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The differences between merchandise leads and sales leaders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a merchandise lead and a sales leader. Additionally, a sales leader has an average salary of $68,699, which is higher than the $35,572 average annual salary of a merchandise lead.
The top three skills for a merchandise lead include sales floor, customer service and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a sales leader are product knowledge, customer service, and sales floor.
| Merchandise Lead | Sales Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $35,572 | $68,699 |
| Hourly rate | $17.10 | $33.03 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 72,605 | 458,558 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A merchandise lead is responsible for strategizing merchandise methods to reach sales performance targets. Merchandise leads assist the consumers in choosing the best products according to their needs and budget limitations. They evaluate the current market trends to generate more revenue resources and increase the company's profitability by negotiating with trusted suppliers and vendors. A merchandise lead must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in helping with marketing and promotional campaigns to attract consumers' interests and meet public demands.
A Sales Leader's responsibility is more than just leading. Most of the tasks involve monitoring the progress of sales, creating strategies to attain financial gains, managing the workforce, and as well as suggesting and enforcing particular options that would be beneficial for the sales and the company. All while making sure that all actions adhere to the policies and standards of the company. Above all, a Sale's Leader must have the passion and determination to drive a team towards the company's goal.
Merchandise leads and sales leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Merchandise Lead | Sales Leader | |
| Average salary | $35,572 | $68,699 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $45,000 | Between $33,000 And $139,000 |
| Highest paying City | Green Bay, WI | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | PepsiCo | ZS |
| Best paying industry | Retail | - |
There are a few differences between a merchandise lead and a sales leader in terms of educational background:
| Merchandise Lead | Sales Leader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi |
Here are the differences between merchandise leads' and sales leaders' demographics:
| Merchandise Lead | Sales Leader | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.5% Female, 57.5% | Male, 40.7% Female, 59.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 6.9% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |