How To Become A Sales Promotion Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a sales promotion manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Bill Thorne

The average sales promotion manager salary is $72,371. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes 6-8 years of experience to become a sales promotion manager. Sales promotion managers with a Certified Sales Professional (CSP) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 23,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a sales promotion manager?

Bill Thorne

Executive Director of the NRF Foundation and Senior Vice President of Communication and Public Affairs of NRF, National Retail Federation

Retail is the largest private-sector employer in the country, directly employing 32 million people and supporting 52 million jobs overall - roughly one-quarter of the U.S. workforce. While COVID-19 has presented new and unexpected challenges, retailers have continued to showcase the industry's resilience and adaptability time and again. The safety and security of customers and employees remains our greatest priority. It is no doubt that the professional environment has changed this year, but retail continues to offer a plethora of career opportunities for graduates and seasoned veterans alike.

ScoreSales Promotion ManagerUS Average

Salary

5.7

Avg. Salary $72,371

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.4

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.24%

Asian 4.07%

Black or African American 3.24%

Hispanic or Latino 9.82%

Unknown 4.41%

White 78.23%

Gender

female 45.17%

male 54.83%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

6.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.4

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a sales promotion manager

Explore sales promotion manager education requirements

Most common sales promotion manager degrees

Bachelor's

74.9 %

Associate

11.2 %

Master's

7.1 %

Start to develop specific sales promotion manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Product Knowledge	23.19%
Sales Promotions	9.06%
Trade Shows	4.76%
Promotional Materials	4.45%
POS	4.27%

Complete relevant sales promotion manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New sales promotion managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a sales promotion manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real sales promotion manager resumes.

Research sales promotion manager duties and responsibilities

Leverage other sales office resources and administrative/support staff to achieve personal and team relate revenue goals.
Prepare presentation using PowerPoint for submission to CEO.
Create collateral materials, newsletters, direct mail and Powerpoint presentations.
Provide weekly sales numbers, ROI forms, and expenses reports to management.

Apply for sales promotion manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a sales promotion manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do sales promotion managers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Sales promotion manager reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020

Pros

Motivating people and helping to create success in each person's day. Honor God serve people in rich people's lives, pursue excellence in service.

Cons

Not enough time in each day to get everything accomplished.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020

Pros

Coming in contact with people, motivating staff, making the numbers, profitability for everyone

Cons

I like everything

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019

Pros

Working and meeting new people. Helping customers with their purchases. Helping employees better themselves and their sales processes.

Cons

Nothing

What is a sales promotion manager and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a sales promotion manager?

Sales promotion manager career paths

Key steps to become a sales promotion manager

Explore sales promotion manager education requirements

Most common sales promotion manager degrees

Start to develop specific sales promotion manager skills

Complete relevant sales promotion manager training and internships

Research sales promotion manager duties and responsibilities

Apply for sales promotion manager jobs

How did you land your first sales promotion manager job

Average sales promotion manager salary

How do sales promotion managers rate their job?

Sales promotion manager reviews