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The differences between marketing directors and sales managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 8-10 years to become a marketing director, becoming a sales manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a marketing director has an average salary of $114,906, which is higher than the $73,952 average annual salary of a sales manager.
The top three skills for a marketing director include digital marketing, marketing campaigns and market research. The most important skills for a sales manager are product knowledge, customer satisfaction, and sales performance.
| Marketing Director | Sales Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $114,906 | $73,952 |
| Hourly rate | $55.24 | $35.55 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 93,503 | 119,066 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 39 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 8 |
Marketing directors are responsible for the overall branding and marketing direction of the company. They are in charge of identifying goals and strategies related to marketing. They create strategies that cater to the target market of the organization's products and services to help with sales. They lead the company's marketing department and create the company's brand promise. They ensure that all marketing collateral is in line with the rest of the marketing campaigns of the organization. They should be updated on all the current trends in the marketing world.
Sales managers are responsible for leading the organization's sales team. They oversee the progress and performance of the whole team, set area assignments to team members, and set weekly or monthly quotas. Sales managers oversee training team members during onboarding and providing further coaching to help them achieve their goals. They manage the challenges that team members may meet and help mitigate any problems that come along the way. Sales managers also set the strategic direction of the sales team and follow through by ensuring that the team's activities are in line with the goals.
Marketing directors and sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Marketing Director | Sales Manager | |
| Average salary | $114,906 | $73,952 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $193,000 | Between $42,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Brookfield Properties | Capgemini |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a marketing director and a sales manager in terms of educational background:
| Marketing Director | Sales Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between marketing directors' and sales managers' demographics:
| Marketing Director | Sales Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.7% Female, 53.3% | Male, 68.7% Female, 31.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% 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 | 10% | 7% |