Grant Cardone rides a private jet and has more than a billion dollars worth of property. However, do you know how he made that much money? Through sales. 

From Banking to IT Services, every industry requires the expertise of sales professionals. The importance of sales managers has increased exponentially in the last few years. If you’re wondering whether sales is the right career option for you or not, you have come to the right place. 

This article will tell you about the average salary of a sales manager in India, the top salary in this domain, and how you can get there. Let’s begin!

Average Sales Manager Salary in India

The average sales manager salary in India is INR 483,175 per year. Beginners in this field earn around INR 2.49 Lakh per year. 

The base salary in this field ranges from INR 2.49 lakh to INR 10 lakh per year while bonuses range from INR 10,000 to INR 2 lakh per annum. Due to the unique nature of their role, sales managers find employment work in various industries. 

As we mentioned earlier, the role of a sales manager is among the evergreen professions because every industry relies on generating sales for its revenue. 

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Sales Manager Job Description

Sales managers handle the daily management of sales-related activities and sales executives. They work in all kinds of industries including retail and non-retail ones. It’s possible for a sales manager to have an assistant for helping them with their job. 

Sales managers are primarily responsible for implementing their company’s sales activities and programs to meet (or exceed) the determined goals. Every company sets sales-related goals based on its projections and plans for growth. It’s the responsibility of sales managers to help a brand achieve those goals by directing the sales and marketing teams in the right direction.

Sales managers are responsible for enhancing their company’s profits while ensuring customer satisfaction. They must look after their subordinates and have to provide them with a stable and comfortable work environment. Sales managers motivate and help team members to reach their sales goals through meetings, directives, and other encouraging practices. 

Sales managers conduct meetings with their national or regional sales managers regularly to discuss their progress and further plans via face to face meetings or virtual meetings. Apart from having strong communication and sales skills, a sales manager must have strong leadership and organization skills. As a sales manager, you might also have to mentor or coach new sales managers.

Organizations require candidates to have a bachelor’s degree specializing in finance, marketing, business, or a related field. Strong oration and interpersonal skills are a must-have for this role. Sales managers have to stay up to date with the recent trends of their industry to keep up with the competition. Sometimes the job might require them to travel. 

Top Sales Manager Salary in India

The top salary for sales managers in India is INR 10 Lakh per annum. This pay consists of base salary, shared profits, commission, and bonuses. The shared profits might go up to INR 7 lakh per annum while your shared commission in this sector could go as high as INR 2.5 lakh per annum.

That’s not all, you might get promoted to senior and higher-paying roles such as National Sales Manager which earns around INR 18 lakh per annum on average, or Business Development Manager who earns up to INR 20 lakh per annum. 

To reach such a high-level salary package, you would need considerable industry experience and skills. Apart from these factors, getting the top sales manager salary in India depends on multiple factors that we have discussed in the next section. 

Factors Affecting Sales Manager Salary in India

There are plenty of factors affecting sales manager salary in India, such as:

1. Location

One of the biggest factors affecting the salary of sales managers in India is the location. Some locations offer less than the national average while some offer higher than average pay. For example, sales managers in Mumbai earn around 44% more than the national average. Similarly, the professionals in Chennai and Pune earn 3% and 2% more than the national average respectively. 

On the other hand, sales managers in New Delhi make 50.2% more than the average. Other high-paying locations for this field include Hyderabad where sales managers make 44.9% more than the average. Kolkata offers 31% less than average. Sales managers in Surat, Gujarat earn 26% less than the average as well. So, your location can have a huge impact on how much you earn as a sales manager in India. 

2. Skills

The second most important factor affecting the sales manager salary in India is their skills. Companies expect candidates to have certain skills for this role such as leadership, persuasion, CRM, and many others. 

This role comes with dynamic responsibilities so it’s vital to have the above-mentioned skills. The most beneficial skill to have is Business Development as candidates with this skill reported to earn 42% more than the average. CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is another rewarding skill that lets you get 7% more than the average while candidates with the Sales Management skill earn 4% more. Another in-demand skill for sales managers is Strategic Sales and professionals with this skill earn 4% more than the rest. It’s obvious that the more skilled you are, the higher will be your salary package.

3. Experience

Probably the most influential factor in determining how much you make as a sales manager in India is the experience you have. Freshers (professionals with less than a year’s experience) in this field earn INR 3.33 lakh per year while professionals with one to four years of experience earn INR 3.89 lakh per annum on average. 

As you gain more experience, you can expect to earn substantially more as sales managers with five to nine years of experience reported to make INR 5 lakh per year on average. Experienced sales managers with more than ten years of experience earn a total compensation of INR 6.22 lakh per year on average. Finally, sales managers with 20+ years of experience earn an average pay of INR 9.5 lakh per annum. 

You should know that with experience, you might get promoted to senior sales roles and get higher compensation. National Sales Manager, Sales Director, are some of the higher-paying roles that you can only get through gaining experience as a sales manager. 

4. Employer

Which company you work for can affect your compensation tremendously. Different companies require different skill sets and different pays. For example, WhiteHat Jr. is reported to offer INR 7 Lakh per annum on average to its sales managers whereas HDFC Bank offers INR 6.79 lakh per annum to its sales managers.

ICICI Prudential Life Insurance’s salary for sales managers ranges from INR 2.97 lakh per year to INR 10.3 lakh per year. As you can see the pay of this role varies from one employer to another. So, you should keep this in mind while looking for a job. 

How to Bag the Top Salary as a Sales Manager in India?

While you might not have a lot of control over your location or your experience level, you can certainly gain the necessary skills to bag the role of a Sales Manager with reputed companies. 

upGrad’s PG Program in Management, Specialisation in Sales and Digital Marketing is not just confined to imparting in-demand sales skills and hands-on training. It also prepares aspiring young professionals for career advancement opportunities.

Conclusion 

Sales is a promising career option that’s never going away. As long as businesses continue to function in the industry, the role of a sales manager will be a pivotal part of every company or enterprise.

We hope that you found our article useful!