How long does it take to become a senior sales rep?

It takes between eight to ten years to become a senior sales manager. This includes earning a four-year bachelor's degree and having at least four to six years of sales experience with some time spent in supervisor and or managerial roles.

How many years does it take to become a sales manager?

It takes 3 to 5 years to become a sales manager. A sales manager is expected to have some formal education, as well as some work experience. Most sales managers have a bachelor's degree in management, marketing; accounting; finance; economics; or statistics. In some cases having an associate's degree with an adequate amount of work experience is all that is needed.

What is a senior sales manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Bill Thorne,

Felicia Hodges

A senior sales manager is an individual who leads a team of sales representatives and manages the sales process for a company. They are responsible for developing sales strategies, setting sales goals, and monitoring performance metrics to ensure targets are met. Additionally, they build and maintain relationships with key customers, negotiate contracts, and collaborate with other departments to ensure customer satisfaction. A senior sales manager also analyzes market trends and competitor activity to identify opportunities for growth. Effective communication, leadership, and strategic planning skills are essential for success in this role.

What general advice would you give to a senior sales 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.

ScoreSenior Sales ManagerUS Average

Salary

8.7

Avg. Salary $140,662

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 38.57%

male 61.43%

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

What are the pros and cons of being a senior sales manager?

Pros

High earning potential
Opportunities for advancement
Challenging and dynamic work
Ability to lead and mentor a team
Variety of tasks and responsibilities

Cons

High pressure environment with demanding targets
Long working hours and high stress levels
Constant need to maintain high performance levels
Balancing the needs of the company with those of clients and customers
Frequent rejection and disappointment when sales goals are not met

Key steps to become a senior sales manager

Explore senior sales manager education requirements

Most common senior sales manager degrees

Bachelor's

73.2 %

Associate

10.4 %

Master's

9.7 %

Start to develop specific senior sales manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Satisfaction	16.91%
Sales Process	16.39%
Customer Service	5.33%
Sales Training	4.28%
Sales Performance	4.00%

Complete relevant senior sales manager training and internships

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

Research senior sales manager duties and responsibilities

Develop new business leads, signing new corporate and business group (SMERF) contracts.
Communicate and manage expectations by fully utilizing available reports, CRM technologies and available resources.
Leverage other sales office resources and administrative/support staff to achieve personal and team relate revenue goals.
Full responsibility for all sales activities for a start-up electronic commerce company managing electronic data flow in the healthcare industry.

Get senior sales manager experience

Generally, it takes 6-8 years to become a senior sales manager. The most common roles before becoming a senior sales manager include sales manager, account executive team lead and director of sales.

Prepare your senior sales manager resume

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