Sales team leader vs head of sales

The differences between sales team leaders and heads of sales can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a sales team leader, becoming a head of sales takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a head of sales has an average salary of $166,100, which is higher than the $51,578 average annual salary of a sales team leader.

The top three skills for a sales team leader include sales floor, product knowledge and customer service. The most important skills for a head of sales are CRM, sales strategy, and sales organization.

Sales team leader vs head of sales overview

	Sales Team Leader	Head Of Sales
Yearly salary	$51,578	$166,100
Hourly rate	$24.80	$79.86
Growth rate	4%	5%
Number of jobs	227,509	112,592
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age	43	46
Years of experience	6	8

What does a sales team leader do?

A sales team leader oversees the sales operations within a particular area, ensuring to reach goals within the allotted time. They are primarily responsible for setting goals, devising sales strategies, evaluating sales team performance, assigning tasks, and providing support and corrective measures should there be any concerns. Furthermore, as a team leader, it is essential to encourage the sales force, shape them into valuable members of the company, and implement all of the organization's regulations and policies.

What does a head of sales do?

The head of sales is primarily responsible for overseeing the sales performance of a company and devising strategies to optimize practices. Their responsibilities typically revolve around monitoring the progress of every sales effort, setting objectives and deadlines, performing research and analysis to identify sales opportunities, and coordinating with different departments to improve procedures and reach sales targets. Furthermore, as the head of sales, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Sales team leader vs head of sales salary

Sales team leaders and heads of sales have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Sales Team Leader	Head Of Sales
Average salary	$51,578	$166,100
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $73,000	Between $110,000 And $248,000
Highest paying City	Middletown, NJ	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Vermont
Best paying company	Idera	Flexport
Best paying industry	Finance	Technology

Differences between sales team leader and head of sales education

There are a few differences between a sales team leader and a head of sales in terms of educational background:

	Sales Team Leader	Head Of Sales
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi	University of Southern California

Sales team leader vs head of sales demographics

Here are the differences between sales team leaders' and heads of sales' demographics:

	Sales Team Leader	Head Of Sales
Average age	43	46
Gender ratio	Male, 60.4% Female, 39.6%	Male, 66.5% Female, 33.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 6.9% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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	9%	7%

Differences between sales team leader and head of sales duties and responsibilities

Sales team leader example responsibilities.

Achieve proficiency in multitasking by performing multiple duties and managing differing responsibilities periodically.
Increase electronics sales and attainment goals on a quarterly basis, rank 4th in company in certain KPI.
Process cell phone contracts and sales through POS system while helping customers and using computer applications to complete transactions.
Facilitate developmental meetings and conversations with sales teams to discuss KPI and metrics like incremental sales and points of purchase.
Conduct PowerPoint training presentations for new and present members.
Open and closing the store, including counting cash, opening and closing POS's and creating staff assignments.

Head of sales example responsibilities.

Coordinate social media work (Facebook, apps, and social post within the managed brands).
Create, and manage social media initiatives.including facebook, twitter, instagram, pinterest, and youtube.3.
Full responsibility for all sales activities for a start-up electronic commerce company managing electronic data flow in the healthcare industry.
Establish the group sales strategy, group ceiling, and booking calendar for groups.
Initiate and execute a customer service development program, CRM implementation and adoption.
Advance c-level and senior relationships with brand, agency, networks and publishers.

Sales team leader vs head of sales skills

Common sales team leader skills

Sales Floor, 22%
Product Knowledge, 14%
Customer Service, 10%
Customer Satisfaction, 6%
Exceptional Client, 5%
KPI, 4%

Common head of sales skills

CRM, 8%
Sales Strategy, 7%
Sales Organization, 5%
Product Knowledge, 5%
Business Development, 5%
Sales Operations, 5%

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Sales Team Leader vs Head Of Sales

Updated January 8, 2025

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