Sales Manager jobs: skills, pay and how to get hired
Updated 5 Nov 2026. Figures from the jobs in our search, not the whole market.
Contents
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What a sales manager does
A sales manager is measured on one thing above all: revenue against a target, the quota. To reach it, the work runs in a loop. Find companies or people with a problem the product solves, check whether they can and will buy, run the deal through demos, proposals and negotiation, and close it. Then keep the customer, because the second sale costs far less than the first.
The title covers two jobs. Many ads mean a seller who carries a personal quota, from small deals in a few weeks to large contracts over many months. Others mean a team lead who hires and coaches sellers, runs the forecast and answers for the team's number. The ladder runs from account executive to sales director, VP of sales and CRO, the chief revenue officer; see the career paths.
The skills the ads ask for
We read a sample of the ads every day and count the skills they name. On a computer, hover a skill in the text to see its share; on a phone, the table has the same figures.
| Skill | Share of ads | What is expected |
|---|---|---|
| Sales | 83% | Find buyers, qualify them, run the deal from first call to signature, and hit a number every quarter. |
| CRM | 12% | Log every deal, contact and next step in the customer system, so the forecast rests on facts. |
| Negotiation | 4% | Trade concessions for something in return, hold price, and close terms both sides will keep. |
| Salesforce | 4% | The CRM many sales teams run on: opportunities, stages, forecasts and the reports leaders read. |
| Customer orientation | 6% | Understand the customer's business well enough to sell what helps them, and keep them after the sale. |
| HubSpot | 1% | A CRM and automation tool popular with smaller firms: deals, sequences of emails and the pipeline view. |
| Leadership | 31% | Hire, coach and keep sellers, run the weekly pipeline review, and carry the team's number. |
| Driving licence | 4% | Field sales jobs in many countries need a licence, often with a company car for customer visits. |
| Excel | 7% | Build territory and quota models, commission checks and quick analyses of the pipeline. |
| Microsoft 365 | 23% | Outlook, Teams, Word and PowerPoint: the daily tools of proposals, calls and meetings. |
| Communication skills | 20% | Listen more than you talk, ask sharp questions, and write a proposal a busy buyer reads to the end. |
| English | 38% | The language of international deals, global CRMs and most sales training. |
| German | 42% | Asked in most ads in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, where customers buy in German. |
Shares of the sales manager ads we read in the last 7 days, as of 5 Nov 2026. Our ads, not the whole market.
Selling itself leads: winning new businessAsked in 83% of sales manager ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Find buyers, qualify them, run the deal from first call to signature, and hit a number every quarter., negotiationAsked in 4% of sales manager ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Trade concessions for something in return, hold price, and close terms both sides will keep. and understanding the customerAsked in 6% of sales manager ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Understand the customer's business well enough to sell what helps them, and keep them after the sale.. Next come the systems: a CRMAsked in 12% of sales manager ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Log every deal, contact and next step in the customer system, so the forecast rests on facts., most often SalesforceAsked in 4% of sales manager ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).The CRM many sales teams run on: opportunities, stages, forecasts and the reports leaders read. or HubSpotAsked in 1% of sales manager ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).A CRM and automation tool popular with smaller firms: deals, sequences of emails and the pipeline view., where every deal and next step is kept, and ExcelAsked in 7% of sales manager ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Build territory and quota models, commission checks and quick analyses of the pipeline. for territory plans and commission checks. Field jobs add a driving licenceAsked in 4% of sales manager ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Field sales jobs in many countries need a licence, often with a company car for customer visits..
Team lead ads add leading sellersAsked in 31% of sales manager ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Hire, coach and keep sellers, run the weekly pipeline review, and carry the team's number. and reading the pipeline figuresAsked in 2% of sales manager ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Read win rates, cycle length and deal size by segment, and act on what the figures show.. The soft skills are named in almost every ad, but in sales they are the job: listening and askingAsked in 20% of sales manager ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Listen more than you talk, ask sharp questions, and write a proposal a busy buyer reads to the end., and a demo that answers the buyer's problemGive a demo or a pitch that answers the buyer's problem, not a tour of every feature.. Languages follow the customers: EnglishAsked in 38% of sales manager ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).The language of international deals, global CRMs and most sales training. for international accounts, GermanAsked in 42% of sales manager ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Asked in most ads in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, where customers buy in German. in most ads in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Where the jobs are, country by country
Each country below has its own figures: which cities have the most jobs in our list, whether the number is clearly up or down, how often ads offer remote or hybrid work, the titles and rules that differ there, and pay ranges from published research, in the local currency.
Germany
10% of the ads offer hybrid work, and 30% are fully remote.
