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The differences between retail account 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 retail account manager and a sales manager. Additionally, a sales manager has an average salary of $73,952, which is higher than the $71,641 average annual salary of a retail account manager.
The top three skills for a retail account manager include customer service, customer relationships and account management. The most important skills for a sales manager are product knowledge, customer satisfaction, and sales performance.
| Retail Account Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $71,641 | $73,952 |
| Hourly rate | $34.44 | $35.55 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 208,971 | 119,066 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
A retail account manager is primarily in charge of liaising with retail accounts and suppliers, establishing positive business relationships. Among their responsibilities include researching new business and client opportunities, communicating with key accounts to identify and meet their needs, and develop sales strategies. They may also perform clerical tasks such as preparing and processing documentation, handling calls and correspondence, and maintaining extensive records. Furthermore, as a retail account manager, it is essential to lead and serve as a mentor to staff while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
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.
Retail account managers and sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Retail Account Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Average salary | $71,641 | $73,952 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $120,000 | Between $42,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | - | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | - | Capgemini |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a retail account manager and a sales manager in terms of educational background:
| Retail Account Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | 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 retail account managers' and sales managers' demographics:
| Retail Account Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.9% Female, 39.1% | 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% |