A commercial painting sales manager leads the team that bids work to general contractors and sells repaints to owners and property managers. They choose which bids to chase, check scope and price before a number goes out, and coach estimators and reps on winning the right jobs.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, building finishing contractors · BLS, May 2025
Lead and manage sales operations within the commercial painting division while driving revenue growth and expanding market presence. Develop strategic sales targets that align with company objectives and ensure team success. Play a pivotal role in building and maintaining strong client relationships and a high-performing sales team.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Develop and implement effective sales strategies to meet and exceed revenue targets.
Lead, mentor, and motivate the sales team to achieve individual and collective goals.
Monitor and analyze sales performance metrics to ensure revenue growth.
Establish and nurture relationships with key commercial clients.
Collaborate cross-functionally to support overall business development initiatives.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Oversee the day-to-day performance of the sales team through regular check-ins and strategy meetings.
Conduct analysis of sales data and prepare reports for senior management.
Engage with prospective and current commercial clients through meetings, calls, and site visits.
Identify new business opportunities and follow up on emerging market trends.
Provide coaching and training to ensure continuous skills development within the team.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Revenue Growth: Achieve a quarterly growth rate of at least 15%.
Sales Target Achievement: Attain a minimum of 90% of established sales targets.
New Commercial Leads Generated: Secure at least 20 new qualified leads per month.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Maintain an average rating of 4.8+ stars.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, or a related field.
A minimum of 5 years of sales management experience in a related industry.
Proven leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
Strong analytical abilities with experience in monitoring sales metrics and performance data.
Proficiency in CRM software and Microsoft Office Suite.
6. Preferred Experience
Demonstrated experience within the commercial painting or home services industry.
Successful track record in managing and scaling high-performance sales teams.
Experience in developing and executing integrated sales strategies.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to travel frequently for client visits and sales meetings.
Occasional lifting of sales materials or promotional items up to 10 lbs.
Regularly work in both office environments and on-site at various commercial locations.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
Occasional evening and weekend meetings with clients as required.
Travel up to 30% of the working time to meet business needs.
Flexible remote work options as determined by management.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $70,000 - $90,000 per annum.
Performance-based commission structure to reward exceeding sales targets.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance coverage.
401(k) retirement savings plan with company matching contributions.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We foster an inclusive, collaborative environment that celebrates continuous learning and personal growth.
Our organization is committed to innovation, quality service, and sustainable practices.
We prioritize open communication, teamwork, and a strong customer focus.
Join us to be part of a driven team where your contributions make a real impact on the community.
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 makes a commercial painting sales manager different
Most revenue here comes from bids, not from people who call in. The manager decides where the team spends its estimating hours and makes sure every number that leaves the office covers the full scope.
Pick the bids worth pricing
Estimating hours are the team's real budget. Log every invite with the GC, job type, size and result. Review hit rates by GC each month. Pass on bids where the GC invites every painter in town, the drawings are thin, or the schedule doesn't fit your crews. Spend those hours on owners and GCs that award on more than price.
Set-aside work caps what you can sub out
Say your company is the prime on a federal small business set-aside as a special trade contractor. SBA's rule says no more than three quarters of what the government pays you may go to firms that aren't similarly situated. The cost of materials doesn't count. Before the team bids a set-aside, confirm how much of the scope your own crews will do. Source: eCFR: 13 CFR 125.6, prime contractor performance requirements (limitations on subcontracting).
Large primes post work for small subs
SBA says federal contracts over a set dollar size that go to large firms must carry a small business subcontracting plan. Any large business can post subcontract work on SBA's SubNet database. If your company counts as small, have someone check SubNet each week for painting and coating scopes. Send your capability statement to the primes that post them. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration: Prime and subcontracting.
The scope letter is part of the price
A GC lines up painting numbers side by side on bid day, and a low number can mean something was left out. The Painting Contractors Association's Standard P23 lists items a painter typically doesn't include unless the contract documents call for them, such as ducts and conduit, fire sprinkler piping, exposed steel and concrete ceilings, and roof items. Send every bid with a scope letter that names the spec sections, products and addenda, and lists those exclusions. Source: Painting Contractors Association: Industry standards (P23, typical exclusions from scope).
