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The differences between sales program managers and general sales 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 program manager and a general sales manager. Additionally, a general sales manager has an average salary of $118,744, which is higher than the $103,116 average annual salary of a sales program manager.
The top three skills for a sales program manager include program management, project management and CRM. The most important skills for a general sales manager are customer service, dealership, and customer satisfaction.
| Sales Program Manager | General Sales Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $103,116 | $118,744 |
| Hourly rate | $49.58 | $57.09 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 192,942 | 196,210 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
Sales program managers typically focus on a specific area with the aim of growing a company's existing account. They are responsible for working closely with a team of sales representatives to generate new business and identify prospects. Other duties include communicating with customers to offer a customized solution that meets their requirements, processing orders to ensure prompt delivery and accuracy, and developing top talent through coaching, mentoring, and skill development. Sales program managers are also expected to monitor, evaluate, and prepare reports of sales team performance.
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 program managers and general sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales Program Manager | General Sales Manager | |
| Average salary | $103,116 | $118,744 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $155,000 | Between $71,000 And $196,000 |
| Highest paying City | Everett, WA | Westport, CT |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Maine |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Professional |
There are a few differences between a sales program manager and a general sales manager in terms of educational background:
| Sales Program Manager | General Sales Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between sales program managers' and general sales managers' demographics:
| Sales Program Manager | General Sales Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.3% Female, 38.7% | Male, 85.5% Female, 14.5% |
| 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% |