what is a sales director?

As a sales director, you're a motivator and planner. You are hired to manage salespeople across multiple teams to follow effective strategies. Additionally, you work with marketing divisions to create campaigns that increase the organization's revenue and client base. As you are at the director level of senior management, you have complete control of the sales portion of a company's budget.

Would working as a sales director suit your leadership skills? Then read on to find out what competencies and qualifications you need to thrive in a sales director role.

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average sales director salary

Would you like to know what a sales director earns? Where the highest salaries are paid for a sales director? Then check out this sales director salary page and find out all about the salary of a sales director in the USA.

2 males having a discussion at a table with tablet in front of them
2 males having a discussion at a table with tablet in front of them
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types of sales director

There are several types of sales director positions. These are specific to different organizational units. For example, a role as an e-commerce manager, your focus as a director of IT sales is the sale and service of hardware, software applications or both. On the other hand, when you take the director position for external sales, your operations look beyond the scope of your geographic region; for instance, sales products and services in Europe or Asia.

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working as a sales director

You'll succeed in the position of sales director if you can increase the revenue and customer service levels of an organization. With the development of strategic plans and sure-fire motivation, you encourage your managers and their salespeople to go beyond their normal responsibilities. Ultimately, you set the tone for all the salespeople under you.

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sales director skills and education

Most sales director positions require a bachelor's degree, but some consider applicants who have a high school diploma if they can prove their sales and leadership skills.

Courses that are relevant to seeking a sales director position:

  • marketing
  • communications
  • business
  • business law
  • management
  • finance
  • statistics
  • accounting
  • economics

Sales experience of 1–5 years is what most employers look for when they are hiring sales directors. You can get this experience as a sales representative, a purchasing agent or a retail sales worker. Career advancement in sales usually occurs faster in large organizations than in small organizations. Many sales directors took the career advancement path of sales representative to sales manager and then sales director.

skills and competencies

Develop these skills to become a successful sales director:

  • leadership: You can read books and take courses on leadership to learn how to be an effective leader. Encouraging people to take action and stay motivated isn't easy and takes practice to master. Working as a sales representative exposes you to different personalities so that you can begin learning how to connect with anyone and spur the different personality types into action. As a sales manager, you get more experience in a leadership role to prepare for the bigger responsibility of a sales director.
  • sales planning: As a sales director, you write sales plans that push people to achieve without going too far into the realm of impossibility. Finding that sweet spot of growth and achievability requires skill. Other aspects of sales planning are target market research, prediction of possible obstacles and how to overcome them, strategy and goal setting. You can take the big goal and break it down into manageable steps for the team.
  • organization: There are a lot of documents to keep track of as a sales director. You don't want to waste time trying to find what you need. Strong organizational skills allow you to be efficient and reduce your stress. You can research organization tips and strategies to get ideas on how to stay organized. Everyone is different, so you may have to experiment to find what works for you. General tips to follow are to always return objects to the place they belong and process your inbox everyday instead of allowing emails to pile up.
male and female employees having a conversation
male and female employees having a conversation
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FAQs about working as a sales director

Here you will find answers to the most frequently asked questions about sales directors.

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