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What is an outside sales manager and how to become one
Outside sales managers, often referred to as field sales managers, work in assigned territories. They are responsible for identifying leads and creating business relations with prospective and existing clients. They recruit and manage teams of sales representatives in the area.
They are the one setting sales targets and motivating their people to reach them. They distribute tasks, manage schedules, and provide advice to their team whenever they need it. Their job is to make sure the level of their team's performance meets the expectations of higher management.
Researching the market and keeping track of competitors' activities is also their responsibility. Having an optimistic and approachable personality will help them gain trust, allowing them to create reliable working relations and a strong team who will find boosting sales a piece of cake.
What general advice would you give to an outside sales manager?
Bill Thorne
Executive Director of the NRF Foundation and Senior Vice President of Communication and Public Affairs of NRF, National Retail Federation
Avg. Salary $84,408
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 5%
Growth rate 0.3%
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%
Genderfemale 20.92%
male 79.08%
Age - 46American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 46Stress level is manageable
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is poor
6.4 - fair
Outside sales manager career paths
Key steps to become an outside sales manager
Explore outside sales manager education requirements
Start to develop specific outside sales manager skills
Skills Percentages Product Knowledge 12.11% CRM 10.00% Customer Service 9.76% Sales Territory 7.11% Sales Strategies 4.17% Complete relevant outside sales manager training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New outside 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 an outside sales manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real outside sales manager resumes.Research outside sales manager duties and responsibilities
- Manage a team of sales executives to establish and maintain professional relationships with healthcare professionals in their prospective territories.
- Develop a complete marketing program where none previously exist, now serves as CRM base for company.
- Used CRM tools in order to provide current and detail information relate to activities, opportunity pipeline, and close business.
- Channele marketing through the establishment of international distributors servicing Mexico (Hermosillo, Mexicali, and Tijuana) and Korea.
Prepare your outside sales manager resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your outside 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 an outside 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 outside sales manager resume templates
Build a professional outside 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 outside sales manager resume.
Apply for outside sales manager jobs
Now it's time to start searching for an outside 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
How did you land your first outside sales manager job
Are you an outside sales manager?
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Average outside sales manager salary
The average outside sales manager salary in the United States is $84,408 per year or $41 per hour. Outside sales manager salaries range between $51,000 and $138,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do outside sales managers rate their job?
Outside sales manager reviews
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.
Not enough time in each day to get everything accomplished.
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.
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.
I like everything
Coming in contact with people, motivating staff, making the numbers, profitability for everyone
Updated January 8, 2025
