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The differences between sales managers and account 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 sales manager and an account manager. Additionally, a sales manager has an average salary of $73,952, which is higher than the $68,535 average annual salary of an account manager.
The top three skills for a sales manager include product knowledge, customer satisfaction and sales performance. The most important skills for an account manager are customer service, account management, and healthcare.
| Sales Manager | Account Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $73,952 | $68,535 |
| Hourly rate | $35.55 | $32.95 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 119,066 | 152,261 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
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.
Account managers are employees who act as the bridge between the company they represent and the client of the company. They are assigned to handle specific clients so that the company will be able to tailor-fit any product or service according to the clients' requirements. Account managers are responsible for maintaining a harmonious relationship between the two parties by ensuring that any agreement made is amenable to both the company and the client. They are also responsible for ensuring that the company will be able to provide the needs of the client within any limitation that the client may have. Account managers also ensure that the company's reputation and well-being are always considered in any dealings.
Sales managers and account managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales Manager | Account Manager | |
| Average salary | $73,952 | $68,535 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $129,000 | Between $42,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Washington |
| Best paying company | Capgemini | NVIDIA |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a sales manager and an account manager in terms of educational background:
| Sales Manager | Account Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between sales managers' and account managers' demographics:
| Sales Manager | Account Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.7% Female, 31.3% | Male, 54.8% Female, 45.2% |
| 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% |