Sales Managers

7.1/10 job score
AUTOMATION RISK
30%
risk level
POLLING
GROWTH
5.1%
by 2031
WAGES
$127,490
or $61.29 hourly
VOLUME
453,800
as of 2021

What is the risk of automation?

We calculate this occupation to have an automation risk score of 30% (Start worrying)

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated
Qualities required for this occupation:
Persuasion
Negotiation
Social Perceptiveness
Originality
Key
very important
quite important
[Show all metrics]

What do you think the risk of automation is?

How likely do you think this occupation will be taken over by robots/AI within the next 20 years?





How quickly is this occupation growing?

The number of 'Sales Managers' job openings is expected to rise 5.1% by 2031
'Sales Managers' is expected to be an average growing occupation in comparison to other occupations.
* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2021 and 2031.
Updated projections are due Sep 2023.

What are the median wages for 'Sales Managers' in the United States?

In 2021 the median annual wage for 'Sales Managers' was $127,490, or $61.29 hourly
'Sales Managers' are paid 178.6% higher than the national median wage, which stands at $45,760
* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

How many people are employed as sales managers?

As of 2021 there were 453,800 people employed as Sales Managers within the United States.
This represents around 0.32% of the employed workforce across the country.
Put another way, around 1 in 310 people are employed as Sales Managers.

Job description

Plan, direct, or coordinate the actual distribution or movement of a product or service to the customer. Coordinate sales distribution by establishing sales territories, quotas, and goals and establish training programs for sales representatives. Analyze sales statistics gathered by staff to determine sales potential and inventory requirements and monitor the preferences of customers.

SOC Code: 11-2022.00

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Comments

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Ben Lincoln (Small chance) says
Leaders will never be replaced by robots
May 27, 2021 at 09:16 PM
Vera says
I am a sales manager and I don't think that a computer could do this job better than me.
Dec 28, 2020 at 04:29 PM
Sales Manager (Highly likely) says
The role is basically of relationship management and is relevant only if there is a human with discretionary power on the purchasing side...with increasing transparency and control over purchase, more of this activity will become data driven and programmatic. Sales managers roles will be reduced and redefined to key account management.
Dec 26, 2020 at 11:10 AM
Vincent Fortune (Could go either way) says
I feel like it could go either way because technology is increasing each and everyday but being a sales manager requires traits such as leadership, passion, motivation, etc. so it can go both ways.
Sep 11, 2020 at 02:42 PM
Jaro Tomik says
As a Sales Manager, I can see how certain parts of the job (e.g. paperwork or back office tasks) can be and to a degree are automated - e.g. BI, pipeline, CRM information recording, sales prediction, parts of procurement processes, streamlining contract creation, customer access to trials and demos, maybe even sales strategy to a degree...I see the job being primarily about creating, enabling and nurturing human to human and organisation to organisation connections and relationships that lead to challenge resolution via win-win situations, and therefore very difficult to automate. However, for certain sectors where Sales Managers' products are heavily productised, not too complex or in a need of heavy customisation, customers may opt to purchase products via online orders. Therefore, there may not be that much need for coordination of resources or sales distribution, leading to less of these (and other non-consultative sales) jobs available.
Jul 28, 2020 at 11:51 AM
Eramir Fernandes Jr. (Small chance) says
Human Relationship is Key to this job.
Feb 15, 2020 at 06:50 PM
Waldemar (Small chance) says
A lot of tasks in this job are human related and I really doubt any buyer could be satisfied by a an artificial intelligence on this position.
Jan 22, 2020 at 02:34 PM
Colin Freeman (Highly likely) says
The Sales Manager will be replaced by AI. / ML models within 5 - 10 years.

Forecasting, coaching, motivation, reporting, recruitment & advisory parts of the role can and will be available without humans in 10 years max... However - empathy, eq and the ability to interact at a higher level with customers will not be replace - so maybe the role will change into another type in the same timeframe.
Oct 18, 2019 at 02:18 PM
Colin Freeman (Highly likely) says
The Sales Manager will be replaced by AI. / ML models within 5 - 10 years.

Forecasting, coaching, motivation, reporting, recruitment & advisory parts of the role can and will be available without humans in 10 years max...
Oct 18, 2019 at 02:16 PM
Rogerio (No chance) says
I'm a sales manager on IT recruitment/allocation. I believe it can't be done by any AI or Robot, since the sales process includes a lot of contact with our client and the professional, since there's a lot effort to conquer their trust.
Oct 14, 2019 at 03:41 AM
Tony (Small chance) says
Never say never but sales is a very human profession that requires skills in verbal and non-verbal communication, judgement (often in the moment) and a large degree of empathy. Its hard to see AI doing these well (if at all) during the next 20 years. That said, there is also a lot of inefficiency in the sales process, so bring on the tools and bots that can help streamline the process.
Aug 28, 2019 at 11:40 PM
Iván Giraldo (Likely) says
You can plan and execute sales strategies using automated analytics platforms, and demand driven technologies.
Aug 14, 2019 at 07:04 AM
Simonofski (No chance) says
as it requires adaptive flexibility, innovation and skill to do plus it deals with people
May 19, 2019 at 07:37 AM
Marco Hernandez (No chance) says
The market trends change very fast and the most skilled sales managers do their job or take their decisions based many times in intuition, the real definition of intuition, is not that easy to react that fast based on pure data.
Apr 09, 2019 at 05:05 PM
Renato says
I'm a sales manager, and I can not see a computer with this capability
Apr 03, 2019 at 01:44 AM

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