What is a District Sales Manager (DSM)?
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering… “What’s the difference between a DSM and an RSM?” We get it. There’s confusion and overlap between various sales titles used at different organizations. What’s more, titles are often changing and adapting to industry trends.
The fast-growing, competitive nature of the SaaS industry has created an environment where new titles are needed to accommodate for completely new positions. What’s more, (slightly) different titles – à la Sales Development Rep vs. Business Development Rep – are created to sound more relevant, modern, and in line with company values and culture.
If you’re new to all this sales jargon, look no further! We’ve got you covered. Keep reading to find out exactly what a district sales manager does, average salary for DSMs, career outlook, and available DSM jobs.
In sales, the acronym DSM generally stands for District Sales Manager. DSMs often work in field sales, and are responsible for meeting sales quotas within a certain geographic region.
District Sales Manager Job Description
District Sales Managers (DSM) are key players in outbound sales, particularly field sales. Their duties vary, but generally speaking, these sales people will be traveling for a portion of their work – pitching their sales proposition to various decision makers and organizations. Going outside of the office to meet clients at a conference or trade show, at their offices, or within a certain region of the country, plays a large part of their responsibilities.
DSMs generally manage a geographic region of an organization’s sales operations, and are responsible for a team of sales people within that district. They work closely with and often report to Regional Sales Managers, and take part in creating and implementing sales strategy for the district, with the ultimate goal of expanding the consumer base in that particular area.
District Sales Manager Salary
The average base salary for District Sales Managers in the United States is $82,868 per year with an average additional $20,000 in commission (source: Indeed).
DSM Career Outlook
With the abundance of automation, software, and online marketing tools available on the market today, it may be worth wondering if sales positions will still be growing in a few years.
If you’re looking to grow your career in the sales industry, don’t worry – as the market outlook for district sales managers is positive! Consistent 5% growth for district sales manager roles is expected through 2024, (source: Zippia).
District Sales Manager Jobs
Looking for available DSM jobs? Here are a few resources to help your search:
- District Sales Manager Jobs on LinkedIn
- District Sales Manager Jobs on Indeed
- District Sales Manager Jobs on Glassdoor
Which sales role is right for me?
The right sales role for you depends on your experience and expertise, but sales can be a good industry to get your start if you are entering the job market for the first time!
Some key characteristics of great sales and customer support professionals include:
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Great communicators
- Passion for what they are selling
- Willingness to roll up their sleeves and get the job done
- No fear calling and following-up with potential clients
- Positive attitude
- Creative and passionate about helping others
- Ability to multi-task across different platforms and forms of communication
- Ability to work well under pressure and with a team
Does this sound like you? Kixie is hiring, and we’d love to hear from you! We are looking for jovial, hard-working colleagues to share our journey as we change the landscape of business telephony.
