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The differences between relationship managers and sales managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a relationship manager and a sales manager. Additionally, a relationship manager has an average salary of $83,761, which is higher than the $73,952 average annual salary of a sales manager.
The top three skills for a relationship manager include client relationships, work ethic and strong work ethic. The most important skills for a sales manager are product knowledge, customer satisfaction, and sales performance.
| Relationship Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $83,761 | $73,952 |
| Hourly rate | $40.27 | $35.55 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 72,920 | 119,066 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
A relationship manager is responsible for maintaining a positive and professional relationship with customers and business partners, ensuring the highest customer satisfaction and good reputation. Relationship managers advise management on identifying business opportunities by analyzing the current market trends that would help generate revenues and increase its profitability. They connect with the marketing and sales team for product and services innovation, create compelling sales pitches, and develop customer service processes to assist customers with their inquiries and concerns efficiently.
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.
Relationship managers and sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Relationship Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Average salary | $83,761 | $73,952 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $123,000 | Between $42,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Capgemini | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between a relationship manager and a sales manager in terms of educational background:
| Relationship Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between relationship managers' and sales managers' demographics:
| Relationship Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.5% Female, 46.5% | Male, 68.7% Female, 31.3% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 7% | 7% |