Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between heads of sales and senior 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 senior sales manager. Additionally, a head of sales has an average salary of $166,100, which is higher than the $140,662 average annual salary of a senior sales manager.
The top three skills for a head of sales include CRM, sales strategy and sales organization. The most important skills for a senior sales manager are customer satisfaction, sales process, and customer service.
| Head Of Sales | Senior Sales Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $166,100 | $140,662 |
| Hourly rate | $79.86 | $67.63 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 112,592 | 115,070 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
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.
Senior sales managers take the lead in handling sales operations in the organization. They supervise the activities performed by the junior sales management team. It is their responsibility to maximize the potential of the sales team, establish sales plans, and justify these plans to superior management. They aim to expand the customer base of the company and its strong presence in the market. The skills these managers should have include leadership, organization, communication, and the ability to recruit talented sales agents.
Heads of sales and senior sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Head Of Sales | Senior Sales Manager | |
| Average salary | $166,100 | $140,662 |
| Salary range | Between $110,000 And $248,000 | Between $95,000 And $206,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, OR | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | Maine |
| Best paying company | Flexport | Leprino Foods |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Professional |
There are a few differences between a head of sales and a senior sales manager in terms of educational background:
| Head Of Sales | Senior Sales Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between heads of sales' and senior sales managers' demographics:
| Head Of Sales | Senior Sales Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.5% Female, 33.5% | Male, 61.4% Female, 38.6% |
| 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% |