A commercial landscape sales manager runs the team of reps that wins maintenance, install and snow contracts from property management firms, HOA boards and public agencies. They decide which bids to chase, check each proposal before it goes out and hand every signed site to operations with a clear scope.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Lead the strategic growth of our Commercial Landscaping division by developing innovative sales strategies, setting revenue targets, and managing a high-performing sales team that directly contributes to the company's success.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Develop and implement strategic sales plans targeting the commercial landscaping market.
Set and monitor revenue goals and sales targets consistently.
Manage, mentor, and motivate a team of sales representatives to achieve outstanding performance.
Collaborate with operations and marketing teams to align sales efforts with overall business objectives.
Analyze market trends and competitor data to refine and adjust sales strategies.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Conduct daily team meetings to review performance metrics and sales pipelines.
Engage with prospective and existing clients through calls, visits, and presentations.
Monitor sales data, prepare performance reports, and share insights with senior management.
Oversee the preparation and delivery of customized proposals and contracts.
Maintain ongoing communication with key accounts to ensure client satisfaction.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Monthly revenue target: $150,000.
Client acquisition rate: 15 new clients per month.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: >4.8 stars.
Sales conversion rate: 25%.
Sales team retention rate: 90%.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field.
Minimum 5 years of experience in sales management, preferably within home services or landscaping.
Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
Proficiency in CRM software and sales analytics tools.
Proven track record of meeting and exceeding revenue targets.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience in commercial landscaping or a related industry.
Demonstrated success in leading a highly effective, results-driven sales team.
Background in strategic sales planning and market analysis.
Familiarity with industry-specific challenges and client needs in outdoor services.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to travel to client sites and attend outdoor meetings.
Comfortable working in various weather conditions.
Occasional lifting of materials up to 25 lbs.
Extended periods using computer systems and sitting at a desk.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM.
Local and regional travel for client meetings and trade shows expected.
Occasional extended hours during peak sales periods.
Office-based role with regular on-site client visits.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $80,000 - $100,000 USD annually.
Eligibility for performance bonuses and sales commissions.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision insurance coverage.
401k retirement plan with employer matching contributions.
Paid time off and potential opportunities for remote work.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We are a forward-thinking and collaborative company that values growth, innovation, and outstanding customer service.
Our inclusive culture embraces continuous development and a supportive teamwork environment.
We are committed to empowering our employees through ongoing training and career advancement opportunities.
Join us to drive groundbreaking success in the commercial landscaping industry and make a lasting impact on our clients.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
What sets commercial landscape sales management apart
The team sells to buyers who compare bids line by line and sign for a year or more. The manager's job is picking the right bids, getting the paperwork right and protecting margin across a whole book of sites.
Pick the bids worth chasing
A rep can lose a week to one large request for proposal. Set a bid or pass check the team uses every time: is the site near current routes, does the scope fit what your crews do well, does the client pay on time, and can you meet its insurance terms? Passing on a poor fit leaves room for sites you can keep for years.
Selling plants takes a state license
Wisconsin's agriculture department says anyone selling more than 250 dollars in perennial plants that can survive a Wisconsin winter outdoors needs its annual nursery license. Install proposals that bill a client for trees, shrubs and perennials can pass that line in one job. Before the team sells plantings in Wisconsin, confirm the company's license is current, and keep a copy in the bid file with your insurance certificate. Source: Wisconsin DATCP: Ten things you should know before you start selling plants.
Wyoming favors resident bidders on public work
Wyoming law defines public works to include construction, improvement and major maintenance of public buildings and facilities. When those bids are advertised, the certified resident with the lowest bid wins as long as it stays within a small margin, set in the statute, of the lowest responsible nonresident bid. Out-of-state firms should price with that in mind. Wyoming firms should guard their residency certificate, since one that is lost can't be regained for a year. Source: Wyoming Statutes Title 16, sections 16-6-101 and 16-6-102.
Calls to businesses still have honesty rules
Sales calls to a property management office are exempt from most of the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule. The exemption doesn't reach its bans on misrepresenting total cost, key conditions or what the service does, or on false or misleading statements made to get paid. Coach reps to say on the phone only what the proposal will say in writing, including what costs extra. Source: eCFR: 16 CFR 310.6, Exemptions to the Telemarketing Sales Rule.
