Member Article

Sales pay on the increase

Sales professionals are still some of the best paid in business, according to the latest study by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). Sales professionals are paid more than marketers at all levels and HR at middle manager level. The average basic salary for a middle manager in sales is a little less than £35,000, 1.5% higher than the national average.

Sales professionals in the North are in line with the national average, and professionals in London remain the highest paid, earning 11% more than the national average. The study revealed that pay awards for sales professionals averaged 3%, the same as last year, and are expected to remain unchanged in the coming year. Directors got the highest increase of 5.5%, while senior managers got the lowest at 1.6%. Fewer sales professionals received bonuses compared with last year, but while directors and managers got more those on other grades got less. Just over a quarter (26%) received a bonus averaging £3,000, while 34% of directors received a bonus averaging £15,000, equating to 20% of their salary. The lowest grade, sales administrators, got a bonus that was 3.5% of their salary.

Philip Knowles, Chairman of the Durham Tees Valley branch of CIM, said: “The study confirms that working in sales can be very rewarding financially, particularly if you are based in London. But as standards and competition within the profession rises, those with up-to-date qualifications will be best placed to secure the most attractive positions.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .