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Sales Director Job Description: Top Duties and Qualifications

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A Sales Director, or Sales and Marketing Director is responsible for managing the activity of a company’s sales team. Their primary duties include setting sales targets, analysing sales data and performing strategic planning for the sales department.

Sales Director duties and responsibilities

Sales Directors are responsible for maintaining and increasing sales,they have a range of duties associated with ensuring that the company is profitable, including:

  • Monitoring the performance of the senior sales teams by setting and reviewing goals and identifying any training needs
  • Devising and implementing systems to keep staff motivated and maintain a high level of morale
  • Recruiting and training sales staff and ensuring that the department is appropriately resourced to deal with fluctuations in sales volumes
  • Researching, analysing and setting price points to maximise sales and maintain healthy profit margins
  • Identifying opportunities by keeping track of competitor activity
  • Using industry knowledge to identify potential new markets and increase the market share
  • Maintaining sales records and design reports to ensure that the data collected is being utilised effectively
  • Creating sales campaigns including call centre scripts, in-store promotions and e-mail blasts

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Sales Director Job Description Examples:

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Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

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What does a Sales Director do?

A Sales Director typically works with the board of directors to plan for the future of the company. This includes forecasting future trends, launching new products and services and reviewing sales data to identify buying among their customer base. They manage the activities of the sales department, set realistic targets, oversee the Mangers that report to them and work with staff to keep them motivated. Sales Directors also often work closely with the marketing department to ensure that they are operating as effectively as possible.

Sales Director skills and qualifications

Sales Directors need to have an approach which combines creativity with hard facts and figures. A successful Sales Director will have various prerequisite skills and qualifications that typically include: 

  • Computer skills including sales and finance software and expertise in spreadsheets, presentations and databases
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
  • Time management skills, including prioritisation and delegation
  • Leadership and management skills
  • Flexibility and ability to accept feedback and input from other departments
  • Ability to manage budgets
  • Excellent negotiation skills
  • Planning and forecasting skills

Sales Director experience requirements

Sales Directors need to have significant sales experience and a proven track record of increasing sales. They should be able to show their success in previous roles using figures that demonstrate the impact of their activity on the results of projects. Successful Sales Directors usually start working in direct sales before gaining management experience and developing higher-level skills. Many businesses will expect Sales Director applicants to have some experience in business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C) sales.

Some industries are highly regulated, such as finance or medical sales, so Sales Directors in those sectors need a thorough understanding of industry best practices and any legal restrictions that may apply.

Sales Director education and training requirements

Sales Directors must have at least a bachelor’s degree in sales management or sales strategy and operations. Some employers accept candidates who have vocational sales qualifications, including a City & Guilds qualification in sales or an NVQ diploma in sales and business administration. The Institute of Sales Management offers sales qualifications such as a sales professional certificate or strategic sales planning.

Sales Director salary expectations

According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for a Sales Director in the UK is £74,264 per year. This depends on the size of the company and the sales team as well as the area of the country in which the role is based.

Job description samples for similar positions

If you are recruiting for a sales role, but Sales Director isn’t quite right, then have a look at these similar job descriptions to see if they are closer to what you need:

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Sales Director job description FAQs

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