Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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