Territory manager vs sales representative

The differences between territory managers and sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a territory manager, becoming a sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a territory manager has an average salary of $73,728, which is higher than the $56,591 average annual salary of a sales representative.

The top three skills for a territory manager include customer service, patients and product knowledge. The most important skills for a sales representative are sales process, product knowledge, and customer service.

Territory manager vs sales representative overview

	Territory Manager	Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$73,728	$56,591
Hourly rate	$35.45	$27.21
Growth rate	5%	4%
Number of jobs	106,325	205,456
Job satisfaction	4	4.33
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	46	47
Years of experience	8	4

What does a territory manager do?

A territory manager is responsible for monitoring the sales operations of the different sales team of an organization. One of the most crucial duties of a territory manager is to encourage the sales team to provide the best results for increasing the company's profitability. Territory managers are conducting sales training, improving marketing strategies and approach, reviewing sales pitches, analyzing current market trends, and reaching sales goals. Territory managers must display exceptional leadership and customer service skills to manage customers' needs and identify more business opportunities.

What does a sales representative do?

Sales representatives primarily sell the company's products and services to businesses or organizations. They should be adept at closing out sales, negotiating, and providing customer service. They should be knowledgeable about the products or services of the manufacturer or producer they represent. They must also have strong analytical skills that would help them in coming up with cost-benefit analysis in assessing the current roster of clients and even prospective ones. Sales representatives should also be able to maintain good working relationships with all involved stakeholders, especially clients.

Territory manager vs sales representative salary

Territory managers and sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Territory Manager	Sales Representative
Average salary	$73,728	$56,591
Salary range	Between $46,000 And $117,000	Between $33,000 And $94,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Massachusetts
Best paying company	FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies	Google
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Pharmaceutical

Differences between territory manager and sales representative education

There are a few differences between a territory manager and a sales representative in terms of educational background:

	Territory Manager	Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Southern California	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Territory manager vs sales representative demographics

Here are the differences between territory managers' and sales representatives' demographics:

	Territory Manager	Sales Representative
Average age	46	47
Gender ratio	Male, 71.3% Female, 28.7%	Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9%
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, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	7%	6%

Differences between territory manager and sales representative duties and responsibilities

Territory manager example responsibilities.

Achieve MVP in Q3 2003 and Q1 through Q4 2004.
Manage promotional budgets focusing on high ROI events, thus increasing sales at lower promotional cost.
Manage all aspects of TM specification, sales, order management and delivery of customer's orders.
Generate leads through internet research, marketing, trade show participation, internal department cross-selling, and referrals.
Manage all aspects of SalesForce CRM integration and administration throughout the entire sales department
Achieve profitable relationships with current and prospective customers by providing exceptional customer support through attentiveness and extensive product knowledge.

Sales representative example responsibilities.

Manage prospective leads and existing accounts through a CRM platform to accurately forecast revenue and develop long-term business partnerships.
Manage and create all content distribute via various social media outlets: Facebook, twitter, feedback blogs, etc.
Search for procurement contracts, attend trade shows, design flyers, postcards, etc.
Utilize POS sales software to maintain monetary sales information produce reports for organizational review.
Develop and maintain business relationships with businesses and policyholders using establish methods such as customer relationship management CRM.
Handle administrative and sales duties as Jr.

Territory manager vs sales representative skills

Common territory manager skills

Customer Service, 13%
Patients, 8%
Product Knowledge, 7%
Work Ethic, 7%
CRM, 5%
Excellent Interpersonal, 4%

Common sales representative skills

Sales Process, 9%
Product Knowledge, 9%
Customer Service, 7%
CRM, 6%
Business Development, 6%
Sales REP, 5%

Territory Manager vs. similar jobs

Territory Manager related careers

Territory Manager related jobs

Territory Manager jobs by location

Zippia Careers
Executive Management Industry
Territory Manager
Territory Manager vs Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse executive management jobs