What is a sales supervisor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Bill Thorne,

John Tobon

A sales supervisor is an individual who leads a team of salespeople to achieve business goals. They are responsible for managing and motivating their team, providing training and coaching, and developing strategies to increase revenue. They must have strong communication skills, leadership abilities, and a deep understanding of sales techniques and customer behavior. They should be able to inspire their team to meet or exceed targets while maintaining high levels of professionalism and customer service.

What general advice would you give to a sales supervisor?

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 SupervisorUS Average

Salary

3.2

Avg. Salary $40,860

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

8.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.65%

Asian 6.95%

Black or African American 8.47%

Hispanic or Latino 17.91%

Unknown 4.65%

White 61.37%

Gender

female 42.83%

male 57.17%

Age - 42

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 - 42

Stress level

9.4

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.2

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a sales supervisor?

Pros

Opportunity for leadership and management experience
Potential for high earning with commission and bonuses
Training and development opportunities to improve skills and knowledge
Ability to work in a fast-paced and dynamic environment
Chance to be creative in developing new sales tactics and approaches

Cons

High pressure job with intense competition and targets to meet
Long hours, including evenings and weekends
Can be stressful dealing with difficult customers or clients
May be required to manage underperforming team members, which can be challenging
Constant need to adapt and change strategies depending on market conditions.

Key steps to become a sales supervisor

Explore sales supervisor education requirements

Most common sales supervisor degrees

Bachelor's

55.6 %

Associate

19.3 %

High School Diploma

15.3 %

Start to develop specific sales supervisor skills

Skills	Percentages
Ladders	17.90%
Sales Floor	9.95%
Inventory Control	7.42%
Sales Training	6.51%
Loss Prevention	3.58%

Complete relevant sales supervisor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New sales supervisors 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 supervisor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real sales supervisor resumes.

Research sales supervisor duties and responsibilities

Create and lead staff development sessions on solution selling techniques/running effective promotions/POS execution/trade math.
Train new employees and insurance agents about Medicare and AlohaCare's procedures in promoting its senior plans.
Assist in visual merchandise, floor moves, inventory, stock, mark downs, POS transactions, online orders and delivery
Increase availability and visibility of brands on POS of assign territory.

Prepare your sales supervisor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your sales supervisor resume.

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