How To Become A Retail Advertising Sales Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a retail advertising sales manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Bill Thorne

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a retail advertising sales manager. For example, did you know that they make an average of $30.24 an hour? That's $62,908 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 23,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a retail advertising 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.

ScoreRetail Advertising Sales ManagerUS Average

Salary

4.9

Avg. Salary $62,908

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 63.16%

male 36.84%

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

Key steps to become a retail advertising sales manager

Explore retail advertising sales manager education requirements

Most common retail advertising sales manager degrees

Bachelor's

89.1 %

Master's

7.3 %

Diploma

1.8 %

Start to develop specific retail advertising sales manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Account Executives	39.97%
Sales Training	33.00%
Product Sales Leadership	27.02%

Complete relevant retail advertising sales manager training and internships

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

Research retail advertising sales manager duties and responsibilities

Manage program budgets, research, technical/system requirements, logistics, life-cycle, training and technology transfer/reliability solutions, recommending acquisitions.
Manage program budgets, research, technical/system requirements, logistics, life-cycle, training and technology transfer/reliability solutions, recommending acquisitions.
Create marketing content for pages and promotional initiatives, newsletter design and implementation, create designed and produce PowerPoint presentations.

Apply for retail advertising sales manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a retail advertising 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