Can Agents Work?

Jobs / Management and business operations / 11-2022.00

Sales Managers

Plan, direct, or coordinate the actual distribution or movement of a product or service to the customer. Coordinate sales distribution by establishing sales territories, quotas, and goals and establish training programs for sales representatives. Analyze sales statistics gathered by staff to determine sales potential and inventory requirements and monitor the preferences of customers.

US jobs
637,080
Median wage
$148,270 a year
Job family
Management and business operations

Can agents do the work of sales managers?

We read the evidence at the level of the job family, Management and business operations:

  • Task levelPartialOnly adjacent evidence. On TheAgentCompany, which gives agents workplace tasks inside a simulated software company, the best agent resolves 42.9% of tasks (a November 2025 result). No task-level benchmark in our collection maps directly to management or business operations.
  • Project levelPartialMixed. OpenAI reports that GPT-5.5's GDPval deliverables won or tied against professionals' work in 84.9% of comparisons, and the best agent passes 73.5% of APEX-Agents tasks on the first try. Running a business is weaker: on Vending-Bench 2 the best model ends a simulated year with $15,515, about a quarter of Andon Labs' estimate for a good strategy.

Benchmarks for the job family

These cover work in management and business operations, not always this occupation's tasks.

Typical tasks

From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.

  • Oversee regional and local sales managers and their staffs.
  • Resolve customer complaints regarding sales and service.
  • Monitor customer preferences to determine focus of sales efforts.
  • Confer with potential customers regarding equipment needs, and advise customers on types of equipment to purchase.
  • Review operational records and reports to project sales and determine profitability.
  • Plan and direct staffing, training, and performance evaluations to develop and control sales and service programs.
  • Direct and coordinate activities involving sales of manufactured products, services, commodities, real estate, or other subjects of sale.
  • Determine price schedules and discount rates.
  • Prepare budgets and approve budget expenditures.
  • Confer or consult with department heads to plan advertising services and to secure information on equipment and customer specifications.
  • Visit franchised dealers to stimulate interest in establishment or expansion of leasing programs.
  • Represent company at trade association meetings to promote products.
Other job titles for this occupation (49)

District Sales Manager · Fractional Sales Executive · National Sales Manager · Regional Sales Manager · Sales and Marketing VP (Sales and Marketing Vice President) · Sales Director · Sales Manager · Sales Operations Manager (Sales Ops Manager) · Sales Supervisor · Sales VP (Sales Vice President) · Account Manager · Area Sales Manager · Area Supervisor · BD Director (Business Development Director) · BD Executive (Business Development Executive) · BD Manager (Business Development Manager) · Business Developer · Channel Manager · Client Relationship Manager · Commercial Director · Commercial Sales Manager · Dealership Manager · Department Store Manager · District Manager · Division Manager · E-Commerce Director (Electronic Commerce Director) · Export Manager · Global Account Manager (GAM) · Hotel Sales Manager · Import Export Manager · Inside Sales Manager · Marketing Sales Supervisor · National Account Manager · Professional Equipment Sales and Service Manager · Regional Director · Regional Manager · Regional Sales Director · Retail Chain Store Area Supervisor · Retail District Manager · Sales Account Manager · Sales and Marketing Director · Sales and Marketing Manager · Sales Coordinator · Sales Promotion Manager · Territory Manager · Territory Sales Manager · Utility Sales and Service Manager · Vehicle Leasing and Rental Manager · Zone Manager