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Head of sales vs commercial sales manager

The differences between heads of sales 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 head of sales and a commercial sales manager. Additionally, a head of sales has an average salary of $166,100, which is higher than the $90,126 average annual salary of a commercial sales manager.

The top three skills for a head of sales include CRM, sales strategy and sales organization. The most important skills for a commercial sales manager are customer service, sales targets, and CRM.

Head of sales vs commercial sales manager overview

Head Of SalesCommercial Sales Manager
Yearly salary$166,100$90,126
Hourly rate$79.86$43.33
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs112,592144,012
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age4646
Years of experience88

What does a head of sales do?

The head of sales is primarily responsible for overseeing the sales performance of a company and devising strategies to optimize practices. Their responsibilities typically revolve around monitoring the progress of every sales effort, setting objectives and deadlines, performing research and analysis to identify sales opportunities, and coordinating with different departments to improve procedures and reach sales targets. Furthermore, as the head of sales, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

What does a commercial sales manager do?

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.

Head of sales vs commercial sales manager salary

Heads of sales and commercial sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Head Of SalesCommercial Sales Manager
Average salary$166,100$90,126
Salary rangeBetween $110,000 And $248,000Between $56,000 And $142,000
Highest paying CityPortland, ORNewark, CA
Highest paying stateVermontPennsylvania
Best paying companyFlexportMicrosoft
Best paying industryTechnologyManufacturing

Differences between head of sales and commercial sales manager education

There are a few differences between a head of sales and a commercial sales manager in terms of educational background:

Head Of SalesCommercial Sales Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern California

Head of sales vs commercial sales manager demographics

Here are the differences between heads of sales' and commercial sales managers' demographics:

Head Of SalesCommercial Sales Manager
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 66.5% Female, 33.5%Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage7%7%

Differences between head of sales and commercial sales manager duties and responsibilities

Head of sales example responsibilities.

  • Coordinate social media work (Facebook, apps, and social post within the managed brands).
  • Create, and manage social media initiatives.including facebook, twitter, instagram, pinterest, and youtube.3.
  • Full responsibility for all sales activities for a start-up electronic commerce company managing electronic data flow in the healthcare industry.
  • Establish the group sales strategy, group ceiling, and booking calendar for groups.
  • Initiate and execute a customer service development program, CRM implementation and adoption.
  • Advance c-level and senior relationships with brand, agency, networks and publishers.
  • Show more

Commercial sales manager example responsibilities.

  • Lead efforts on the renewable energy, energy efficiency and GHG goals & KPI's.
  • Manage the commercial agreements between Rolls-Royce and their customers (airline owners and/or operators) in the Americas region.
  • Analyze and manage export-import logistics for select Chilean products import to Spain.
  • Manage a team of sales executives to establish and maintain professional relationships with healthcare professionals in their prospective territories.
  • Produce accurate KPI reports for strategic and tactical decision making.
  • Experience in apply, commercial and residential HVAC products and installation accessories.
  • Show more

Head of sales vs commercial sales manager skills

Common head of sales skills
  • CRM, 8%
  • Sales Strategy, 7%
  • Sales Organization, 5%
  • Product Knowledge, 5%
  • Business Development, 5%
  • Sales Operations, 5%
Common commercial sales manager skills
  • Customer Service, 59%
  • Sales Targets, 36%
  • CRM, 1%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 0%
  • Product Knowledge, 0%
  • Work Ethic, 0%

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