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The differences between sales associate/managers and sales managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a sales associate/manager, becoming a sales manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a sales manager has an average salary of $73,952, which is higher than the $41,412 average annual salary of a sales associate/manager.
The top three skills for a sales associate/manager include customer service, sales floor and strong customer service. The most important skills for a sales manager are product knowledge, customer satisfaction, and sales performance.
| Sales Associate/Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $41,412 | $73,952 |
| Hourly rate | $19.91 | $35.55 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 318,977 | 119,066 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 43 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 8 |
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.
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.
Sales associate/managers and sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales Associate/Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Average salary | $41,412 | $73,952 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $55,000 | Between $42,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | Salem, VA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Capgemini | |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a sales associate/manager and a sales manager in terms of educational background:
| Sales Associate/Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between sales associate/managers' and sales managers' demographics:
| Sales Associate/Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Average age | 43 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.2% Female, 55.8% | Male, 68.7% Female, 31.3% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 9% | 7% |