A lot of sales leaders get caught up with meeting a certain quota. And sometimes that makes them forget all of their roles. You see, a sales leader isn't just someone who sells a product a lot of times. No, they're much more than that.
Sales leaders also have the responsibility of managing a team of team members, as well as ensuring the entire department is meeting or even exceeding their goals. That's almost as, if not more, important than meeting a quota. If the entire team is doing well, then the company is doing well.
To be the best sales leader you can be, you'll need to be target and deadline driven. That means you probably shouldn't procrastinate until the deadline. So long are the days of staying up late to get something done. As a sales leader, you're organized and able to hit the target long before the deadline.
What is a Sales Leader?
What Does a Sales Leader Do
There are certain skills that many sales leaders have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, communication skills and leadership skills.
How To Become a Sales Leader
If you're interested in becoming a sales leader, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 53.7% of sales leaders have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 4.2% of sales leaders have master's degrees. Even though most sales leaders have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Sales Leader Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a sales leader can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as assistant manager, progress to a title such as store manager and then eventually end up with the title district manager.
Average Salary for a Sales Leader
What Am I Worth?
Top Colleges for Sales Leaders
1. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi
Delhi, NY • Private
2. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
4. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
5. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
7. Baylor University
Waco, TX • Private
8. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
Alfred, NY • Private
9. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
10. Ball State University
Muncie, IN • Private
Top Skills For a Sales Leader
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 17.4% of sales leaders listed customer service on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and communication skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Sales Leader Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Sales Leader templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Sales Leader resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Sales Leader Demographics
Sales Leader Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among sales leaders, 59.3% of them are women, while 40.7% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among sales leaders is White, which makes up 65.4% of all sales leaders.
- The most common foreign language among sales leaders is Spanish at 67.9%.
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Best States For a Sales Leader
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a sales leader. The best states for people in this position are California, Tennessee, Texas, and Georgia. Sales leaders make the most in California with an average salary of $85,043. Whereas in Tennessee and Texas, they would average $76,467 and $76,390, respectively. While sales leaders would only make an average of $74,204 in Georgia, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Tennessee
$76,467
Avg. Salary
2. Texas
$76,390
Avg. Salary
3. Georgia
$74,204
Avg. Salary
How Do Sales Leader Rate Their Jobs?
Top Sales Leader Employers
Most Common Employers For Sales Leader
| Rank  | Company  | Average Salary  | Hourly Rate  | Job Openings  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Eagle Outfitters | $65,247 | $31.37 | 268 |
| 2 | Aeropostale | $53,558 | $25.75 | 711 |
| 3 | T-Mobile | $42,420 | $20.39 | 440 |
| 4 | Dollar General | $38,877 | $18.69 | 252 |
| 5 | The Loft Literary Center | $37,842 | $18.19 | 257 |
| 6 | Best Buy | $35,898 | $17.26 | 1,043 |
| 7 | Sears Holdings | $35,038 | $16.85 | 375 |
| 8 | The Children's Place | $35,000 | $16.83 | 575 |
| 9 | Foot Locker | $32,673 | $15.71 | 295 |
| 10 | White House Black Market | $32,183 | $15.47 | 350 |
Sales Leader Videos
Becoming a Sales Leader FAQs
How long does it take to become a Sales Leader?
It takes 3 years of professional experience to become a sales leader. That is the time it takes to learn specific sales leader skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. If you include the normal education requirements to complete a college degree, then it takes 6 to 8 years years to become a sales leader.
Can a sales manager be both a manager and a leader?
Yes, a sales manager can be both a manager and a leader. A sales manager is responsible for both leading and managing a sales team to reach sales targets.
Sales managers are primarily tasked with hiring and training team members, setting quotas, evaluating and adjusting performance, and developing processes that drive sales to accomplish this takes the right combination of leadership and management skills.
How can I become a good sales manager?
You can become a good sales manager with the right combination of team management and leadership abilities. To be a good sales manager requires a melding together of the old school tried and proper fundamentals of sales with the cutting edge techniques and data-driven tactics of the modern business world.
How do I start as a sales manager?
To start as a sales manager, you will need a bachelor's degree, sales experience, and management & leadership skills. Sales managers lead a sales team by providing guidance, training, and mentorship, which requires a strong foundation in business and sales and hands-on experience.
Is a sales lead a manager?
No, a sales lead is not a manager. While a sales lead may support management, the role of a sales leader is separate from the sales lead in most companies. Sales managers direct their employees. Sales leaders develop them.
What do sales leaders need?
Sales leaders need a strong foundation in business, excellent sales abilities, and leadership skills. Sales leaders establish sales goals for their team and develop solutions to overcome the issues hindering sales. This position requires the proper communication, motivation, and management of the sales team.
What does it take to be a sales leader?
Being a sales leader takes the right combination of educational credentials, sales experience, and leadership skills. A sales leader establishes sales goals that their team needs to achieve. When targets are not fulfilled, they must develop solutions to overcome sales issues. To accomplish this, sales leaders need to have a well-rounded set of skills and experiences.
What is the role of a sales leader?
The role of a sales leader is primarily to oversee the sales team.
The sales leader's role is to develop innovative sales techniques and provide instruction and guidance to their staff. For example, the sales leader may have to find new clients, look into prospective sales, and cater their sales pitch to clients' needs.