How To Become A North American Sales Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a north american sales manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Bill Thorne

The average north american sales manager salary is $129,691. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes 6-8 years of experience to become a north american sales manager. North american sales managers with a Certified Sales Professional (CSP) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 23,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a north american sales manager?

Bill Thorne

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.

ScoreNorth American Sales ManagerUS Average

Salary

8.4

Avg. Salary $129,691

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 13.51%

male 86.49%

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

Key steps to become a north american sales manager

Explore north american sales manager education requirements

Most common north american sales manager degrees

Bachelor's

73.4 %

Master's

16.3 %

Associate

7.9 %

Start to develop specific north american sales manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Product Development	14.07%
Revenue Growth	8.22%
Sales Strategy	7.94%
OEM	6.44%
R	5.40%

Complete relevant north american sales manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New north american 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 north american sales manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real north american sales manager resumes.

Research north american sales manager duties and responsibilities

Lead cross functional team dedicate to managing all CRM initiatives and system updates.
Fulfill conversion of manage telephony services to new providers through a nationwide RFP.
Introduce a foreign manufacture into a dominant domestic automotive and aerospace markets while achieving business goals and domestic tool production plans.
Maintain existing distributor and OEM relationships.

Prepare your north american sales manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your north american 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 north american 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 north american sales manager resume templates

Build a professional north american 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 north american sales manager resume.

Apply for north american sales manager jobs

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

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

Average north american sales manager salary

The average north american sales manager salary in the United States is $129,691 per year or $62 per hour. North american sales manager salaries range between $96,000 and $173,000 per year.

Average north american sales manager salary

$129,691 Yearly

$62.35 hourly

How do north american sales managers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

North american sales manager reviews

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.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020

Pros

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

Cons

I like everything

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019

Pros

I worked professionally in 7 countries. I speak fluently 4 languages and speak well another 4. Moreover, I love Sales.

Cons

Politics, toxic work environment, having to work with real sob.

What is a north american sales manager and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a north american sales manager?

North american sales manager career paths

Key steps to become a north american sales manager

Explore north american sales manager education requirements

Most common north american sales manager degrees

Start to develop specific north american sales manager skills

Complete relevant north american sales manager training and internships

Research north american sales manager duties and responsibilities

Prepare your north american sales manager resume

Choose from 10+ customizable north american sales manager resume templates

Apply for north american sales manager jobs

How did you land your first north american sales manager job

Average north american sales manager salary

How do north american sales managers rate their job?

North american sales manager reviews