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What is a senior territory sales manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted expert
Bill Thorne
The average senior territory sales manager salary is $120,580. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes 6-8 years of experience to become a senior territory sales manager. Senior territory sales managers with a Certified Sales Professional (CSP) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 23,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a senior territory sales manager?

Bill ThorneBill Thorne LinkedIn profile

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 Territory Sales ManagerUS Average
Salary
8.1

Avg. Salary $120,580

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 29.76%

male 70.24%

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

Senior territory sales manager career paths

Key steps to become a senior territory sales manager

  1. Explore senior territory sales manager education requirements

    Most common senior territory sales manager degrees

    Bachelor's

    85.0 %

    Master's

    8.2 %

    Associate

    5.3 %
  2. Start to develop specific senior territory sales manager skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Product Line14.20%
    Sales Growth9.08%
    Sales Training8.15%
    Sales Territory7.66%
    Client Relationships6.35%
  3. Complete relevant senior territory sales manager training and internships

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

    • Accomplish this by actively prospecting new business, maintaining accountability on all sales efforts, and actualizing attentiveness to detail.
    • Leverage strong expertise in specialty and primary care areas, including targeting, analyzing and leveraging business relationships for maximum ROI.
    • Develop new customers within the territory (OEM & MRO's).
    • Coach sales team on value-selling, including use of ROI and TCO spreadsheet for closing deals with higher close rates.
  5. Get senior territory sales manager experience

    Generally, it takes 6-8 years to become a senior territory sales manager. The most common roles before becoming a senior territory sales manager include sales representative, territory sales manager team lead and territory manager.
  6. Prepare your senior territory sales manager resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior territory sales manager resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior territory sales manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable senior territory sales manager resume templates

    Build a professional senior territory sales manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your senior territory sales manager resume.
    Senior Territory Sales Manager Resume
    Senior Territory Sales Manager Resume
    Senior Territory Sales Manager Resume
    Senior Territory Sales Manager Resume
    Senior Territory Sales Manager Resume
    Senior Territory Sales Manager Resume
    Senior Territory Sales Manager Resume
    Senior Territory Sales Manager Resume
    Senior Territory Sales Manager Resume
  7. Apply for senior territory sales manager jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a senior territory sales manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first senior territory sales manager job

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Average senior territory sales manager salary

The average senior territory sales manager salary in the United States is $120,580 per year or $58 per hour. Senior territory sales manager salaries range between $86,000 and $169,000 per year.

Average senior territory sales manager salary
$120,580 Yearly
$57.97 hourly

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How do senior territory sales managers rate their job?

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Senior territory sales manager reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020
Pros

Motivating people and helping to create success in each person's day. Honor God serve people in rich people's lives, pursue excellence in service.

Cons

Not enough time in each day to get everything accomplished.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2020
Pros

Semi-flexible work hours. You have a sales goal and customers to call on in order to achieve said goal, so you have some flexibility of your schedule.

Cons

The amount of travel required takes you away from home frequently. If you have a family, being away starts taking a toll on them and work/life balance suffers.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020
Pros

Coming in contact with people, motivating staff, making the numbers, profitability for everyone

Cons

I like everything


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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