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The differences between sales development managers and 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 sales manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a sales development manager has an average salary of $102,790, which is higher than the $73,952 average annual salary of a sales manager.
The top three skills for a sales development manager include SDR, salesforce and customer service. The most important skills for a sales manager are product knowledge, customer satisfaction, and sales performance.
| Sales Development Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $102,790 | $73,952 |
| Hourly rate | $49.42 | $35.55 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 171,101 | 119,066 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| 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.
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 development managers and sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales Development Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Average salary | $102,790 | $73,952 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $157,000 | Between $42,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Everyday Health | Capgemini |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a sales development manager and a sales manager in terms of educational background:
| Sales Development Manager | 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 sales managers' demographics:
| Sales Development Manager | Sales Manager | |
| Average age | 45 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2% | Male, 68.7% Female, 31.3% |
| 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% |