How long does it take to become a regional sales manager?

It takes at least three years to become a regional sales manager. In general, to become a regional sales manager, three to five years of relevant experience are required. In many cases, though, relevant experience refers to experience in a management capacity. So, many regional sales manager positions will take much longer to secure because they require years of experience in a role that, most often, requires experience itself.

What does a regional sales manager get paid?

A regional sales manager gets paid between $60,000 and $150,000 per year. This salary range represents regional sales manager positions spanning a massive range of industries, locations, and experience levels.

What qualifications do you need to become a regional manager?

The qualifications you need to become a regional manager are experience in management and a relevant bachelor's degree. Because the needs of specific companies and positions vary greatly, it is possible to become a regional manager without necessarily fulfilling all of these requirements.

What is a regional sales manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Bill Thorne

A regional sales manager is responsible for overseeing sales operations and teams within a specific geographic region. They work to develop and implement sales strategies, build relationships with key clients, analyze market trends, and monitor the performance of sales representatives. Regional sales managers also collaborate with other departments to ensure that products are meeting customer needs and to identify new business opportunities. They must possess strong leadership, communication, and analytical skills.

What general advice would you give to a Regional 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.

ScoreRegional Sales ManagerUS Average

Salary

6.5

Avg. Salary $82,980

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 18.47%

male 81.53%

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

What are the pros and cons of being a Regional Sales Manager?

Pros

High earning potential
Autonomy in decision-making
Exposure to different industries and markets
Variety in day-to-day work
Ability to positively impact company revenue and growth

Cons

High-pressure job with demanding targets and deadlines
Long hours and intense workloads
Frequent travel can be exhausting and disruptive to personal life
High level of responsibility and accountability for team performance
Difficulty in managing remote teams or geographically dispersed clients

Newest jobs for Regional Sales Manager in Ashburn, VA

Receive alerts for the newest job postings.

Key steps to become a regional sales manager

Explore regional sales manager education requirements

Most common regional sales manager degrees

Bachelor's

77.4 %

Associate

10.0 %

Master's

8.4 %

Start to develop specific regional sales manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Regional Sales	12.07%
Customer Satisfaction	5.84%
Sales Process	5.62%
Commercial Cleaning	5.32%
Customer Service	5.12%

Complete relevant regional sales manager training and internships

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

Research regional sales manager duties and responsibilities

Create and maintain business forecast and funnels to help manage budget and outline plans of action.
Lead professional services engagements, coordination of RFP responses, and client executive reviews of results.
Manage territory of commercial physicians offices, hospitals, VA medical centers, CBOC s, and DOD facilities.
Design and implement solutions including global data networks, manage services, cloud, data storage and disaster recovery.

Prepare your regional sales manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your regional 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 regional 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 Regional Sales Manager Resume templates

Build a professional Regional 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 Regional Sales Manager resume.

Apply for regional sales manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a regional 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 do regional sales managers rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Regional 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 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.

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020

Pros

The Strategic approach used to uncover new sales opportunities excites me the most working as an Enterprise Account Executive.

What is a regional sales manager and how to become one

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

What are the pros and cons of being a Regional Sales Manager?

Newest jobs for Regional Sales Manager in Ashburn, VA

Regional Sales Manager career paths

Key steps to become a regional sales manager

Explore regional sales manager education requirements

Most common regional sales manager degrees

Start to develop specific regional sales manager skills

Complete relevant regional sales manager training and internships

Research regional sales manager duties and responsibilities

Prepare your regional sales manager resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Regional Sales Manager Resume templates

Apply for regional sales manager jobs

How Did You Land Your First Regional Sales Manager Job

Average regional sales manager salary

How do regional sales managers rate their job?

Regional Sales Manager reviews

Regional Sales Manager FAQs

How long does it take to become a regional sales manager?

What does a regional sales manager get paid?

What qualifications do you need to become a regional manager?

Search for regional sales manager jobs

Regional Sales Manager jobs by state