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The Global Insight

How much does an average sales person make?

Author

James Olson

Updated on April 06, 2026

Sales Representatives earned an average salary of $71,110 in 2019. Comparable jobs earned the following average salary in 2019: Sales Managers made $141,690, Insurance Sales Agents made $67,780, Real Estate Agents made $62,060, and Retail Salespersons made $29,360.

What is normal base pay?

Key Takeaways. Base pay is an employee’s standard rate of pay, and which does not include benefits, bonuses, raises, or other compensation. Base pay can be expressed as an hourly rate or as an annual salary.

What is a normal sales commission rate?

The industry average for sales commission typically falls between 20% and 30% of gross margins. At the low end, sales professionals may earn 5% of a sale, while straight commission structures allow a 100% commission.

What is the highest paying sales industry?

8 high-paying sales jobs

  • Consulting sales. Base Salary: $120,000 to $250,000.
  • Consumer packaged goods sales. Base Salary: $150,000 to $180,000.
  • Digital media sales. Base Salary: $170,000 to $180,000.
  • Medical-device sales.
  • Outsourced services.
  • Software sales.
  • Startup business development.
  • Telecommunications sales.

    What is a base salary example?

    Base salary is the initial, fixed rate of monetary compensation paid to an employee in exchange for work performed. For example, someone who earns a base salary of $25/hour can also be said to have a base monthly salary of $4,333/month or a base annual salary of $52,000/year.

    How are sales commissions paid?

    Depending on the compensation scheme, a salesperson may be paid sales commission based on a percentage of the amount of the sale, such as 3% of the total sales price, a standard commission on any sale such as $500 per sale over x sales in a week or month, or a team-based percentage of the total sales of the department …

    What is base salary and basic salary?

    Basic salary is a fixed amount paid to employees by their employers in return for the work performed or performance of professional duties by the former. Base salary, therefore, does not include bonuses, benefits or any other compensation from employers.

    What’s the average salary for a salesperson?

    What is the Pay by Experience Level for Salesperson / Salesman / Saleswomen? An entry-level Salesperson / Salesman / Saleswoman with less than 1 year experience can expect to earn an average total compensation (includes tips, bonus, and overtime pay) of $38,270 based on 97 salaries.

    How much do sales reps get paid per sale?

    For example, sales reps may earn a 5% commission on all sales up to $20,000 in revenue. Once they pass this mark, they will earn an 8% commission on all other sales during that same period. Here is what this looks like in action:

    What’s the average salary of a salesperson at SAP?

    SAP leads the group, as employees there report an average base salary of $110,114 plus $99,431 in commission on sales, for a total of $209,545. SAP America also topped our list of the 10 companies where salespeople earn the highest annual commission on sales – which didn’t include base salary.

    Which is better commission or base salary for sales rep?

    Sales reps assume much more risk with a commission-only structure since they don’t have a base salary to fall back on, so companies that offer 100% commission may experience higher turnover and a smaller applicant pool. Many salespeople don’t want the income risk and prefer to have the security of a base salary.