Recruiting executive-level sales talent is no easy task. When it comes to hiring sales directors, it takes a very skilled recruiter to differentiate your brand from competitors. Not only must you craft complex compensation packages, but you also have to prove that there is ample growth potential in your organization.
The best salespeople are motivated by numbers and always hungry for more. As one of the leading sales director recruitment agencies, CulverCareers has placed C-level sales talent in a number of industries, including information technology (IT), pharmaceuticals, and more.
If you need to hire a sales director but don’t know where to start, the sales recruiters at Culver put together this brief exploration.
What is a Sales Director?
Sales directors are executive officers in charge of sales operations for different businesses. Since sales dictate revenue, these people are also responsible for driving profit in companies. Sales directors handle high-level tasks such as financial management and often don’t work directly with sales reps. Rather, they oversee sales managers who are in charge of different sales teams.
While small companies often only have a single sales director, large enterprises are known to employ several sales directors. Importantly, sales managers generally focus quarterly revenue goals for sales teams in specific territories. Conversely, sales directors oversee larger initiatives like operating budgets, sales forecasting, and long-term goals.
Responsibilities of a Sales Director
Since sales directors supervise sales initiatives within a company, the bulk of their time is spent creating plans, processes, and budgets for the sales department to follow.
Common duties of a sales director include:
Often, the duties of sales directors will differ depending on the size of the operation, as well as the industry in question.
What Makes a Good Sales Director?
Many people don’t realize this, but talented salespeople don’t always make great managers and directors. While being goal-oriented and hungry is important in any sales job, these traits don’t always translate into managerial skills. Sales directors must be able to see the big picture and get people to follow their vision.
As seen with any sales position, good sales directors should be able to prove their track record with concrete numbers from past jobs. Similarly, they should be capable of setting company-wide sales goals that are realistic, yet ambitious enough to motivate salespeople.
The best sales directors create plans and processes within which sales teams thrive. Since top sales directors are process-oriented, they should always be looking to revise operations for increased profitability.
Why are Sales Director Recruitment Agencies Important?
No matter what the job market is like, recruiting a qualified sales director is no easy task. As seen with most jobs in the C-suite, these people must be experts in your industry and a great fit for your company culture. When you come across a candidate that matches all these criteria, you should take decisive action so they are not lost to competitors.
To hire top sales director talent, you need to craft a pay structure and benefits package that offers ample security, while also incentivizing performance. Examples here include quarterly bonuses for meeting sales goals and specialty retirement packages like nonqualified deferred compensation plans.
CulverCareers has over 40 years of sales executive search experience. We have the candidate network to recruit leading sales directors in a wide variety of industries. Each year, Culver is one of the top sales director recruitment agencies in the industry.
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