Is a relationship manager a good job?

Yes, being a relationship manager is a good job. Relationship managers play a critical role in companies serving as the liaison between corporate leadership and the customer base. Although this job does come with its own set of challenges, relationship managers make great money and are in a great position to advance their careers.

What does a relationship manager do?

A relationship manager works on the front line interacting with customers, helping the company deliver the best product/service to their customers. The ultimate duties of a relationship are in forming and maintaining connections with business clients to drive sales. To accomplish this, a relationship manager has two main responsibilities: servicing the company's needs of an existing set of clients, and sales - aka more business from existing clients and acquiring new clients.

What is a relationship manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted Expert

Annemarie Franczyk

A relationship manager is a person responsible for building and maintaining relationships with clients. They work in various industries, such as finance, healthcare, and technology, to ensure that clients are satisfied with products or services. Relationship managers act as a liaison between clients and internal teams, by addressing concerns and providing solutions to problems. Building trust with clients is a crucial part of the job, and relationship managers must possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

What general advice would you give to a Relationship Manager?

Annemarie Franczyk

Associate Professor, Buffalo State College

Never settle and never settle down. Both notions suggest dropping where you are and staying put and being hopelessly stuck. When you're hopelessly stuck, you're not learning, growing and advancing. Always look for the next opportunity to do something interesting. Take chances. If you do, you will have a lifetime of no regrets.

ScoreRelationship ManagerUS Average

Salary

6.5

Avg. Salary $83,761

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 46.55%

male 53.45%

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

What are the pros and cons of being a Relationship Manager?

Pros

Opportunity to build and maintain relationships with clients
Opportunities for career advancement within the company
Chance to work in a fast-paced and dynamic environment
Job security due to high demand for relationship managers
Potential for high earnings through bonuses and commissions

Cons

High pressure environment with demanding targets and goals
Long working hours, including weekends and evenings
High stress levels due to the need to meet sales targets
Difficulty in balancing the needs of different clients
Potential for conflict resolution with difficult clients

Key steps to become a relationship manager

Explore relationship manager education requirements

Most common relationship manager degrees

Bachelor's

69.3 %

Master's

13.9 %

Associate

10.0 %

Start to develop specific relationship manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Client Relationships	11.11%
Work Ethic	9.80%
Strong Work Ethic	9.72%
Financial Services	9.37%
Taking Care	4.83%

Complete relevant relationship manager training and internships

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

Research relationship manager duties and responsibilities

Manage both general and bankruptcy FHLMC loans.
Demonstrate ability to manage a portfolio with a concentration in loan modifications for HAMP and FNMA.
Lead the district in sales by initiating and document a proactive customer profiling effort and sale calls.
Oversee and manages all incoming and outgoing automate clearing house (ACH) transfer of electronic fund.

Prepare your relationship manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your relationship 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 relationship 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 Relationship Manager Resume templates

Build a professional Relationship 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 Relationship Manager resume.

Apply for relationship manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a relationship 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 relationship managers rate their job?

-/5

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1 Star

Relationship Manager reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019

Pros

Meeting with consumers, educating, coaching, discussing products