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The differences between heads of sales and sales development managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a head of sales, becoming a sales development manager takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a head of sales has an average salary of $166,100, which is higher than the $102,790 average annual salary of a sales development manager.
The top three skills for a head of sales include CRM, sales strategy and sales organization. The most important skills for a sales development manager are SDR, salesforce, and customer service.
| Head Of Sales | Sales Development Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $166,100 | $102,790 |
| Hourly rate | $79.86 | $49.42 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 112,592 | 171,101 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 46 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 4 |
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.
Sales Development Managers oversee a specific function in the sales department. They are in charge of creating sales pitches, communication tools, and strategies to boost the company's sales performance. They may be assigned to do these activities for a specific product or service or for the whole product line of the organization. Sales Development Managers are also expected to create branding images that will help their sales strategies. They are required to fully understand the company's history, image, and target market. This will ensure that the branding and sales strategies they create are in line with the company's values.
Heads of sales and sales development managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Head Of Sales | Sales Development Manager | |
| Average salary | $166,100 | $102,790 |
| Salary range | Between $110,000 And $248,000 | Between $66,000 And $157,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, OR | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Flexport | Everyday Health |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a head of sales and a sales development manager in terms of educational background:
| Head Of Sales | Sales Development Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between heads of sales' and sales development managers' demographics:
| Head Of Sales | Sales Development Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.5% Female, 33.5% | Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2% |
| 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, 10.4% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 4.4% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 18% |