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Software & SaaS
Salesforce, HubSpot, Oracle
First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers
This job sits between the sales team and upper management: you coach sales staff, set schedules, track results, and step in when a customer issue or tough account starts to slip. It stands out because the work is as much about managing people as it is about hitting sales targets, so the pressure comes from both team performance and customer problems. The tradeoff is solid pay and leadership experience, but very little room for mistakes when quotas, staffing, and service issues collide.
Also known as Sales SupervisorInside Sales SupervisorSales Team LeadSales LeadSales Department Supervisor
Median Salary
$84,130
Mean $97,870
U.S. Workforce
~219K
24.8K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+0%
320K to 320K
Entry Education
High school diploma or equivalent
+ Less than 5 years experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers sits in the Business category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~219K workers, with a median annual pay of $84,130 and roughly 24.8K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to grow from 320 K in 2024 to 320K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with Bachelor's Degree, and employers typically expect less than 5 years of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Sales Representative and can progress toward Director of Sales. High-value skills usually include Hiring, Training & Performance Review Processes, CRM Platforms (Salesforce, HubSpot & Zoho CRM), and Sales Forecasting & Pipeline Reporting, paired with soft skills such as Active Listening, Speaking, and Coordination.
Core Responsibilities
- Meet with other departments to share product updates and coordinate sales plans.
- Keep sales records, purchase logs, and requisition paperwork organized and current.
- Listen to customer complaints and work through problems with products, service, or staff.
- Assign work, build schedules, and make sure the team has the right coverage.
Keep exploring: more Business careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Meet with other departments to share product updates and coordinate sales plans.
02 Keep sales records, purchase logs, and requisition paperwork organized and current.
03 Listen to customer complaints and work through problems with products, service, or staff.
04 Assign work, build schedules, and make sure the team has the right coverage.
05 Hire new sales employees, train them, and review their performance.
06 Watch sales results closely and help staff handle difficult accounts or complicated orders.
Industries That Hire
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Medical Devices & Healthcare Products
Medtronic, Stryker, Abbott
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Industrial Manufacturing & Wholesale Distribution
Caterpillar, Honeywell, W.W. Grainger
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Telecommunications
AT&T, Verizon, Comcast
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Business Services & Payroll
ADP, Paychex, Robert Half
Pros and Cons
Advantages
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The pay is solid for a mid-career management role, with a median of $84,130 and a mean of $97,870.
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There are about 24.8K annual openings, so even with flat growth there is a steady stream of replacement jobs.
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BLS lists less than 5 years of experience and no on-the-job training, so promotion can happen without a long apprenticeship.
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The role builds real leadership experience because you hire, train, coach, schedule, and evaluate staff.
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The skills transfer across industries, so you can move between software, industrial sales, medical products, and business services.
Challenges
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Employment is projected to stay flat, from 320.0K to 320.0K, so most openings come from turnover rather than expansion.
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This is a pressure-heavy job because you are responsible for team results, customer complaints, and staffing problems at the same time.
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It can be hard to move much higher without a jump into sales management, so the job can become a career ceiling for some people.
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Pay depends heavily on quotas and company performance, which means weak sales cycles can quickly affect job stability and bonuses.
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A lot of the record-keeping and tracking work now lives in CRM and reporting software, so some of the job is becoming more standardized and less hands-on.
Career Progression
Sales Representative
0-3 years
$40K-$59K
Builds the product knowledge, customer handling, and quota habits that later make team leadership possible.
Senior Sales Representative
3-6 years
$60K-$74K
Handles harder accounts, mentors newer reps, and often becomes the informal go-to person on the team.
First-Line Supervisor of Non-Retail Sales Workers THIS ROLE
5-9 years
$75K-$100K
Leads the team day to day, sets schedules, reviews performance, and fixes problems before they hurt sales results.
Sales Manager
9-14 years
$101K-$135K
Takes responsibility for larger teams, broader sales targets, and more formal planning across accounts or regions.
Director of Sales
14+ years
$136K-$180K
Oversees multiple teams or divisions and focuses on strategy, budgets, and long-term revenue growth.
Education Paths
Bachelor's Degree
The most common path, held by 44.97% of workers, often in business, management, or a related field.
High School Diploma or Equivalent
A practical route for people promoted from sales roles, reported by 16.0% of workers in the O*NET distribution.
Some College Courses or Associate's Degree
Another alternative route, with 16.49% reporting some college courses and 9.58% holding an associate's degree.
Master's Degree
Less common but useful for larger teams or higher-volume sales groups; 12.96% of workers report a master's degree.
Key Skills
Technical
Hiring, Training & Performance Review Processes 82%
CRM Platforms (Salesforce, HubSpot & Zoho CRM) 81%
Sales Forecasting & Pipeline Reporting 80%
Microsoft Excel & Reporting 79%
Workforce Scheduling Software 78%
Orders, Requisitions & Inventory Tracking Systems 77%
Soft Skills
Active ListeningSpeakingCoordinationJudgment and Decision MakingSocial PerceptivenessTime Management Job Outlook and Trends
+0%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
24.8K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 320K to 320 K over the next decade, representing 0% growth. Around 24.8 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Moderate. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.