Director of Sales Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a director of sales. Feel free to use our director of sales job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a director of sales.
Who is a Director of Sales?
Sales have always been an art form, but sales management elevates it to a science. A company’s sales operations are managed and supervised by the Director of Sales or sales director.
They are expected to prepare sales reports, predict earnings from sales revenue, and devise strategies for attaining sales targets as part of their administrative responsibilities. They also look into what competitors have to offer and use that information to better product development and market expansion.
The Director of Sales also participates in sales contract negotiations. They evaluate the expenses of products and services, as well as marketing tactics for expanding the client base. Directors of Sales are in charge of managing and motivating the sales force to achieve and exceed their goals.
Who reports to a Director of Sales?
The sales manager reports to the Director of Sales while the Director of Sales is accountable to the stakeholders for the overall productivity and effectiveness of the assigned teams within the sales department.
What’s the difference between a Director of Sales and a Sales Manager?
Although both the Director of Sales and the Sales Manager are responsible for the sales team’s performance, their jobs are distinct. Sales Directors frequently operate above Sales Managers, doing high-level activities that keep the sales force productive and efficient.
Every day, sales managers work closely with their sales teams, giving hands-on training, recruiting, and other assistance as needed to help them establish a great sales force. The Director of Sales is in charge of the entire sales department and collaborates with leadership to design sales plans that must be followed by the Sales Manager and his or her team.
What makes a good Director of Sales?
A strong sales director excels in communicating and listening to the demands of a diverse group of people, including the sales staff, the sales manager, executive members, and customers. They should also be self-motivated and devoted to developing and achieving sales goals that raise earnings and improve performance for the firm. Directors of Sales should have considerable sales experience to gain a thorough understanding of how the sales department operates, which will aid them in developing realistic and impressive sales strategies for their sales staff to achieve.
Do Directors of Sales have different responsibilities in different industries?
A strong sales director excels in communicating and listening to the demands of a diverse group of people, including the sales staff, the sales manager, executive members, and customers. They should also be self-motivated and devoted to developing and achieving sales goals that raise earnings and improve performance for the firm. Directors of Sales should have considerable sales experience to gain a thorough understanding of how the sales department operates, which will aid them in developing realistic and impressive sales strategies for their sales staff to achieve.
Director of Sales Job Description
Below are the director of sales job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a director of sales job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of a director of sales include the following:
- Coordinate sales forecasting, planning, and budgeting activities within the sales organization.
- Hold an organization’s planning activities as it regards sales by monitoring, and seeking to maintain high levels of quality, accuracy, and process consistency.
- Coordinate planning activities with other departments and stakeholders within the company when necessary.
- Support the equal distribution of sales force quotas and the optimal allocation of quotas across all sales channels and resources.
- Work to ensure that all targets for the sales organization are allocated promptly.
- Identify sales process optimization possibilities ahead of time.
- Work closely with sales management to assess the quality of the sales process and identify areas for improvement.
- Assist sales managers in identifying bottlenecks and inconsistencies in the process.
- Assist in the development of a continuous process improvement organization.
- Ensure the accuracy and timely provision of sales reports and other critical intelligence to the sales team.
- Suggest changes to existing reports or aid with the creation of new reporting tools as appropriate.
- Field sales teams by giving access to enabling technologies, such as CRM.
- Ensure that the assigned sales organization is adhering to the relevant CRM data maintenance requirements.
- Work closely with sales management to ensure that the firm’s technological investments are as effective as possible.
- Coordinate the delivery of training to sales, sales management, and sales support in the sales organization.
- Contribute to the development and administration of sales incentive compensation schemes with senior leadership.
- Work with the departments of accounting, finance, and human resources.
- Assist with sales incentive compensation administration on a case-by-case basis, or when required to arbitrate or clarify the implementation of sales compensation program policies and procedures.
- Direct and assist in the implementation of company projects in a consistent manner.
- Develop strong internal-company ties and peer support with other important management personnel.
- Manage administrative Specialists, Sales Operations Coordinators.
- Coordinate the assistance of sales professionals, implementation resources, service resources, and other sales and management resources when needed.
- Coordinate with the relevant supervisors at the management level.
- Maintain close, cooperative relationships with peers, sales management, and sales and support staff.
- Lead and motivate your team to provide better customer service to your clients.
