How to hire a retail account manager

How to hire a retail account manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step retail account manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a retail account manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new retail account manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the retail account manager you need to hire. Certain retail account manager roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A retail account manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, retail account managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of retail account managers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Retail Account Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Retail Account Manager	Sales managers direct organizations' sales teams. They set sales goals, analyze data, and develop training programs for organizations’ sales representatives.	$20-57
   Product Manager/Sales	A sales product manager is responsible for monitoring the sales performance of a specific product and ensuring that the marketing strategies adhere to market standards and client requirements. Sales product managers work closely with the marketing and public relations team to enhance the product's brand image on various market platforms to reach the target audience... Show more	$36-75
   Outside Sales Manager	An outside sales manager is responsible for monitoring the sales staff performance in selling goods and services to existing and potential clients and ensuring that the team meets sales objectives. Outside sales managers set reasonable sales targets and establish techniques to maximize the staff's efficiency and productivity... Show more	$24-66

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Customer Relationships
   • Account Management
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Client Relationships
   • Lead Generation
   • Brand Awareness
   • Develop Long Term
   • Product Knowledge
   • Retail Sales
   • POS
   • Business Reviews
   • Sales Presentations
   • Business Development

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage accounts while providing excellent customer service, help build financial relationships, redirecting calls in upselling credit per customer needs
   • Develop a direct marketing plan to generate referrals from CPA firms.
   • Generate growth proposals for current ADP accounts and prepare presentations for prospective clients.
   • Support the sales force all major distributors by visiting the retailers with POS and samples.
   • Confirm client ROI with client document delivery of over $31MM++ in incremental revenue utilizing Nielsen products & services.
   • Drive brand visibility and volume in all accounts through increase in feature & display and POS placement and promotional activity.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your retail account manager job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A retail account manager can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, retail account managers' average salary in arkansas is 46% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level retail account managers 65% less than senior-level retail account managers.
   • Certifications. A retail account manager with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a retail account manager's salary.

   Average retail account manager salary

   $71,641yearly

   $34.44 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level retail account manager salary

   $42,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

4. Writing a retail account manager job description

   A retail account manager job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a retail account manager job description:

   Retail account manager job description example

   Minimum qualifications:
   
   + Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
   
   + 2 years of experience in media analytics, advertising sales, digital media and marketing, or consulting.
   
   + Experience managing digital marketing campaigns through Google Ads or similar platforms.
   
   + Experience with project management, client-facing, consulting, and working with cross-functional teams.
   
   Preferred qualifications:
   
   + 5 years of experience in media analytics, advertising sales, digital media and marketing, or consulting.
   
   + Client-facing experience in sales, customer support, account management, marketing, or consulting.
   
   + Experience working with data to identify trends and performance insights.
   
   + Experience optimizing and troubleshooting products and/or services.
   
   + Knowledge of Big Box Retail industries, a passion for its growth, and commitment to advance Google's forward-looking strategies within the marketplace.
   
   Businesses that partner with Google come in all shapes, sizes and market caps, and no one Google advertising solution works for all. Your knowledge of online media combined with your communication skills and analytical abilities shapes how new and existing businesses grow. Using your relationship-building skills, you provide Google-caliber client service, research and market analysis. You anticipate how decisions are made, persistently explore and uncover the business needs of Google's key clients and understand how our range of product offerings can grow their business. Working with them, you set the vision and the strategy for how their advertising can reach thousands of users.
   
   In this role, you will support a fast growing Big Box retailer that is always testing, learning, and optimizing for growth. You will collaborate with a talented team and promote data-driven strategic and tactical recommendations to customers, partner teams, and leadership.
   
   Our Large Customer Sales teams partner closely with many of the world's biggest advertisers and agencies to develop digital solutions that build businesses and brands. We enjoy a bird's eye view on the massive transformation occurring as advertising shifts to mobile and online platforms. We're uniquely situated to help shape how companies grow their businesses in the digital age. We advise clients on Google's broad range of products across search, video and mobile to help them connect instantly and seamlessly with their audiences.
   
   + Work collaboratively with a team to support growth and maintain a pipeline of opportunities for existing customer accounts.
   
   + Lead meetings with customers regarding product and advertising opportunities while ensuring customers are satisfied with their business growth.
   
   + Identify and develop forward thinking, data analysis, and recommendations that align with customer goals. Quantify high-impact opportunities with clear recommendations to pitch to customers, while handling objections and evaluating campaign effectiveness.
   
   + Manage operations within the sales team, prioritizing and executing complex initiatives and ensuring accountability to team goals.
   
   + Provide guidance and troubleshooting support for customer accounts and campaigns

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right retail account manager for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with retail account managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit retail account managers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your retail account manager job on Zippia to find and recruit retail account manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit retail account managers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new retail account manager

   Once you've found the retail account manager candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new retail account manager. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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