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Job outlook for lead sales consultants in the United States
Lead sales consultant job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected lead sales consultant job growth rate is 0% from 2018-2028.
About 1,900 new jobs for lead sales consultants are projected over the next decade.
Lead sales consultant salaries have increased 7% for lead sales consultants in the last 5 years.
There are over 98,798 lead sales consultants currently employed in the United States.
There are 120,354 active lead sales consultant job openings in the US.
The average lead sales consultant salary is $55,922.
Are lead sales consultant jobs in demand?
Lead sales consultant job and salary trends over time
Lead sales consultant jobs over time
Lead sales consultant job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 98,798 | 0.03% |
| 2020 | 92,830 | 0.03% |
| 2019 | 103,538 | 0.03% |
| 2018 | 104,792 | 0.03% |
| 2017 | 106,122 | 0.03% |
Average lead sales consultant salary over time
Lead sales consultant salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $55,922 | $26.89 | +3.0% |
| 2025 | $54,268 | $26.09 | +1.8% |
| 2024 | $53,300 | $25.62 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | $51,847 | $24.93 | --1.3% |
| 2022 | $52,506 | $25.24 | +1.9% |
Lead sales consultant jobs by state
Most common states for lead sales consultants
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 372 | 43% |
| 2 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 346 | 33% |
| 3 | Vermont | 623,657 | 191 | 31% |
| 4 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 224 | 30% |
| 5 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 210 | 30% |
| 6 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 1,364 | 28% |
| 7 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 1,117 | 28% |
| 8 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 537 | 28% |
| 9 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 478 | 28% |
| 10 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 742 | 25% |
| 11 | Mississippi | 2,984,100 | 740 | 25% |
| 12 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 721 | 25% |
| 13 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 496 | 24% |
| 14 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 325 | 24% |
| 15 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,570 | 23% |
| 16 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 242 | 23% |
| 17 | Alaska | 739,795 | 173 | 23% |
| 18 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 659 | 22% |
| 19 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 2,116 | 21% |
| 20 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 661 | 21% |
Most common cities for lead sales consultants
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Culver City | 1 | 3% | $54,022 |
| 2 | Fountain Valley | 1 | 2% | $53,237 |
| 3 | Orlando | 2 | 1% | $51,698 |
| 4 | Bolingbrook | 1 | 1% | $57,060 |
| 5 | Davie | 1 | 1% | $52,985 |
| 6 | Fort Collins | 1 | 1% | $55,855 |
| 7 | Denver | 2 | 0% | $56,322 |
| 8 | Minneapolis | 2 | 0% | $56,499 |
| 9 | Atlanta | 1 | 0% | $50,344 |
| 10 | Austin | 1 | 0% | $52,924 |
| 11 | Boston | 1 | 0% | $60,733 |
| 12 | Chandler | 1 | 0% | $52,574 |
| 13 | Charlotte | 1 | 0% | $56,012 |
| 14 | Dallas | 1 | 0% | $51,670 |
| 15 | Detroit | 1 | 0% | $53,497 |
| 16 | Glendale | 1 | 0% | $52,715 |
| 17 | Greensboro | 1 | 0% | $58,984 |
| 18 | Houston | 1 | 0% | $52,781 |
| 19 | Jacksonville | 1 | 0% | $51,470 |
Lead Sales Consultant job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of lead sales consultant experts
Weber State University
University of Southern Mississippi
North Dakota State University
Texas Christian University
Baylor University
Montclair State University
University of Hawaii at Manoa
University of Mount Union
Franklin and Marshall College
California State University Channel Islands
Penn State Behrend
University of North Carolina at Asheville
Drexel University, Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design
Longwood University
Montana State University
Fordham University
MHI – Material Handling Industry
Ryan McKeehan
Weber State University
General Sales, Merchandising And Related Marketing Operations
What Lead Sales Consultant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Ryan McKeehan: At the start of one’s career, there are numerous ways to maximize one’s salary potential. One way is to change jobs every few years. The traditional stigma around job hopping has diminished, and each job change can bring new opportunities for salary upgrades and skill acquisition. By demonstrating a willingness to work hard and continuously upgrade skills, one can develop rare and valuable expertise that will be in high demand, opening doors to better opportunities and higher earnings.
What will help Lead Sales Consultants increase their earning potential?
Kevin Buckley: My top advice is to be a continuous learner, both about your company/products and about the sales profession itself. Sales is a skill that requires ongoing development through practice, coaching, and studying new techniques. Don't rest on what you learned in school - seek out mentors, training opportunities, and ways to keep enhancing your sales capabilities. I would also advise resilience and to view every 'no' as a step closer to 'yes.' Sales has its share of rejection. Have a positive attitude, persist through obstacles, and be a student of why buyers say no so that you can improve.
Eric Gjerdevig
Lecturer in Marketing, Director for the Center for Professional Selling and Sales TechnologyNorth Dakota State University
Marketing
What general advice would you give to a Lead Sales Consultant?
Eric Gjerdevig: First, remember that what you get out of your first job is so much more than compensation. A great manager mentoring you is priceless: it will pay you back dividends for the rest of your career. That said, in sales our compensation is typically tied to our performance. That means we need to put yourself out there, pay attention to the actions of the most successful salesperson in the company, learn everything you can, and manage your time well.
Ken Corbit Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in MarketingTexas Christian University
Specialized Sales, Merchandising And Marketing Operations
What general advice would you give to a Lead Sales Consultant?
Ken Corbit Ph.D.: Strategic
Company Selection:
Focus on joining companies with robust sales training programs, emphasizing consultative selling. Look for organizations that invest in your development, providing live calling experiences, quota-driven sales processes, and exposure to tools like Salesforce.
Tech
Proficiency and Sales Tools Mastery:
Familiarize yourself with cutting-edge sales technologies, including CRM tools like Salesforce. Your proficiency in these tools will not only streamline your sales processes but also position you as a tech-savvy professional in the competitive sales landscape.
Hands-On
Experience:
Actively engage in live calling, take ownership of sales funnels, and work with senior hiring authorities during your training. This hands-on experience will not only build your confidence but also prepare you for the challenges of consultative selling.
Research
and Decision-Making Skills:
Develop strong research skills to evaluate companies based on fit, growth opportunities, compensation structures, and overall potential. This informed decision-making approach will set you apart and empower you to navigate the sales landscape strategically.
Mentorship
and Networking:
Seek mentorship both within and outside your organization. Building relationships with mentors who invest in your sales skills and knowledge will provide valuable insights. Additionally, actively participate in online forums to connect with practical sales
knowledge and best practices.
What Lead Sales Consultant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Ken Corbit Ph.D.: AI-Integrated Consultative Selling: Recognize the evolving role of AI in sales. Embrace AI tools that enhance your pre-call preparation, role-playing, agenda setting, and call talk track development. Stay ahead by incorporating AI into your sales strategies to deliver personalized and efficient client engagements.
What will help Lead Sales Consultants increase their earning potential?
Ken Corbit Ph.D.: Holistic
Knowledge Mastery:
Become an expert in your industry, staying abreast of market trends, and thoroughly understanding the products/services you sell. This comprehensive knowledge will empower you to provide exceptional value, resulting in higher sales success and increased client
retention.
Strategic
Question-Based Selling:
Master the art of question-based selling. Use insightful questions to uncover client needs, address pain points, and tailor your approach. This strategic skill will not only boost initial sales but also contribute to secondary sales and long-term client satisfaction.
Compensation
Structure Expertise:
Understand your organization's compensation structure thoroughly. This includes baseline compensation, commission and bonus plans, and additional benefits. This knowledge allows you to set realistic targets, maximize your earnings, and take full advantage
of uncapped commission structures.
Consistent
Target Achievement:
Consistently meet or exceed targets and quotas to demonstrate your value. This not only enhances your immediate success but also positions you for continuous earning potential, especially in roles with uncapped commissions.
Negotiation
and Value Recognition:
Develop negotiation skills to ensure you are compensated appropriately. Recognize your worth and, when appropriate, discuss compensation adjustments or additional benefits with your employer. A proactive approach to recognizing and articulating your value
contributes to your overall salary potential.
In a rapidly evolving sales landscape, continuous learning, tech adaptability, and proactive career management are fundamental for achieving sustained success in consultative sales.
Andrea Dixon Ph.D.
Executive Director, Center for Professional Selling, Frank and Floy Smith Holloway Endowed Professorship in Marketing, President, University Sales Center Alliance 2019-2021Baylor University
Hankamer School of Business
What skills will help Lead Sales Consultants earn the most?