Pay (Base salary)
- Entry level: €38,500 to €47,200 a year
- Mid-level: €47,200 to €65,600 a year
- Senior: €69,000 to €106,000 a year
Total pay: German sales jobs add a variable part, commission (Provision) or a bonus, and field jobs often a company car. Payscale gives sales directors bonuses of about €7,000 to €52,000 and commission of about €30,000 to €60,000 a year.
StepStone gives a Vertriebsleiter about €64,000 to €85,200. Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf pay the most (Indeed, StepStone).
Sources: StepStone: Sales Manager (2026), StepStone: Vertriebsleiter (2026), Payscale: sales director (Sep 2026), Indeed (Oct 2026).
Pay researched on 27 Oct 2026.
Titles: German ads say Vertriebsleiter for the head of a sales team, Key Account Manager for the seller of the largest customers, Außendienst for field sales with customer visits and Innendienst for sales from the office. Vertriebsmitarbeiter is the general word for a seller.
Field sales: many German Außendienst jobs come with a company car that may also be used privately, so a driving licenceAsked in 4% of sales manager ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Field sales jobs in many countries need a licence, often with a company car for customer visits. is often asked for. A self-employed sales agent, a Handelsvertreter under the German HGB, is not an employee and is paid by commission alone.
The rules: German law on unfair competition, the UWG, forbids cold calls to consumers without their prior consent, and calls to businesses need at least a fair reason to assume interest.
Job figures as of 5 Nov 2026.
United States
11% of the ads offer hybrid work, and 57% are fully remote.
98% of the ads that say are full-time.
Pay (Base salary)
- Entry level: $47,000 to $70,500 a year
- Mid-level: $73,000 to $124,000 a year
- Senior: $119,000 to $178,000 a year
Total pay: sales managers earn variable pay on top of the base. Payscale gives them commission of about $3,000 to $60,000 and bonuses of about $1,000 to $34,000 a year; Indeed gives an average commission of about $25,200. Sales directors' total pay reaches about $206,000.
The BLS counts the managers who direct sales teams, with commission included: its lowest tenth earns below $73,170. Irvine and New York pay the most (Indeed).
Sources: Payscale: account executive (Oct 2026), Payscale: sales manager (Mar 2025), Payscale: sales director (Sep 2026), Indeed (Oct 2026), BLS, sales managers (May 2025).
Pay researched on 27 Oct 2026.
Pay plans: US sales ads usually state OTE, the base plus the commission paid at full quota. Some states, such as California, require the commission plan to be in writing.
Titles: US software and services firms split the work: development reps book first meetings, account executives close deals, and account managers grow existing customers.
Job figures as of 5 Nov 2026.
United Kingdom
8% of the ads offer hybrid work, and 38% are fully remote.
Pay (Base salary)
- Entry level: £22,000 to £28,500 a year
- Mid-level: £34,000 to £52,000 a year
- Senior: £70,000 to £116,000 a year
Total pay: variable pay is a large part of UK sales pay. Payscale gives sales managers commission of about £3,000 to £29,000 and bonuses of up to about £15,000 a year; sales directors' total pay runs about £44,000 to £133,000.
Indeed gives sales managers about £28,500 to £75,400; Manchester and Oxford pay the most there.
Sources: Payscale: account executive (May 2026), Payscale: sales manager (Jan 2024), Payscale: sales director (Oct 2026), Indeed (Oct 2026).
Pay researched on 27 Oct 2026.
Titles: UK ads use business development manager for new customers and account manager for existing ones; field roles often add a car allowance.
The rules: the UK Bribery Act makes a company liable if it fails to prevent bribery by people acting for it, so gifts and hospitality for customers follow written rules.
Job figures as of 5 Nov 2026.
Switzerland
1% of the ads offer hybrid work, and 89% are fully remote.
Pay (Base salary)
- Entry level: CHF 53,750 to CHF 72,950 a year
- Mid-level: CHF 72,950 to CHF 100,000 a year
- Senior: CHF 100,000 to CHF 137,000 a year
Total pay: Swiss sales jobs usually add commission or a bonus for results. Payscale gives sales directors bonuses of about CHF 23,000 to CHF 35,000 and commission of up to about CHF 27,000 a year, from few salaries.
Lohncheck's range assumes thirteen monthly salaries a year. Zurich, Zug and Bern are among the best-paying cities (Indeed).
Sources: Indeed (Oct 2026), Lohncheck (2026), Payscale: sales director (Jul 2026).
Pay researched on 27 Oct 2026.
Languages: customers are served in their own language, so ads ask for GermanAsked in 42% of sales manager ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Asked in most ads in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, where customers buy in German. or FrenchAsked in 2% of sales manager ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Asked for sales jobs in western Switzerland and for customers in France or Belgium., often both, and EnglishAsked in 38% of sales manager ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).The language of international deals, global CRMs and most sales training. for international accounts. Many Swiss sales jobs cover one language region rather than the whole country.
