Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between retail sales leads and sales associate/managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a retail sales lead and a sales associate/manager. Additionally, a sales associate/manager has an average salary of $41,412, which is higher than the $40,781 average annual salary of a retail sales lead.
The top three skills for a retail sales lead include math, sales floor and retail sales. The most important skills for a sales associate/manager are customer service, sales floor, and strong customer service.
| Retail Sales Lead | Sales Associate/Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $40,781 | $41,412 |
| Hourly rate | $19.61 | $19.91 |
| Growth rate | - | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 442,994 | 318,977 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Retail sales leads are responsible for the recruitment and training of new sales team members, assisting the management in selling products, and creating sales reports. Some duties and responsibilities of a retail sales lead include customer services such as answering inquiries and complaints, providing assistance and product information, suggesting items and opinions. Such experiences are an advantage for them to be promoted if they perform their tasks effectively and efficiently.
As the name entails, sales associates or associate managers are responsible for helping the store manager organize and run the retail stores. Their roles and responsibilities include ensuring that the store's goals are met by the sales team, hiring and training sales staff, and monitoring inventory. They are also expected to analyze consumer behavior, look for competitive products in the market, and communicate and evaluate clients' needs. To be qualified for this position, you should have experience as an assistant manager, organizational and leadership skills, and proficiency in MS Office.
Retail sales leads and sales associate/managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Retail Sales Lead | Sales Associate/Manager | |
| Average salary | $40,781 | $41,412 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $59,000 | Between $30,000 And $55,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bellevue, NE | Salem, VA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a retail sales lead and a sales associate/manager in terms of educational background:
| Retail Sales Lead | Sales Associate/Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi |
Here are the differences between retail sales leads' and sales associate/managers' demographics:
| Retail Sales Lead | Sales Associate/Manager | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.4% Female, 53.6% | Male, 44.2% Female, 55.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 6.8% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |