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The differences between senior sales 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 senior sales manager and an outside sales manager. Additionally, a senior sales manager has an average salary of $140,662, which is higher than the $84,408 average annual salary of an outside sales manager.
The top three skills for a senior sales manager include customer satisfaction, sales process and customer service. The most important skills for an outside sales manager are product knowledge, CRM, and customer service.
| Senior Sales Manager | Outside Sales Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $140,662 | $84,408 |
| Hourly rate | $67.63 | $40.58 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 115,070 | 138,054 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
Senior sales managers take the lead in handling sales operations in the organization. They supervise the activities performed by the junior sales management team. It is their responsibility to maximize the potential of the sales team, establish sales plans, and justify these plans to superior management. They aim to expand the customer base of the company and its strong presence in the market. The skills these managers should have include leadership, organization, communication, and the ability to recruit talented sales agents.
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.
Senior sales managers and outside sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Sales Manager | Outside Sales Manager | |
| Average salary | $140,662 | $84,408 |
| Salary range | Between $95,000 And $206,000 | Between $51,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Albany, NY |
| Highest paying state | Maine | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Leprino Foods | Dominion Enterprises |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior sales manager and an outside sales manager in terms of educational background:
| Senior Sales Manager | Outside Sales Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between senior sales managers' and outside sales managers' demographics:
| Senior Sales Manager | Outside Sales Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.4% Female, 38.6% | 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% |