Director of Sales+34% typical comp change · ~3.0y typical
69% of modeled moves out of Sales Manager go here
Modeled career paths · Sales
Where does a Sales Manager go next?
What employers are asking a Sales Manager for, what they pay, and where people go next. From live postings and Startline’s modeled career map: what the ads say, never estimated.
What employers ask a Sales Manager for
Live postings for this role in September 2026, most asked for first. Stated pay is typically around $160k a year.
- Mentoring and coaching
- FP&A and forecasting
- Observability and monitoring
- CRM administration
- Networking fundamentals
- Cross-functional leadership
- Hiring and interviewing
- B2B SaaS experience
Pay is what the ad states, never estimated. Only competencies in Startline’s catalogue are counted.
Typical advancement
Specialist path
VP Sales+92% typical comp change · ~3.0y typical
23% of modeled moves out of Sales Manager go here
Director of Marketing+15% typical comp change · ~7.0y typical
reachable via Director of Sales. 2% joint modeled share
Director of Operations+15% typical comp change · ~7.0y typical
reachable via Director of Sales. 2% joint modeled share
Higher-growth opportunity
Chief Revenue Officer+193% typical comp change · ~6.0y typical
reachable via Director of Sales. 16% joint modeled share
VP Marketing+65% typical comp change · ~7.0y typical
reachable via Senior Marketing Manager. 2% joint modeled share
Adjacent career
Senior Marketing Manager-14% typical comp change · ~4.0y typical
8% of modeled moves out of Sales Manager go here
What this page cannot know is which of these fit you. That is what the free list is for.