Post Job

What is a national sales manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted Expert
Bill Thorne
introduction image

When you hear the phrase "high-paying job," what comes to mind? Do you think of a particular field or a particular role? One field you probably thought about is sales. It is no secret that sales roles are high-paying jobs with a good salary and incentives. If you are in sales right now, you're probably thinking of your long term plans. You might want to work toward being a National Sales Manager.

National Sales Managers handle the sales campaigns of the company at the national level. This means that they should be familiar with the performance of the company's services and products and with the consumer behavior of the target market. National Sales Managers should be persuasive and persistent. They are also considered good strategists.

If you want an amazing career in sales, you better start building a good reputation in the company and in the industry. You should also have a willingness to learn and the confidence to close deals. Having a charming personality and an approachable demeanor would be great, too!

What general advice would you give to a National Sales Manager?

Bill ThorneBill Thorne LinkedIn Profile

Executive Director of the NRF Foundation and Senior Vice President of Communication and Public Affairs of NRF, National Retail Federation

Retail is the largest private-sector employer in the country, directly employing 32 million people and supporting 52 million jobs overall - roughly one-quarter of the U.S. workforce. While COVID-19 has presented new and unexpected challenges, retailers have continued to showcase the industry's resilience and adaptability time and again. The safety and security of customers and employees remains our greatest priority. It is no doubt that the professional environment has changed this year, but retail continues to offer a plethora of career opportunities for graduates and seasoned veterans alike.
ScoreNational Sales ManagerUS Average
Salary
7.7

Avg. Salary $102,742

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
6.4

Growth Rate 5%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
2.7
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.24%

Asian 4.07%

Black or African American 3.24%

Hispanic or Latino 9.82%

Unknown 4.41%

White 78.23%

Gender

female 19.64%

male 80.36%

Age - 46
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46
Stress Level
6.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
8.7

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
4.4

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Newest jobs for National Sales Manager in Ashburn, VA

Receive alerts for the newest job postings.

National Sales Manager career paths

Key steps to become a national sales manager

  1. Explore national sales manager education requirements

    Most common national sales manager degrees

    Bachelor's

    79.3 %

    Associate

    8.8 %

    Master's

    8.7 %
  2. Start to develop specific national sales manager skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Customer Service10.38%
    Product Development9.87%
    Trade Shows7.00%
    Sales Growth5.81%
    Sales Strategies5.29%
  3. Complete relevant national sales manager training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New national sales managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a national sales manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real national sales manager resumes.
  4. Research national sales manager duties and responsibilities

    • Manage nationwide SAAS sales team, train, hire, develop territories, create budgets, marketing and sales development.
    • Manage relationships with clients via CRM, conducted/coordinate city wide site visits, craft creative presentations, proposals and bid packets.
    • Lead team on product redesign to web-base SaaS infrastructure and generate feature content base on customer need and marketability.
    • Introduce a foreign manufacture into a dominant domestic automotive and aerospace markets while achieving business goals and domestic tool production plans.
  5. Prepare your national sales manager resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your national sales manager resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a national sales manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable National Sales Manager Resume templates

    Build a professional National Sales Manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your National Sales Manager resume.
    National Sales Manager Resume
    National Sales Manager Resume
    National Sales Manager Resume
    National Sales Manager Resume
    National Sales Manager Resume
    National Sales Manager Resume
    National Sales Manager Resume
    National Sales Manager Resume
    National Sales Manager Resume
    National Sales Manager Resume
    National Sales Manager Resume
    National Sales Manager Resume
    National Sales Manager Resume
    National Sales Manager Resume
    National Sales Manager Resume
    National Sales Manager Resume
  6. Apply for national sales manager jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a national sales manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First National Sales Manager Job

Zippi

Are you a National Sales Manager?

Share your story for a free salary report.

Average national sales manager salary

The average National Sales Manager salary in the United States is $102,742 per year or $49 per hour. National sales manager salaries range between $67,000 and $155,000 per year.

Average National Sales Manager Salary
$102,742 Yearly
$49.40 hourly

What Am I Worth?

salary-calculator

How do national sales managers rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

National Sales Manager reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020
Pros

Motivating people and helping to create success in each person's day. Honor God serve people in rich people's lives, pursue excellence in service.

Cons

Not enough time in each day to get everything accomplished.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2020
Pros

Semi-flexible work hours. You have a sales goal and customers to call on in order to achieve said goal, so you have some flexibility of your schedule.

Cons

The amount of travel required takes you away from home frequently. If you have a family, being away starts taking a toll on them and work/life balance suffers.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020
Cons

I like everything

Pros

Coming in contact with people, motivating staff, making the numbers, profitability for everyone


Working as a National Sales Manager? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall Rating*
Career Growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse executive management jobs