How To Become A General Sales Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a general sales manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

Bill Thorne

Going into stores, you might think sales managers have it easy. After all, they have sales officers and sales associates working on the floor for them. You might think that it's all about telling people what to do, sitting back, and waiting for the day to end. You could not be more wrong.

What general advice would you give to a General 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.

ScoreGeneral Sales ManagerUS Average

Salary

8.1

Avg. Salary $118,744

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 14.49%

male 85.51%

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

Newest jobs for General Sales Manager in ,

Receive alerts for the newest job postings.

Key steps to become a general sales manager

Explore general sales manager education requirements

Most common general sales manager degrees

Bachelor's

63.2 %

Associate

16.1 %

High School Diploma

9.2 %

Start to develop specific general sales manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	14.76%
Dealership	12.25%
Customer Satisfaction	6.18%
Sales Management	5.55%
Sales Process	4.03%

Complete relevant general sales manager training and internships

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

Research general sales manager duties and responsibilities

Manage financial bookkeeping for the company using Quickbooks.
Manage hotel through complete interior/exterior renovation and flag change to IHG brand.
Develop new sales leads for group, LNR corporate, and leisure travel.
Manage all LNR and CRN rates in accordance with brand standards and hotel needs.

Prepare your general sales manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your general 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 general 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 General Sales Manager Resume templates

Build a professional General 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 General Sales Manager resume.

Apply for general sales manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a general 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

How do general sales managers rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

General Sales Manager reviews

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.

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

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019

Pros

Working and meeting new people. Helping customers with their purchases. Helping employees better themselves and their sales processes.

Cons

Nothing

What is a general sales manager and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a General Sales Manager?

Newest jobs for General Sales Manager in ,

General Sales Manager career paths

Key steps to become a general sales manager

Explore general sales manager education requirements

Most common general sales manager degrees

Start to develop specific general sales manager skills

Complete relevant general sales manager training and internships

Research general sales manager duties and responsibilities

Prepare your general sales manager resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable General Sales Manager Resume templates

Apply for general sales manager jobs

How Did You Land Your First General Sales Manager Job

Average general sales manager salary

How do general sales managers rate their job?

General Sales Manager reviews