Sales management positions
9 positions, each with what the role does, when a store needs it, what it pays and one flat fee per hire.
Sales managers decide how much gross every deal holds. A single-point store may run with one sales manager who desks everything; a large store splits the job into desk, closing, new and used managers under a general sales manager; a dealer group adds directors who set the playbook for every rooftop.
How to pick the right level
- One sales manager can usually desk about 100 to 150 deals a month before deals start waiting on the desk.
- Add a closing or desk manager when salespeople wait at the tower or deals walk without a second look.
- Split new and used management when used volume, appraisals and auction buying need a full-time owner.
- A general sales manager owns the whole variable side once there are two or more managers to lead.
Every level, what it pays and the fee
Desk Manager
$5,500 per hireStructures and pencils deals at the desk so salespeople stay on the floor with customers.
When a store needs it: Mid-size stores and up. Pay: $64,580 to $138,970 a year.
Closing Manager
$5,500 per hireTakes over at the close (the T.O.) to finalize numbers and save deals that would walk.
When a store needs it: Mid-size stores and up. Pay: $64,580 to $138,970 a year.
Sales Team Leader
$5,500 per hireLeads a small team of salespeople on a large floor, coaching on every deal and holding daily activity standards.
When a store needs it: Large stores. Pay: $74,760 to $131,640 a year.
Sales Manager
$7,500 per hireDesk and floor managers who can train, desk deals and hold gross.
When a store needs it: Every store. Pay: $64,580 to $138,970 a year.
New Car Sales Manager
$7,500 per hireOwns new vehicle volume, factory programs and allocation, and the new car team's results.
When a store needs it: Mid-size stores and up. Pay: $97,500 to $208,030 a year.
Used Car Sales Manager
$7,500 per hireBuys, prices and turns pre-owned inventory, balancing gross per unit against days on lot.
When a store needs it: Mid-size stores and up. Pay: $97,500 to $208,030 a year.
General Sales Manager
$15,000 per hireRuns the entire variable side: new, used, F&I and the sales managers, and answers for total front and back gross.
When a store needs it: Every store. Pay: $138,970 to $313,950 a year.
Pre-Owned Director
$15,000 per hireSets used vehicle strategy, sourcing and reconditioning standards across several rooftops.
When a store needs it: Dealer groups. Pay: $208,030 to $313,950 a year.
Variable Operations Director
$15,000 per hireOversees new, used, F&I and BDC across a dealer group and drives consistent sales processes.
When a store needs it: Dealer groups. Pay: $208,030 to $313,950 a year.
About store size and pay
Store size guidance reflects how dealerships typically staff as they grow, drawn from our 25 years inside dealerships and recruiting for them since 2012. Every store is different, so we confirm the right level on your intake call.
- Every store: Any franchised or independent dealership
- Mid-size stores: About 100 or more new and used retail units a month, or 50 or more employees
- Large stores: About 250 or more units a month, or 150 or more employees
- Dealer groups: About 3 to 10 rooftops
- Large dealer groups: 10 or more rooftops
- Stores with a body shop, stores with in-house financing and specialty dealers: roles that depend on the business, not its size
Pay bands are what people in each role earn at automobile dealers, from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025), including commissions and bonuses. Most bands run from the 25th to the 75th percentile; senior levels use the upper range of the same occupation. A band marked * uses all-industry figures because BLS does not report that role for auto dealers.
Related positions
Sales floor positions · Fleet and commercial sales positions · Inventory and vehicle acquisition positions · Specialty dealer sales positions