- Create and implement strategic plans to meet sales goals.
- Cultivate long-term ties with them to increase consumer loyalty.
- Set weekly, monthly, and quarterly sales goals and advertise them.
- Prepare accurate and complete sales reports.
- Collaborate with customers to gain a better understanding of their company needs and objectives.
- Determine selling prices by considering costs, competition, and supply and demand.
- Estimate existing and new product sales volume and profit.
- Create a sales training program to teach new staff.
- Meet with the sales managers to evaluate the company’s success.
- Develop and implement strategic plans to meet sales goals.
- Create and discuss sales goals, and keep C-level executives up to date on their success.
- Build and sustain long-term, solid client connections while collaborating with them to better understand their business goals and needs.
- Understand the trends and landscapes in your industry.
- Use presentations and proposals to effectively communicate value propositions.
- Report on the factors that influence account strategic directions and tactical budgets.
Qualifications and Requirements
For every profession, some things make one qualify for it. The qualifications of a director of sales include all of the following:
- A bachelor’s degree in marketing, business administration, or another related discipline is required.
- Candidates having a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree may be preferred by some employers. An MBA degree displays a candidate’s understanding of sales management and strategic operations ideas. While prior sector experience is advantageous, companies can provide some business training during onboarding to assist the Director of Sales in understanding the role’s specific requirements in a given industry.
- Directors of Sales often have 7 to 10 years of sales experience in a senior-level job such as Sales Manager, Marketing Director, or a similar position. During their degrees, these individuals may have received relevant training and expertise in the field. Any relevant leadership or management experience is advantageous.
- NVQs in sales and qualifications from professional groups like the Chartered Institute of Marketing, the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management (ISMM), and the Managing and Marketing Sales Association are examples of formal qualifications (MAMSA). Specialist degrees in your field, on the other hand, will be useful and well-regarded.
- Great communication and motivational abilities: You’ll need to be a super counts operator, occasionally persuading Gooders of your ideas and cajoling for extra resources, thanks to your outstanding communication and motivational skills. A good Director is a good political mover and shaker inside the company as well as an ambassador for the company to the outside world.
- Good planning and organizational abilities will aid you greatly, but when it comes to getting things done, it’s your personality and character that matter the most. A solid understanding of accounting and finance can make all the difference in your ability to build plans and strategies that others must believe in.
- Ability to evaluate data to identify trends and issues.
- Developed intuition: a thorough understanding of individuals and the capacity to categorize them into groups.
- Analytical mind: the ability to think logically, make sound decisions, and work toward a common goal.
- The ability to defend your point of view.
- Knowledge of negotiation theory and practice.
- Working knowledge of all sales channels.
- Understanding of the fundamentals of time management.
- Good understanding of trade and consumer rights.
- Familiarity with persuasion techniques based on psychology.
- Understanding the essence, characteristics, and regulations of the company’s business procedures, as well as a thorough understanding of the product.
- Possession of interpersonal skills at the highest level.
- Ability to forecast sales accurately.
- Thorough knowledge of the market’s services and products.
- Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and technical skills are essential.
- Ability to mentor and coach others.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate the many features of services and goods.
- Understanding of how to provide client-centered, distinctive, and attainable solutions.
- Knowing how to position products against their competition.
Essential Skills
Below are some important skills you need to possess to function as a director of sales for an organization:
- Communication Skills: This isn’t just about selling a product; it’s also about pushing people to do it on your behalf. To get their message across to their team and to understand the specific demands of each individual, the director of sales needs strong communication skills.
- Mentally Agility: Successful directors of sales don’t get trapped in a rut, whether their team is performing well or poorly. They must be willing to try new techniques or revert to old ones in a never-ending cycle of re-optimization.
- Analytical Skills: In a world of data-driven analytics, the image of the dressed salesman going into a business meeting equipped with little more than common sense and gut intuition is no longer competitive. Directors of sales now have all of the arrogance and confidence of their forefathers, but they back it up with hard facts and extensive statistical analysis.
- Goal-Oriented Individual: Goal orientation is a critical aspect of success in this profession, and the yardstick for sales managers hasn’t altered much through the years. But it’s not just about attaining strategic objectives; it’s also about creating realistic sales targets that are in line with the company’s overall objectives.