Hand off each site on foot
A renewal can be lost over a promise the crew never heard about. Before the first service visit, have the rep, the account manager and the field supervisor walk the property with the signed scope in hand, and write down anything the client was told that the paperwork doesn't show.
How much commercial landscape sales managers make
Sales managers who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $116,350 a year ($55.94 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $148,270 median for sales managers in all industries. About 610 of the 637,080 sales managers in that survey work for landscaping companies.
Plan on a salary and a bonus pegged to the team's new contract value, sometimes with a smaller share of renewals. The template's range is lower than the middle of the BLS pay spread for landscaping firms, so the bonus needs real upside.
Landscaping companies
$116,350$116,350 median Middle half $87,050–$158,920 10th–90th $69,790–$207,320
All industries
$148,270$148,270 median Middle half $100,360–$207,340 10th–90th $73,170–$290,540
$0k$50k$100k$150k$200k$250k$300k$350k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Landscaping companies
$69,790
$87,050
$116,350
$158,920
$207,320
All industries
$73,170
$100,360
$148,270
$207,340
$290,540
BLS reports residential and commercial landscaping companies together. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Coaching reps through long, multi-step bids, not one-call sales
Reading a request for proposal and spotting risky terms
Forecasting a pipeline by contract start date
Holding margin when a buyer pushes on price
Agreeing with operations on what crews can take on
Teach these on the job
Your estimating method and crew-hour rates
The snow contract types you sell and how each is priced
Public bid portals and vendor registrations
Your CRM reports and proposal templates
Your branches, routes and how much room each has
The team runs on a CRM for the pipeline, the company's estimating software and a set of proposal templates. Name each in the ad; a manager who already reads those pipeline reports can start coaching in the first week.
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Underpriced wins
A rep wins a large contract at a price operations says can't be done in the budgeted hours. What do you do?
A strong answer: Rechecks the measurements and production rates, renegotiates scope or price before the start date if needed, and fixes the estimating process.
Behavioral · Leading sales results
Tell me about the best year a sales team had under you. What did you change to get there?
A strong answer: Names specific changes (territories, account plans, enhancement targets, coaching) and the results.
These targets are examples. Set your own from last year's signed contract value, the size of your team and how much new work operations can absorb.
Monthly revenue target
Add up the contract value signed each month, split into maintenance, install and snow. Count a multi-year deal at its first-year value so one large award doesn't hide a slow month.
Client acquisition rate
Count new client firms or boards signed each month from the CRM. When a management firm you already serve adds a site, count it as account growth rather than a new client.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
At the end of each new client's first season, ask about the sales process: was the proposal accurate, and did the work match what was sold? Compare the answers rep by rep.
Sales conversion rate
Divide proposals won by proposals submitted, using the dates in the CRM. Report public bids and private requests on separate lines, because they win and lose for different reasons.
Sales team retention rate
Track which reps stay through a full selling year, and ask every rep who leaves what made them go. Note whether the departure came in the middle of bid season.
What should a commercial landscape sales manager do after losing a public bid?
Ask the buyer for the award results and, if they will share it, the winning price. Compare it with yours service by service. A loss on price points to your crew-hour rates or your overhead. A loss on qualifications points to the proposal itself. Then ask for a short debrief, and file what you learn with the contract's next bid date.
How much does a commercial landscape sales manager make?
Sales managers who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $116,350 a year ($55.94 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $87,050 and $158,920 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
How should a sales manager split territory between commercial reps?
By geography when your routes are dense in some areas and thin in others, so reps fill the gaps. By client type when buyers differ a lot, such as HOA boards versus retail centers. Many companies give the regional management firms to one senior rep so those buyers deal with a single person. Revisit the split each winter.
How should a commercial landscape sales manager forecast?
Weight each open bid by its stage and by the date service would start, not the date it might sign. A maintenance contract won in January adds no revenue until spring visits begin. Share the forecast with operations every month so hiring, trucks and equipment orders match what is likely to close.
What do the template's weather and 25-pound lifting lines mean for this job?
They describe site visits. The manager walks properties with clients in rain, heat or snow, hauls sample boards and a trade show display to events, and spends long desk stretches on reports and proposals. Spell out each of those in the ad, with a rough share of the week spent on properties. Close by noting that reasonable accommodations can be discussed with qualified candidates.
