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The differences between purchasing managers and sales managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a purchasing manager, becoming a sales manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a purchasing manager has an average salary of $98,118, which is higher than the $73,952 average annual salary of a sales manager.
The top three skills for a purchasing manager include supply chain, strategic sourcing and project management. The most important skills for a sales manager are product knowledge, customer satisfaction, and sales performance.
| Purchasing Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $98,118 | $73,952 |
| Hourly rate | $47.17 | $35.55 |
| Growth rate | -6% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 30,430 | 119,066 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 47 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 8 |
A purchasing manager is responsible for organizing and managing products to order or sell. Purchasing managers review product specifications, negotiate pricing details with the vendors, evaluate and choose the best suppliers, and assist purchasing agents. Purchase managers are also responsible for resolving order processing issues and analyzing current market trends to determine which products to purchase. A purchasing manager must have excellent decision-making and strategical skills to examine effects, inspect defective items, and create an in-depth analysis of customers' needs to improve their performance and sales.
Sales managers are responsible for leading the organization's sales team. They oversee the progress and performance of the whole team, set area assignments to team members, and set weekly or monthly quotas. Sales managers oversee training team members during onboarding and providing further coaching to help them achieve their goals. They manage the challenges that team members may meet and help mitigate any problems that come along the way. Sales managers also set the strategic direction of the sales team and follow through by ensuring that the team's activities are in line with the goals.
Purchasing managers and sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Purchasing Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Average salary | $98,118 | $73,952 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $136,000 | Between $42,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Maine | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Capgemini |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a purchasing manager and a sales manager in terms of educational background:
| Purchasing Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between purchasing managers' and sales managers' demographics:
| Purchasing Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.0% Female, 33.0% | Male, 68.7% Female, 31.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 7.5% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 7% |