- Business development skills: They imply the ability to assess a company’s existing performance and pinpoint areas for improvement. A sales director should set new sales goals regularly and work to expand the customer base. This necessitates a regular examination of the company’s processes.
- Leadership skills: These are the abilities that a sales director should possess to encourage salespeople and coordinate their efforts to achieve established objectives. Effective and positive leadership is required in this position.
- Interpersonal and communication skills: A sales director should have great verbal and nonverbal communication skills to maintain a healthy work environment. They should be able to explain goals, give constructive comments, and work together with other departments.
- Analytical skills: A good sales director will be interested in the company’s employees and will be familiar with sales quotas and pay programs. They should also be able to gain insights from fresh information and design a clear sales strategy that the team can follow.
- Critical thinking and problem-solving: A sales director should be prepared to solve problems using their knowledge and thinking, as well as react promptly to any business developments.
- Time management Skills: A sales director’s job necessitates multitasking, which is impossible to do well without appropriate time management. If the necessity arises, they should be able to prioritize tasks and delegate some of them effectively.
- Computer skills: Because their employment requires them to type and use specific company software, a sales director should have strong computer abilities. They should also know how to use the technologies needed to create reports and presentations for senior sales management, stakeholders, and cooperating departments.
How to Become a Director of Sales
If you are interested in the role of a Director of sales then follow the steps below:
Step One: A Bachelor’s Degree is a great way to start your career (Four Years)
A prospective director of sales must have a bachelor’s degree after graduating from high school. Management, marketing, accounting, finance, economics, and statistics are all excellent major options. A competitive high school GPA (3.0 or more); SAT and/or ACT scores; letters of recommendation; and a personal statement are all common admissions requirements that vary per school.
Step Two: Acquire Early Work Experience
A director of sales position is not an entry-level post, and it is exceedingly rare for an inexperienced college graduate to be hired for one. Aspiring sales managers must obtain practical experience after graduating from university. Employers prefer applicants who have worked in sales for one to five years. This time is often incredibly formative: on-the-job training is some of the most valuable education money can buy. Not only will prospective sales directors learn about salesforces and what it takes to lead one, but they’ll also discover which industry segment they prefer to work in. Furthermore, some companies will pay for an employee’s graduate school studies.
Step Three: Obtain a Master’s Degree
Although graduate education is not required for all sales directors, it is gradually becoming the norm for those in senior roles. A master’s degree in business administration (MBA) provides graduates with a thorough understanding of business foundations as well as the leadership abilities needed to encourage teams to achieve short, medium, and long-term operational goals. A strong undergraduate GPA (3.0 or higher); GMAT or GRE scores; job experience; letters of recommendation; and a personal statement are some of the prerequisites that differ by institution.
Step Four: Consider Professional Certification
Many sales directors pursue professional certification as a way to further their education and exhibit expertise after receiving their master’s degree. These certificates, which are offered through professional societies, are a peer-reviewed mark of distinction that can propel one’s resume to the top of the pile and persuade employers of one’s commitment to best practices.
Although most jobs require a degree, others will accept applicants with work experience or qualifications. To be a sales director, you don’t always need a bachelor’s degree.
Certified Inside Sales Professional (CISP). For sales executives and account managers, the AA-ISP offers a variety of credentials. ($875 for AA-ISP members or $975 for nonmembers).
Certified Professional Sales Person (CPSP). This qualification is $595 and is for sales executives, CEOs, and sales professionals.
Certified Sales Leadership Professional (CSLP). It’s one of the Sales Management Association’s two certifications.
Where can the Director of Sales Work?
A corporation hires a sales director, also known as a director of sales, to manage the activities of subordinate salespeople and to lead an effective selling strategy for the company as a whole. A sales director, in most cases, has complete responsibility for the sales operations and salespeople within the company’s budget and is frequently a member of the company’s upper management.
A sales director spends most of their time on computers, whether in an office or at home. They can also plan meetings and travel to meet with clients or attend conferences in advance.
Director of Sales Salary
The average salary for a Director of Sales is $117,790 per year. Salary may be determined by a candidate’s educational background, amount of experience, and geographic location. The average compensation for Director of Sales applicants in the United Kingdom is £75,149 per year, according to Indeed Salaries. Pay varies by industry, experience, credentials, employer, location, and specific work duties and responsibilities.