Job figures as of 5 Nov 2026.
India
3% of the ads offer hybrid work, and 44% are fully remote.
Pay (Base salary)
- Entry level: ₹3.03 lakh to ₹4.28 lakh a year
- Mid-level: ₹6.09 lakh to ₹10 lakh a year
- Senior: ₹10 lakh to ₹28.3 lakh a year
Total pay: Indian sales jobs pay incentives on targets. Payscale gives sales managers commission of about ₹11,000 to ₹4.9 lakh and bonuses of about ₹20,000 to ₹4.9 lakh a year; sales directors' commission reaches about ₹40 lakh.
Bengaluru and Gurugram pay the most (Indeed); Indeed's Indian figures come mostly from junior posts.
Sources: Payscale: sales manager (Nov 2024), Payscale: sales director (Oct 2026), Indeed (May 2026).
Pay researched on 27 Oct 2026.
Titles: Indian ads say area sales manager or regional sales manager for a territory, often selling through distributors and dealers, and key account manager for large customers.
The rules: every invoice in India carries GST, the goods and services tax, so sales teams quote prices with the tax shown and know the rate of their products.
Job figures as of 5 Nov 2026.
Your CV for a sales manager job
Sales leaders read a CV the way they read a forecast: they look for the number. Hiring software reads it first, on the words of the ad, so the CV has to pass both.
Use the keywords the ads use
- Name the work as sales ads do: "new business", "key account management", "pipeline", "forecast", "quota", "B2B", "solution selling", "territory". The skills table above shows which keywords the ads use most.
- Say which systems you worked in and how: "kept the full pipeline in SalesforceAsked in 4% of sales manager ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).The CRM many sales teams run on: opportunities, stages, forecasts and the reports leaders read.", "built email sequences in HubSpotAsked in 1% of sales manager ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).A CRM and automation tool popular with smaller firms: deals, sequences of emails and the pipeline view.".
- Give the deal context in a few words: what you sold, to whom, typical deal size, and how long the sales cycle ran.
- A sales course you have not finished goes in as "in progress", with the month you expect to end it.
Prove each skill
The proof in sales is quota attainment: the share of your target you reached, year by year, and where you ranked in the team. Add deal size, new logos, which are new customers, and renewals.
| Skill | Weak line | Strong line, with proof |
|---|---|---|
| New businessAsked in 83% of sales manager ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Find buyers, qualify them, run the deal from first call to signature, and hit a number every quarter. | Responsible for acquiring new customers. | Won 31 new logos in the mid-market in 2025, 118 percent of quota, second of 12 account executives. |
| NegotiationAsked in 4% of sales manager ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Trade concessions for something in return, hold price, and close terms both sides will keep. | Strong negotiator. | Closed a 3-year contract worth 1.4 million euros at an average discount of 8 percent against a team norm of 15. |
| Key accounts | Managed key accounts. | Grew 6 key accounts from 2.1 to 3.0 million euros a year by selling a second product line into each. |
| CRMAsked in 12% of sales manager ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Log every deal, contact and next step in the customer system, so the forecast rests on facts. | Good with CRM systems. | Cleaned up the team's Salesforce stages and next steps; the quarterly forecast came within 5 percent of the result. |
| Team leadAsked in 31% of sales manager ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Hire, coach and keep sellers, run the weekly pipeline review, and carry the team's number. | Led a sales team. | Led 7 sellers to 104 percent of the team quota; 5 of 7 reached their own quota, up from 2. |
Write each year's attainment even when one was weak; a gap makes readers guess, and they guess low. Never round a team's result up to your own.
How we read our data
- The jobs: the sales manager jobs in our job search, matched the same way the search matches them. Our list is not the whole market, so we give shares and rankings, never counts.
- The skills: we read a sample of the ads every day and count the skills in them with a fixed word list. We keep only the counts, never the ad text.
- Pay: from published salary research, with each source and its date, as a range from entry level to senior. It is not worked out from our ads.
- Dates: every figure is worked out again each day, and shows the day it was worked out.
Frequently asked questions
- What does a sales manager do?
- Wins and keeps customers against a revenue target, the quota, and in team lead roles hires and coaches the sellers and runs the forecast.
- What is OTE in a sales job?
- On-target earnings: the base salary plus the variable pay you get when you reach exactly the full quota.
- Which tools do sales ads ask for?
- A CRM, most often Salesforce or HubSpot, plus Excel and the office tools for proposals and calls.
- Do I need a degree to work in sales?
- Many ads ask for one, but a record of reaching quota counts for more than the subject you studied.
- What should a sales manager CV show first?
- Quota attainment for each year, deal size and new customers, then the tools and the words the ad uses.
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