Pay Rates in Marketing & Sales Field

Compensation in the Marketing & Sales Field, 20th Edition

PUBLISHED: November 2001

Summary of the 158-page Compensation in the Marketing & Sales Field, 20th Edition survey report of 29 benchmark jobs from Abbott, Langer & Associates, Inc.  The following describes the national median total cash compensation for 21 benchmark jobs, and the factors affecting salary (Geographic Area, Type of Employer, Number of Employees in the Organization, Annual Sales Volume, and Supervisory/Managerial Responsibility).

The composite highest-income practitioner reported in this field (salary plus cash bonus and/or cash profit-sharing) is the President "A" (defined as a chief executive officer who has a financial interest or is owner of the firm) of a firm which manufactures aerospace/aircraft/electrical/electronics products, a retailer, an advertising agency, a professional services firm, a service business, or a paper/paper products manufacturer. The firm has 10,000 or more employees; has a total annual sales/budget of $1 billion or more; and is headquartered in or near Chicago, Washington (DC/MD/VA), Detroit, Hartford (CT), Los Angeles/Long Beach, or Minneapolis/St. Paul. While the median President "A" has a total annual income of $300,000, the highest-income individuals reported in this group make well over $1,000,000.

Far toward the other end of the income spectrum, customer service representatives have a median income of $20,800. Earning as little as $12,192, the lowest-paid employees in this group usually are employed by manufacturers of aerospace/aircraft/electrical/electronics products, health care organizations, retail/wholesale firms, advertising/direct marketing/marketing research agencies, or service businesses; and are headquartered in or near Salt Lake City/Ogden, Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point (NC), Sacramento, St. Louis, or Minneapolis/St. Paul, or outside the metropolitan areas studied in Wisconsin, Nevada, or Virginia.

These composites represent the briefest possible "boil-down" of the voluminous data provided on over 5,500 employees in 29 benchmark marketing/sales-related jobs regarding the salary ranges, current salaries, bonuses/commissions/cash profit-sharing, total annual cash compensation, and such demographic variables as: region, state, and metropolitan area in which the individual is located; type of employer; total number of employees; annual sales volume; and supervisory/managerial responsibility.  Copies of the tightly-packed, 158-page Compensation in the Marketing and Sales Field, 20th Edition, are available for $650.00  through our On-Line Order Form or from Abbott, Langer & Associates, Inc., Dept. NET, 548 First St., Crete, IL 60417; telephone 708/672-4200; fax 708/672-4674.

The median total cash income of some of the other benchmark jobs included in the survey report are:

The income relationships reported above may be distorted slightly, since some of these benchmark jobs were reported more frequently in organizations of one size, while other benchmark jobs were reported more frequently by larger or smaller organizations. This may also be true for type of organization, geographic location, and supervisory/managerial responsibility. This possible defect is corrected in the complete survey report by reporting income for each benchmark job overall and with "break-outs" by each demographic variable.

Geographic Area

Overall, executive jobs are compensated best in the southwestern and southern states and worst in the Rocky Mountain and north central states. Those in the midwestern, northeastern, and Pacific states fall between these two groups.

The highest overall median income for marketing and sales executives are in Detroit, San Francisco/Oakland, Nashville, Dallas/Ft. Worth, St. Louis, and Atlanta, or outside the metropolitan areas studied in Virginia and Tennessee. In ascending order, the lowest median incomes in metropolitan areas are found in Salt Lake City/Ogden, Phoenix, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Honolulu, and Albany/Schenectady/Troy. Naturally, many other demographic variables are also involved to account for this great spread in incomes.

For non-executive personnel, the highest median total annual incomes are found in San Francisco/Oakland, Albany/Schenectady/Troy, Orlando, Kansas City, Cleveland, Norfolk/Virginia Beach/Portsmouth, Miami, and Denver/Colorado Springs, or outside the metropolitan areas studied in New Hampshire and Florida. In ascending order, the lowest median incomes are found in the metropolitan areas of Salt Lake City/Ogden, Detroit, Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point, or New Orleans, or outside the metropolitan areas studied in Nevada, Delaware, or South Carolina.

Type of Employer

Overall, the highest median incomes for marketing and sales executives were found among manufacturers of aerospace/aircraft/electrical/electronics products, paper products/printing/publishing, professional services firms, and construction/land development/engineering firms. The lowest median incomes were found among educational institutions, health care organizations, and advertising/direct marketing/market research agencies. Service businesses and retailers fall between these two groups.

The highest median incomes for non-executive marketing and sales employees were found among construction/land development/engineering firms, manufacturers of aerospace/aircraft/electrical/electronics products, and paper products/printing/publishing companies. The lowest median incomes were found among educational institutions, advertising/direct marketing/market research agencies, health care organizations, and retailers. Professional services and service businesses fall between these two groups.

Number of Employees in the Organization

As might be expected, median incomes for marketing and sales executives increased regularly as the size of the organization increased (following a decline after firms with under 25 employees) from 25-99 employees to 10,000 or more employees. Median income among non-executive marketing and sales employees does not correlate strongly with number of employees.

Annual Sales Volume

This variable correlates strongly with income for many marketing and sales executives. The median incomes of marketing and sales executives were 82% higher in manufacturing firms with annual revenue of $1 billion or more than in those with under $25 million, and 43% higher in non-manufacturing organizations. Among non-executive marketing and sales employees, median incomes correlate well with this variable in manufacturing firms but not in non-manufacturing firms.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibility

This demographic variable is a good predictor of the compensation in the marketing and sales field. On an overall basis, the compensation of sales & marketing executives tends to correlate strongly with the number and type of employees supervised or directed. For example, directing the activities of 50 or more of both creative/sales/other professional-level employees and clerical personnel/customer service representatives/telephone sales representatives results in a median income 112% higher than supervising under 10 such employees.

the 158-page survey report, Compensation in the Marketing & Sales Field, 20th Edition, described on this page for $650. The report is IN STOCK and can be shipped out within two business days. The mean, median, 1st and 3rd quartile, and 1st and 9th decile data for base salary, bonus/commission/profit sharing, and total annual cash compensation are reported for many demographic variables, including geographic location, type and size of employer, etc. To purchase the report, use our On-Line Order Form, call 708/672-4200, email, fax, or write per the information at the bottom of this page.