Andrea Dixon Ph.D.: People who can recognize patterns (in data, in people), build connections with and across others, create a focus on high-performance behaviors, and lead with a confident humility are those who will win today and in the future business environment.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Lead Sales Consultant job market given the pandemic?
Jeffrey Gonzalez: I have to stress that I'm not an economist but an English professor who does a little work helping English majors think about their career options. That said, the American economy seems to continue down a bifurcated path--white collar labor that provides a modicum of security and blue- or pink-collar labor or gig work that isn't secure or well-paid. I would bet that we'll see a great deal of jobs in both sectors emerge as more people are vaccinated and as the summer months mean more people interacting outside, and I'm also optimistic about the stimulus packages' effect on the economy.
The trends will, if you ask me, mean more hiring. But for the students I work with, it'll likely be more of the same: underemployment for Humanities majors upon first graduating college, followed by slow & steady growth in wages and benefits through a period of switching jobs and careers. They'll start in jobs that involve reading, writing, researching, and analysis, or they'll support individuals engaged in these processes, before they start designing or directing projects of their own. Workers who learn fast, who have great language skills, who are adaptable to different circumstances--these people have the best chance of achieving careers.
Where will we see growth? In areas that cater to the very wealthy; in app development; in health care/public health (of course); in finance; in entertainment production though housed in a handful of places.
Will we see growth in academic hiring? Not for the field I work in--the teaching & research side. We will continue to see growth in the administrative aspects of the university, which has been the trend for decades, while tenure-line hiring has declined considerably. It's not a good job to pursue.
Dr. Barbara Joyce
ACCESS Academic Advisor for undergraduate students in Sociology, Departmental advisorUniversity of Hawaii at Manoa
Department of Sociology
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Lead Sales Consultant job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Barbara Joyce: One of the advantages of a BA in Sociology is that it is a liberal arts degree and not a professional degree. In addition, Sociology has the broadest subject matter of any of the social science disciplines, so our graduates can take their skills and knowledge into a broad range of careers. Since the range of possible careers is so great, labor market trends are not particularly relevant to Sociology graduates.
Michael Grossman Ph.D.
Professor, Political Studies and International StudiesUniversity of Mount Union
Department of Political Science and International Studies
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Lead Sales Consultants?
Michael Grossman Ph.D.: It is less about licenses or courses and more about experiences. In this regard, internships are crucial.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Lead Sales Consultants?
Cynthia Krom: Professional certifications matter. If your profession has a certification, you need to have that certification to be competitive in this new world. So, a public accountant needs to have a CPA, and a corporate accountant needs to have their CMA. A fraud examiner needs their CFE. Find out what is available in your profession and take whatever courses or exams are needed to be at the top of your game, because everyone else will.
We don't really know what will be happening with professional licenses with remote work. A psychotherapist may be licensed in New York, but remotely treating a client in New Mexico. Technically, they probably need a license in New Mexico. But who will control that? Will it just be the professional responsibility of the therapist to only practice where licensed? Will their malpractice insurance only cover them if the client is where they are licensed? What about a physician operating on someone a thousand miles away using robotics?
In terms of courses not related to professional certification or licensure, technology is where it is at. First and foremost, polish your Zoom skills. Zoom is now your face-to-face workplace and you need to be a pro. YouTube has great videos about lighting for Zoom, even with reflective eyeglasses. Perhaps your IT department is able to help with connectivity issues and learning remote technologies. And, as we have all recently seen, you need to learn how to turn off filters that make you look like a kitten! For nearly every field, you have to know Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel) or similar programs. You need to know how to work collaboratively on projects through things like Google Drive. If you are not fluent in the basics, you are showing up for a horse race with a little pony.
Ekin Pehlivan Ph.D.
Associate Professor of MarketingCalifornia State University Channel Islands
Martin V. Smith School of Business and Economics
What technical skills for a Lead Sales Consultant stand out to employers?
Ekin Pehlivan Ph.D.: Our most recent survey with employers, really emphasize that technical skills are not the priority for most. Almost all mention communication and problem solving skills are the most desired, followed by critical thinking and professionalism. Given the nature of the digital economy, data literacy is one technical skill that would be relevant to almost anyone in the upcoming years. In certain areas learning automation (operations or marketing), and databases (SQL) would also benefit new graduates.
What's a good job out of college for Lead Sales Consultants?
Ekin Pehlivan Ph.D.: I think a description of a "good" job opportunity is dependent on so many factors, almost all subjective. What I recommend my students usually, is that they try different things before graduation and find something that makes them feel a purpose other than (and in addition to) making ends meet. For this reason we started a program on our campus where students are hired to help non-profits and small businesses in our area of service. In this program, students get to gain and practice skills that can help them succeed in a corporate or freelance capacity. The students get to experiment without fear of losing a job and find what they would like their entry level positions to look like. While doing this they also help organizations and individuals who have the need but not the resources to get the services from professionals.
What technical skills for a Lead Sales Consultant stand out to employers?
Linda Hajec: I think the basics are still important - the feedback from employers still says that they want to see excellent skills in Excel - but if we are talking about changes as a result of the pandemic, job candidates that can also show a comfort level with remote meeting software will feel more natural and less awkward going forward. If you are going to meet on Zoom, make sure you know where to find the features on the screen and if you need to, practice with someone who knows you are just needing to mess around with the settings.
The last thing you would want to do is accidentally exit your interview halfway through because you didn't know where the "share screen" button was. Being familiar with other online collaboration software such as Teams or GoogleDocs is important, too. Even companies that are not working 100% remote are finding great use for these kind of sites, even just to house documents such as policy manuals that they want to share with a group of employees. The fact that a group can work together an collaborate asynchronously is a reality that many companies had not faced before, so the employee needs to be prepared to remember to follow up on team projects instead of waiting for a meeting to see where everything stands.
What soft skills should all Lead Sales Consultants possess?
Sonya DiPalma Ph.D.: Be personable and a person someone wants to talk with and work with on a continuing basis. Listening and note-taking skills will be critical. Great employees listen well and ask good follow up questions. Be versatile and adaptable. If you find some downtime between projects, ask how you may help with another project.
What's a day at work look like for a Lead Sales Consultant?
Joseph Hancock: New graduates will need to be self-disciplined and self-motivated. No one is going to hold your hand and tell you "get to work" or you will soon be looking for a new job. The new world may be one where you don't go to an office, but instead work right from home, scheduling appointments and doing your own calendar. My last years working for Target in a regional field position taught me that no one was going to motivate me each day, I had to motivate myself. Also, it can be lonely working from home as a new graduate, so find outside interests and ways to make friends. I am from the old fashion ideologies that getting a hobby is extremely important, and that hobby is not going to the gym or watching television. It includes something that enriches your life to be a better person in society.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Lead Sales Consultants to find work opportunities?
Dr. David Lehr: Most job growth will continue to be in urban centers and the surrounding suburbs. Rural areas will continue to struggle (remote work notwithstanding).
What skills stand out on Lead Sales Consultant resumes?
Dr. Angela Woodland Ph.D.: Skills that are immediately useful stand out on resumes. Right now, data analytics skills are in hot demand. A desirable job candidate should be able to import large data sets in various formats, clean data, manipulate data, interrogate data, and draw conclusions from the data. Additionally, the job candidate should be able to prepare informative and easy-to-follow data visualizations of the results. This skill set allows a job candidate to be immediately useful in an organization. It is the new way of analyzing and communicating.
What type of skills will young Lead Sales Consultants need?
Peter Johnson DPS: There are three things that employers are looking for:
1. Demonstrated ability to solve problems
2. Ability to analyze and make decisions based on data
3. Communication skills with management, teams, and clients
Michael Mikitka
Executive Vice PresidentMHI – Material Handling Industry
Knowledge Center and Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC)
What type of skills will young Lead Sales Consultants need?
Michael Mikitka: Courses and internships are essential. While the required depth of knowledge may vary from one position to another, employers are generally looking for candidates with strong "people-related" skills, those who are willing to continue to learn, and those with the ability to be flexible and adapt.
By "people-related" skills, I mean the abilities associated with effective communication (listen and express ideas and direction) and the skills related to working independently and a team.
As for the interest to continually learn... from a technology, data, and equipment perspective, today's supply chain looks very different than it did 10-years ago. The willingness and ability to continually learn are essential for anyone in a leadership role.
As for flexibility and adapting...supply chain/logistics is as much about responding to disruption and demand as it is planning for it. There is a predictable demand (i.e., seasonal...everyone knows when back-to-school shopping begins). Then there is the unpredictable demand (i.e., power-outages, wildfires, pandemic) that impact market and the ability to operate. Candidates that express flexibility and problem-solving skills will be much sought-after.