How to hire a general sales manager

How to hire a general sales manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step general sales manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a general sales manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new general sales manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a general sales manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a general sales manager, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A general sales manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, general sales managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of general sales managers.

   Type of General Sales Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   General Sales Manager	Sales managers direct organizations' sales teams. They set sales goals, analyze data, and develop training programs for organizations’ sales representatives.	$34-94
   Business Development Sales Manager	A business development sales manager is in charge of securing sales by reaching out to clients through calls, correspondence, or appointments. Their responsibilities often revolve around performing research and analysis to identify new leads and sales opportunities, offering different products and services, and creating proposals and price quotes for potential clients... Show more	$32-86
   Sales Account Manager	The account sales manager is in charge of the retention of their customer relationship. They have to supervise the portfolio of existing clients, develop new business with them, and seek new sales opportunities... Show more	$15-48

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Dealership
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Sales Management
   • Sales Process
   • Sales Training
   • Sales Growth
   • CSI
   • Inventory Control
   • Sales Reps
   • Vehicle Sales
   • Inventory Management
   • Business Development
   • Sales Associates

   Check all skills

   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.

   More general sales manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your general sales manager job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A general sales manager salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a general sales manager in Tennessee may be lower than in Maine, and an entry-level general sales manager usually earns less than a senior-level general sales manager. Additionally, a general sales manager with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average general sales manager salary

   $118,744yearly

   $57.09 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level general sales manager salary

   $71,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

   Average general sales manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Connecticut	$158,046	$76
   2	New York	$156,485	$75
   3	Washington	$153,414	$74
   4	Maryland	$148,819	$72
   5	Arizona	$140,432	$68
   6	California	$136,791	$66
   7	Nevada	$128,616	$62
   8	Utah	$125,393	$60
   9	Colorado	$122,694	$59
   10	Texas	$119,708	$58
   11	Ohio	$114,919	$55
   12	North Carolina	$107,206	$52
   13	Alabama	$105,937	$51
   14	Illinois	$104,128	$50
   15	Indiana	$103,613	$50
   16	Mississippi	$103,123	$50
   17	Florida	$97,436	$47
   18	Georgia	$94,027	$45

   Average general sales manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$188,755	$90.75	124
   2	Hall | MileOne Autogroup	$178,185	$85.67	7
   3	Holman Automotive	$168,533	$81.03	11
   4	Schomp Automotive Group	$167,354	$80.46	1
   5	The Russ Darrow Group	$164,066	$78.88	1
   6	Napleton Automotive Group	$156,694	$75.33	7
   7	Service Corporation International	$155,236	$74.63	58
   8	Byrider	$139,207	$66.93	2
   9	Amazon	$136,994	$65.86	178
   10	The Catholic University of America	$127,493	$61.29
   11	PepsiCo	$124,107	$59.67	10
   12	Audacy	$115,804	$55.67	34
   13	Rose Hills Mortuary	$115,678	$55.61	6
   14	United States Steel	$115,517	$55.54
   15	ADT Security Services	$114,860	$55.22	6
   16	Praxair	$114,607	$55.10
   17	Rallye Motors	$114,555	$55.07
   18	Lithia Motors	$112,286	$53.98	2
   19	IPG Photonics	$112,070	$53.88
   20	Central States Mfg	$111,991	$53.84	3

4. Writing a general sales manager job description

   A general sales manager job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a general sales manager job description:

   General sales manager job description example

   About Supermicro:
   
   Supermicro is a Top Tier provider of advanced server, storage, and networking solutions for Data Center, Cloud Computing, Enterprise IT, Hadoop/ Big Data, Hyperscale, HPC and IoT/Embedded customers worldwide. We are the #5 fastest growing company among the Silicon Valley Top 50 technology firms. Our unprecedented global expansion has provided us with the opportunity to offer a large number of new positions to the technology community. We seek talented, passionate, and committed engineers, technologists, and business leaders to join us.
   
   Job Summary:
   
   Supermicro Computer is looking for an experienced General Manager, Sales, Strategic Accounts who can help grow our market share. The ideal candidate will be responsible for managing and developing, expanding our customer's portfolio, and thrive in a challenging environment.
   
   Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
   
   Directly responsible for a team of sales professionals leading all sales initiatives and driving performance and services excellence expectations. Design, implement and drive a robust and creative sales business plan that meet/exceed new business targets and customer retention objectives. Maintain key customer relationships and develop and implement strategies for expanding the customer's base/business. Continuously seek new opportunities to improve team performance and effectiveness. Analyze performance of sales team members on an ongoing basis to identify opportunities for performance improvement and ensure accountabilities are being met. Establish monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals for team members Maintain comprehensive and current knowledge of all sales activities, forecast opportunities, and available pipeline. Ensure his staff provide excellent support to customer in fulfillment including forecast, inventory control, allocations, ETA and backlog management. Successfully manage relationships with customers. Visit customers and help them identify opportunities and improve sales and marketing strategies in selling Supermicro products.
   
   Qualifications:
   
   Bachelor's degree; technical degree and an MBA is a plus Minimum of 15 years of sales experience Experience dealing with C level executives and large data centers preferred Deep knowledge in server, storage and management solutions. Knowledge in Cloud data centers and the enterprise IT environment. Great leadership and strong ability of working with and managing people from different groups Strong communication skills across multiple disciplines, cultures, and geographies Great analytic skills in market and industry research
   
   EEO Statement
   
   Supermicro is an Equal Opportunity Employer and embraces diversity in our employee population. It is the policy of Supermicro to provide equal opportunity to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status or special disabled veteran, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, or any other legally protected status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right general sales manager for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your general sales manager job on Zippia to find and recruit general sales manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting general sales managers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new general sales manager

   Once you've selected the best general sales manager candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new general sales manager. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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