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The differences between sales development managers and general sales managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a sales development manager, becoming a general sales manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a general sales manager has an average salary of $118,744, which is higher than the $102,790 average annual salary of a sales development manager.
The top three skills for a sales development manager include SDR, salesforce and customer service. The most important skills for a general sales manager are customer service, dealership, and customer satisfaction.
| Sales Development Manager | General Sales Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $102,790 | $118,744 |
| Hourly rate | $49.42 | $57.09 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 171,101 | 196,210 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 45 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 8 |
Sales Development Managers oversee a specific function in the sales department. They are in charge of creating sales pitches, communication tools, and strategies to boost the company's sales performance. They may be assigned to do these activities for a specific product or service or for the whole product line of the organization. Sales Development Managers are also expected to create branding images that will help their sales strategies. They are required to fully understand the company's history, image, and target market. This will ensure that the branding and sales strategies they create are in line with the company's values.
General sales managers are responsible for monitoring the daily operation of the sales team and analyze marketing strategies to improve sales performance and generate more revenues. General sales managers develop strategic plans, adjust sales quotas as needed, identify business opportunities, research current market trends, and evaluate the annual budget. General sales managers also respond to the customers' inquiries and high-level complaints, providing immediate resolutions to ensure customer satisfaction. A general sales manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle the sales department, especially on sales techniques in reaching the business' profitability goals.
Sales development managers and general sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales Development Manager | General Sales Manager | |
| Average salary | $102,790 | $118,744 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $157,000 | Between $71,000 And $196,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Westport, CT |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | Maine |
| Best paying company | Everyday Health | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Professional |
There are a few differences between a sales development manager and a general sales manager in terms of educational background:
| Sales Development Manager | General Sales Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between sales development managers' and general sales managers' demographics:
| Sales Development Manager | General Sales Manager | |
| Average age | 45 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2% | Male, 85.5% Female, 14.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 4.4% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | 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 | 18% | 7% |