How To Become A Sales Team Leader: What It Is and Career Path

What is a sales team leader and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Bill Thorne

Sales Team Leaders are always confidence personified and, as a result, they are able to lead their teams effectively. They are able to develop a strong relationship with their respective teams by creating a good working environment, which in turn improves the overall performance of the team and hence, the growth of the company.

The ability to organize a team and with an ample level of experience which brings knowledge in the field makes a perfect Sales Team Leader. Good listening ears and a compassionate and forgiving spirit are some very important characteristics as well. Even though you shouldn't strive for money as a team leader, still one can't shy away from an average salary of $59,000 annually.

In terms of degrees, however, it is possible to become a Sales Team Leader with a high school diploma or a GED, but the most common level of education is the Bachelor's degree and a master's degree is just an added bonus.

What general advice would you give to a Sales Team Leader?

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.

ScoreSales Team LeaderUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $51,578

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.4

Growth Rate 4%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.65%

Asian 6.93%

Black or African American 8.42%

Hispanic or Latino 17.80%

Unknown 4.64%

White 61.55%

Gender

female 39.59%

male 60.41%

Age - 42

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 - 42

Stress Level

9.4

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

5.2

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.6

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a sales team leader

Explore sales team leader education requirements

Most common sales team leader degrees

Bachelor's

60.2 %

Associate

16.2 %

High School Diploma

12.5 %

Start to develop specific sales team leader skills

Skills	Percentages
Sales Floor	21.96%
Product Knowledge	14.10%
Customer Service	9.77%
Customer Satisfaction	5.51%
Exceptional Client	5.12%

Complete relevant sales team leader training and internships

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

Gain additional sales team leader certifications

Sales team leader certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific sales team leader certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for sales team leaders include Certified Sales Professional (CSP) and Sales Management.

More About Certifications

Research sales team leader duties and responsibilities

Achieve proficiency in multitasking by performing multiple duties and managing differing responsibilities periodically.
Increase electronics sales and attainment goals on a quarterly basis, rank 4th in company in certain KPI.
Process cell phone contracts and sales through POS system while helping customers and using computer applications to complete transactions.
Facilitate developmental meetings and conversations with sales teams to discuss KPI and metrics like incremental sales and points of purchase.

Get sales team leader experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a sales team leader. The most common roles before becoming a sales team leader include sales associate, sales representative team lead and customer service representative.

Prepare your sales team leader resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your sales team leader 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 sales team leader resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Sales Team Leader Resume templates

Build a professional Sales Team Leader 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 Sales Team Leader resume.

Apply for sales team leader jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a sales team leader 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 sales team leaders rate their job?

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Sales Team Leader reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020

Pros

Pay was consistent and you pick your own rate based on the commission you choose to bring in. Spending so much time together created a bond between the team where uplifting one another on bad days became part of the job. I guess it depends on your particular work environment but the bonds created kept us going.

Cons

Felt like I was chained to the table, changes were made on a daily basis, and work became a race against the clock for 9 hours. Managers look down at you as a number on their chart and not a human being, good workers became poor workers, great workers were barely good, and the robots working exactly as needed were the only ones lucky enough to escape the cubicle prison.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020