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Professional development director vs sales development manager

The differences between professional development directors and sales development managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a professional development director and a sales development manager. Additionally, a sales development manager has an average salary of $102,790, which is higher than the $100,545 average annual salary of a professional development director.

The top three skills for a professional development director include professional development, oversight and adult learning. The most important skills for a sales development manager are SDR, salesforce, and customer service.

Professional development director vs sales development manager overview

Professional Development DirectorSales Development Manager
Yearly salary$100,545$102,790
Hourly rate$48.34$49.42
Growth rate7%7%
Number of jobs103,723171,101
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age4545
Years of experience44

What does a professional development director do?

A professional development director spearheads and develops training services and professional development programs to enhance the skills and abilities of employees in a company, paving the way for career growth. They have the responsibility to set goals and objectives, establish guidelines and timelines, coordinate teams and managers, liaise with external agencies, and oversee procedures from planning to execution. Moreover, as a professional development director, it is essential to lead staff while implementing policies and regulations, developing new ones as needed.

What does a sales development manager do?

Sales Development Managers oversee a specific function in the sales department. They are in charge of creating sales pitches, communication tools, and strategies to boost the company's sales performance. They may be assigned to do these activities for a specific product or service or for the whole product line of the organization. Sales Development Managers are also expected to create branding images that will help their sales strategies. They are required to fully understand the company's history, image, and target market. This will ensure that the branding and sales strategies they create are in line with the company's values.

Professional development director vs sales development manager salary

Professional development directors and sales development managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Professional Development DirectorSales Development Manager
Average salary$100,545$102,790
Salary rangeBetween $46,000 And $216,000Between $66,000 And $157,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateOregonNew Hampshire
Best paying companyBaker McKenzieEveryday Health
Best paying industry-Manufacturing

Differences between professional development director and sales development manager education

There are a few differences between a professional development director and a sales development manager in terms of educational background:

Professional Development DirectorSales Development Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaNorthwestern University

Professional development director vs sales development manager demographics

Here are the differences between professional development directors' and sales development managers' demographics:

Professional Development DirectorSales Development Manager
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 34.2% Female, 65.8%Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 4.1% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 4.4% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage18%18%

Differences between professional development director and sales development manager duties and responsibilities

Professional development director example responsibilities.

  • Extend product revenue by delivering new products for managing configuration of Linux platforms.
  • Prepare powerpoint to production specifications covering research base on SLIFE learning challenges and key program components for effective instruction of SLIFE.
  • Supervise certified nursing assistants with bed placement for post-op patients and maintain paperwork require for house clinician.
  • Implement train-the-trainer programs using SMEs that save the company money by eliminating outside vendors.
  • Engage in personnel hiring decisions, interview candidates, and identify SMEs for specialize consulting work.
  • Provide executive oversight and leadership for HR/Payroll best practices driving organizational change.

Sales development manager example responsibilities.

  • Create the communication of leads into the sales CRM to be follow up on by the inside sales force.
  • Develop and manage customized patient education programs for nationwide distribution through healthcare nonprofit associations by securing third-party pharmaceutical sponsorship.
  • Conduct healthcare need assessments for prospective assist living residents.
  • Maintain CRM customer database for assign and newly develop customers.
  • Generate week-over-week sales snapshots for management that identify actionable insights to improve market share in territory.
  • Create ad sales materials for lifestyle category editorial content packages as well as determined optimal pricing models to maximize revenue earnings.
  • Show more

Professional development director vs sales development manager skills

Common professional development director skills
  • Professional Development, 10%
  • Oversight, 9%
  • Adult Learning, 7%
  • K-12, 7%
  • Curriculum Development, 6%
  • Staff Development, 5%
Common sales development manager skills
  • SDR, 9%
  • Salesforce, 7%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • CRM, 5%
  • Sales Process, 5%
  • Business Development, 5%

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