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The differences between senior sales managers and sales development managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a senior sales manager, becoming a sales development manager takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior sales manager has an average salary of $140,662, which is higher than the $102,790 average annual salary of a sales development manager.
The top three skills for a senior sales manager include customer satisfaction, sales process and customer service. The most important skills for a sales development manager are SDR, salesforce, and customer service.
| Senior Sales Manager | Sales Development Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $140,662 | $102,790 |
| Hourly rate | $67.63 | $49.42 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 115,070 | 171,101 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 46 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 4 |
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.
Sales Development Managers oversee a specific function in the sales department. They are in charge of creating sales pitches, communication tools, and strategies to boost the company's sales performance. They may be assigned to do these activities for a specific product or service or for the whole product line of the organization. Sales Development Managers are also expected to create branding images that will help their sales strategies. They are required to fully understand the company's history, image, and target market. This will ensure that the branding and sales strategies they create are in line with the company's values.
Senior sales managers and sales development managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Sales Manager | Sales Development Manager | |
| Average salary | $140,662 | $102,790 |
| Salary range | Between $95,000 And $206,000 | Between $66,000 And $157,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maine | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Leprino Foods | Everyday Health |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a senior sales manager and a sales development manager in terms of educational background:
| Senior Sales Manager | Sales Development Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between senior sales managers' and sales development managers' demographics:
| Senior Sales Manager | Sales Development Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.4% Female, 38.6% | Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2% |
| 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, 10.4% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 4.4% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 18% |