Sales program manager vs outside sales manager

The differences between sales program managers and outside 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 an outside sales manager. Additionally, a sales program manager has an average salary of $103,116, which is higher than the $84,408 average annual salary of an outside sales manager.

The top three skills for a sales program manager include program management, project management and CRM. The most important skills for an outside sales manager are product knowledge, CRM, and customer service.

Sales program manager vs outside sales manager overview

	Sales Program Manager	Outside Sales Manager
Yearly salary	$103,116	$84,408
Hourly rate	$49.58	$40.58
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	192,942	138,054
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	8	8

What does a sales program manager do?

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.

What does an outside sales manager do?

An outside sales manager is responsible for monitoring the sales staff performance in selling goods and services to existing and potential clients and ensuring that the team meets sales objectives. Outside sales managers set reasonable sales targets and establish techniques to maximize the staff's efficiency and productivity. They regularly connect with the clients to determine their needs and make any adjustments to business plans as needed. An outside sales manager should have excellent knowledge of the current market trends to identify business opportunities that would generate more revenues and resources.

Sales program manager vs outside sales manager salary

Sales program managers and outside sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Sales Program Manager	Outside Sales Manager
Average salary	$103,116	$84,408
Salary range	Between $68,000 And $155,000	Between $51,000 And $138,000
Highest paying City	Everett, WA	Albany, NY
Highest paying state	Washington	Hawaii
Best paying company	Meta	Dominion Enterprises
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Finance

Differences between sales program manager and outside sales manager education

There are a few differences between a sales program manager and an outside sales manager in terms of educational background:

	Sales Program Manager	Outside 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

Sales program manager vs outside sales manager demographics

Here are the differences between sales program managers' and outside sales managers' demographics:

	Sales Program Manager	Outside Sales Manager
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 61.3% Female, 38.7%	Male, 79.1% Female, 20.9%
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%

Differences between sales program manager and outside sales manager duties and responsibilities

Sales program manager example responsibilities.

Manage year-long project with outside consultant to identify a new ERP system.
Manage CRM systems supporting the opportunity tracking, forecasting and decision support processes utilize by the global sales and marketing teams.
Champion investment in third-party events with guarantee multiple one-to-one meetings that deliver ROI, to increase pipeline of highly qualify leads.
Manage program budgets, research, technical/system requirements, logistics, life-cycle, training and technology transfer/reliability solutions, recommending acquisitions.
Create brochures, PowerPoint presentations, and animate sales material.
Update SCORM specifications of existing eLearning courses for publication to new LMS.

Outside sales manager example responsibilities.

Manage a team of sales executives to establish and maintain professional relationships with healthcare professionals in their prospective territories.
Develop a complete marketing program where none previously exist, now serves as CRM base for company.
Used CRM tools in order to provide current and detail information relate to activities, opportunity pipeline, and close business.
Channele marketing through the establishment of international distributors servicing Mexico (Hermosillo, Mexicali, and Tijuana) and Korea.
Plan and schedule work perform by HVAC technicians.
Educate and present new approach to facility managers and plant managers including ROI analysis.

Sales program manager vs outside sales manager skills

Common sales program manager skills

Program Management, 10%
Project Management, 9%
CRM, 8%
Sales Process, 5%
HR, 5%
Logistics, 4%

Common outside sales manager skills

Product Knowledge, 12%
CRM, 10%
Customer Service, 10%
Sales Territory, 7%
Sales Strategies, 4%
Sales Growth, 3%

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Sales Program Manager
Sales Program Manager vs Outside Sales Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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