Two years ago, 300 sales and marketing executives responded to the survey, which is conducted every other year. At that time, the average reported compensation was $117,200 and the median was $115,000.

That suggests an upward trend for sales and marketing pay, but the magazines editors emphasize that direct comparisons from survey to survey should be avoided because the number and pool of voluntary respondents varies each time.

LubesnGreases gathers information about compensation from individuals employed by lubricant manufacturers and marketers in three job categories: plant managers, sales and marketing professionals, and laboratory/technical managers. The individual responses are compiled by an independent statistical firm and never seen by anyone at the magazine or LNG Publishing Co.

Of those in sales and marketing, 58 percent this year said they work for lubricant manufacturing companies, where they earn an average of $146,100 a year. In 2010, such respondents averaged $130,000.

Their counterparts at lubricant distributors said they take home substantially less, averaging $107,500 in 2012. However, this is a sizeable leap from the average $92,900 seen in 2010.

Half of all sales and marketing professionals who participated this year said they had received a raise in the past 12 months, but the largess was not enjoyed evenly. Just 39 percent of those with lubricant distributors affirmed they had gotten a bump up in pay, while 60 percent of those with lube manufacturers did.

Company size is another critical factor where pay is concerned, the survey respondents indicated. Sales and marketing executives working for companies with 10 or fewer employees said they receive a median $77,500 a year, while the median is $110,000 for those at mid-size companies, with 51 to 100 employees. At the top-size companies (501 employees or more), pay climbs higher yet, reaching a median $140,000 in 2012. Thirty percent of all respondents said they work for such large-scale companies.

LubesnGreases also sorts the responses according to geographic area, and finds compensation is highest among those located in the South Central U.S. states. Here in the traditional heartland of the U.S. lubricants manufacturing industry, sales and marketing executives reported median pay of $130,000. Those in the Northwest have the lowest median pay ($82,500), according to the survey responses.

The typical sales and marketing executive who answered the 2012 survey is 51 years old and has 22 years of industry experience. He or she has been with their current employer for 13 years (in their job for eight), and is responsible for a staff of 12 people. Women are a minority, with only 14 of the 257 respondents (5.4 percent) identifying themselves as female.

As it has in the past, the 2012 survey found that Certified Lubrication Specialist credentials from the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers make a difference. Twenty-eight percent of those in sales and marketing (71 individuals) said they hold CLS credentials, and they reported notably higher median pay, at $120,000, than those without ($115,000). Another difference is that CLS holders tend to have responsibility for larger staffs, averaging 20 people, versus nine on average for non-CLS managers.

CLS holders were more likely to say they had received a raise last year, at 58 percent, compared to those without the credentials (48 percent). Also, 83 percent of them expect to get a bonus this year, compared to 63 percent of the non-CLS group. Despite the economic slowdown, this data show that CLS are not getting laid off, remarked Robert Gresham, director of professional development at the Chicago-based STLE. Instead, theyre getting raises.

The complete LubesnGreases 2012 Lubricants Industry Salary Survey report is available only in digital .pdf format for $100, or $35 for the sales/marketing executives survey alone. Order online at www.lngpublishing.com/SalarySurvey/orderform.cfm.