Ask the Collective

What is the current market rate for a sales manager role in the drinks industry, specifically one leading group/tender/export discussions?

Members suggest using **PayScale** (https://www.payscale.com/research/UK/Country=United_Kingdom/Salary) as a starting point for UK salary benchmarking. One member reported that PayScale's results looked reasonable, though potentially "a bit low at the top end." The role specification matters significantly—job titles in sales can be quite specific depending on whether you're managing a team, a national account, a region, or brand ambassadors. For a sales manager role leading group, tender and export discussions (with separate on-the-ground CASK coverage and a brand ambassador for training/sampling), PayScale was considered a reasonable reference point, with the caveat that senior end figures may run higher in practice.