How much commercial painting sales managers make
Sales managers who work for building finishing contractors earned a median of $124,650 a year ($59.93 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 1,170 of the 637,080 sales managers in that survey work for building finishing contractors.
Salary plus commission for beating targets, as the template lays out. Its salary range sits near the low end of BLS pay figures for sales managers who work for building finishing contractors, so commission has to make up more of the pay.
Building finishing contractors
$124,650$124,650 median Middle half $83,970–$153,740 10th–90th $70,580–$205,660
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
Building finishing contractors
$70,580
$83,970
$124,650
$153,740
$205,660
All industries
$73,170
$100,360
$148,270
$207,340
$290,540
BLS counts too few sales managers at painting contractors for a steady figure, so these figures cover building finishing contractors. 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
Reading drawings, finish schedules and painting specs well enough to check a bid
Coaching estimators and reps through reviews of real bids and lost jobs
Defending a price to a GC and still getting the next invite
Building sales reports from the CRM that the general manager can act on
Setting targets for a team that sells both bid work and negotiated work
Teach these on the job
Your company's estimating system and markup policy
Which GCs, owners and property managers you serve, and their history
Federal set-aside and subcontracting rules
Your CRM and bid-tracking setup
How a sold job passes from sales to project management
The team works in a CRM, a bid board such as BuildingConnected or PlanHub, and takeoff software such as PlanSwift, Bluebeam or On-Screen Takeoff. List them in the ad so candidates can tell you whether they've managed a team on the same setup.
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 · Improving win rate
Your team's bid win rate drops this quarter. What do you do?
A strong answer: Asks GCs for feedback, compares numbers and scope with winning bids, checks estimating accuracy and targets better-fit projects.
Behavioral · Developing account managers
Tell me about a rep you developed who grew a single GC or property manager relationship into steady repeat work.
A strong answer: Coached the rep on GC relationships, estimating accuracy and follow-up after award, and shows accounts or win rate that grew.
Bid markets swing with local construction, so the template's goals serve as a sketch. Build yours from past invites, awards and repeat accounts, and reset them when the market moves.
Revenue Growth
Compare revenue booked from signed contracts with the matching quarter a year earlier, so seasonal swings in bid timing don't skew it. Split the figure into GC bid work and negotiated account work to see which one is growing.
Sales Target Achievement
Set each target by person and by market at the start of the year, then compare signed work against it each month. Count a job when the subcontract or purchase order is signed, not when a letter of intent arrives.
New Commercial Leads Generated
Count GCs, owners or property managers who invite a bid or ask for a proposal for the first time, logged in the CRM with the source. Keep repeat invites from existing customers in a separate count.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Survey the customer's lead contact after closeout and track scores by account. Call any customer who rates a job low before the team bids their next one.
Career path
EstimatorLearns takeoffs, pricing and specs on a steady stream of bids.
How should a commercial painting sales manager handle a GC that shops our number?
Set a policy before it happens. When a GC says another painter is lower, ask what that bid excludes and compare scope line by line before talking price. Cut the number only when you can cut scope or find a real saving, and keep a list of GCs who ask for cuts after bid day. Those GCs may deserve fewer of your estimating hours.
How much does a commercial painting sales manager make?
Sales managers who work for building finishing contractors earned a median of $124,650 a year ($59.93 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $83,970 and $153,740 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Is it worth bidding commercial painting jobs outside our home area?
Bid out of town when a GC you trust brings you along or the job is big enough to cover travel. Price hotel rooms, meals, drive time and a lead painter who can run the job far from the office. Check the other state's contractor license and registration rules before the bid goes in. Pass if your crews can't keep up with home jobs at the same time.
Where should we look for a commercial painting sales manager?
Look at senior estimators who have priced every kind of job, and project managers who have closed out jobs with GCs. Sales managers from other finish trades, such as drywall, flooring or wallcovering, can work too, since they already sell to the same GCs. Ask each finalist to walk you through a bid they lost and what they changed. A strong answer names the scope, the GC and the gap.
How do the travel, site and lifting lines play out for a sales manager?
Expect regular drives to GC offices, owner meetings and job sites. That includes walks through buildings under construction or in use, and carrying sample boards, brochures or a laptop bag. Say in the ad how many days a week are usually on the road and what site gear the company supplies, such as a hard hat and safety vest.
