How To Become A Vice President & Sales Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a vice president & sales manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Bill Thorne

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a vice president & sales manager. For example, did you know that they make an average of $52.06 an hour? That's $108,287 a year! 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 vice president & 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.

ScoreVice President & Sales ManagerUS Average

Salary

7.8

Avg. Salary $108,287

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 22.64%

male 77.36%

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

Key steps to become a vice president & sales manager

Explore vice president & sales manager education requirements

Most common vice president & sales manager degrees

Bachelor's

76.0 %

Master's

9.9 %

Associate

9.8 %

Start to develop specific vice president & sales manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Product Development	11.23%
Customer Service	10.21%
Sales Growth	7.80%
Business Development	6.03%
Client Relationships	4.87%

Complete relevant vice president & sales manager training and internships

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

Research vice president & sales manager duties and responsibilities

Cultivate and manage business relationships with wholesale distributors creating positive impact for newsstand product sell at retail.
Reverse negative relationship with distributors through personal relationship building, changes in sales execution, and implementation of new distributor programs.
Set targets, monitor, review and initiate action plans to achieve target KPI's.

Prepare your vice president & sales manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your vice president & 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 vice president & 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 vice president & sales manager resume templates

Build a professional vice president & 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 vice president & sales manager resume.

Apply for vice president & sales manager jobs

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

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

Average vice president & sales manager salary

The average vice president & sales manager salary in the United States is $108,287 per year or $52 per hour. Vice president & sales manager salaries range between $74,000 and $158,000 per year.

Average vice president & sales manager salary

$108,287 Yearly

$52.06 hourly

What is a vice president & sales manager and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a vice president & sales manager?

Vice president & sales manager career paths

Key steps to become a vice president & sales manager

Explore vice president & sales manager education requirements

Most common vice president & sales manager degrees

Start to develop specific vice president & sales manager skills

Complete relevant vice president & sales manager training and internships

Research vice president & sales manager duties and responsibilities

Prepare your vice president & sales manager resume

Choose from 10+ customizable vice president & sales manager resume templates

Apply for vice president & sales manager jobs

How did you land your first vice president & sales manager job

Average vice president & sales manager salary

How do vice president & sales managers rate their job?