How long does it take to become a senior sales rep?

It takes between eight to ten years to become a senior sales manager. This includes earning a four-year bachelor's degree and having at least four to six years of sales experience with some time spent in supervisor and or managerial roles.

How much do senior sales reps make?

Senior sales reps make $104,000 a year, on average. This number varies significantly, depending on location, industry, and education. Senior sales representative salaries vary greatly by location. Those working in Massachusetts and Rhode Island earn average salaries in the low six-figures. However, senior sales representatives working in Montana earn $65,944, on average.

Is a sales executive higher than a sales manager?

No, a sales executive is not higher than a sales manager. In many companies, the roles are relatively equal within the hierarchy, though sales managers tend to earn more. The roles of sales executive and sales manager have a fair amount of overlap in most organizations. A sales executive is usually a client-facing role that is directly responsible for generating new sales leads and creating more business for the company.

What qualifications do you need to be a sales executive?

The qualifications you need to be a sales executive are a bachelor's degree, sales expertise, and impeccable interpersonal skills. Sales executives are client-facing salespeople responsible for closing sales for their company.

How To Become A Senior Sales Executive: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior sales executive and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Experts

Bill Thorne,

Ashley Strausser

A senior sales executive is "Da Man" in a sales team. Or "Da Woman." The one who calls the shots, in any case. Senior sales executives generate leads, handle key accounts, and keep a sharp eye on competitors.

Leaders of sales teams will be reporting to you and turning to you for guidance. You will always be expected to be aware of the latest consumer expectations and come up with ways to improve products and services. You will be required to submit reports on your watch's sales activities, and you will be the one to carry the can if sales targets are not met.

Building relationships and negotiating deals will be a big part of your job, both of which require the art of persuasion. Don't even think about applying for a sales executive position if you are not an expert at talking.

What general advice would you give to a Senior Sales Executive?

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.

ScoreSenior Sales ExecutiveUS Average

Salary

7.9

Avg. Salary $110,808

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 28.70%

male 71.30%

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

Key steps to become a senior sales executive

Explore senior sales executive education requirements

Most common senior sales executive degrees

Bachelor's

78.8 %

Master's

9.1 %

Associate

7.4 %

Start to develop specific senior sales executive skills

Skills	Percentages
Sales Process	7.98%
Healthcare	6.32%
Business Development	5.88%
Customer Satisfaction	5.32%
Business Relationships	5.16%

Complete relevant senior sales executive training and internships

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

Research senior sales executive duties and responsibilities

Manage the complete SaaS client engagement cycle, B2C and B2B.
Manage sales activities and qualification of opportunities within CRM system.
Help OEM to convert customer feedback into engineering data.
Translate this knowledge for use in the ERP software industry.

Get senior sales executive experience

Generally, it takes 6-8 years to become a senior sales executive. The most common roles before becoming a senior sales executive include account executive, sales representative team lead and sales manager.

Prepare your senior sales executive resume

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

Choose From 10+ Customizable Senior Sales Executive Resume templates

Build a professional Senior Sales Executive 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 Senior Sales Executive resume.

Apply for senior sales executive jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a senior sales executive 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 senior sales executives rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Senior Sales Executive 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 Mar 2020

Pros

Marketing products from a traceable companies to consumers and providing a good service to the clients .

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020

Cons

I like everything

Pros

Coming in contact with people, motivating staff, making the numbers, profitability for everyone

What is a senior sales executive and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a Senior Sales Executive?

Senior Sales Executive career paths

Key steps to become a senior sales executive

Explore senior sales executive education requirements

Most common senior sales executive degrees

Start to develop specific senior sales executive skills

Complete relevant senior sales executive training and internships

Research senior sales executive duties and responsibilities

Get senior sales executive experience

Prepare your senior sales executive resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Senior Sales Executive Resume templates

Apply for senior sales executive jobs

How Did You Land Your First Senior Sales Executive Job

Average senior sales executive salary

How do senior sales executives rate their job?

Senior Sales Executive reviews

Senior Sales Executive FAQs

How long does it take to become a senior sales rep?

How much do senior sales reps make?

Is a sales executive higher than a sales manager?

What qualifications do you need to be a sales executive?

Search for senior sales executive jobs