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The differences between retail sales 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 sales manager and a sales manager. Additionally, a sales manager has an average salary of $73,952, which is higher than the $48,678 average annual salary of a retail sales manager.
The top three skills for a retail sales manager include retail sales, store operations and store sales. The most important skills for a sales manager are product knowledge, customer satisfaction, and sales performance.
| Retail Sales Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $48,678 | $73,952 |
| Hourly rate | $23.40 | $35.55 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 353,765 | 119,066 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
A retail sales manager is responsible for managing the retail sales department's operations, ensuring the highest customer satisfaction with the staff's efficiency and performance. Retail sales managers develop sales strategies and marketing campaigns to boost revenues, increasing the company's profitability. They also conduct training and programs for staff to maximize their productivity and provide the best customer service for their clients. A retail sales manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills, respond to the customers' inquiries and concerns, and resolve their complaints.
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 sales managers and sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Retail Sales Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Average salary | $48,678 | $73,952 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $66,000 | Between $42,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | Reno, NV | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Talbots | Capgemini |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a retail sales manager and a sales manager in terms of educational background:
| Retail Sales Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | 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 sales managers' and sales managers' demographics:
| Retail Sales Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8% | 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% |