Sales directors are top management employees, and occasionally executives, who manage sales teams, whether for the entire organization or within a branding or regional division. The sales director is responsible for providing direction and vision to his/her team, and also entrusts them to manage revenue forecasts for the products or services offered by the company. Directors may also develop or direct involvement on marketing campaigns and sales initiatives. They typically have sales managers under them, who oversee teams on the field. They typically interview and recruit new sales managers on a regular basis and provide guidelines and standards for the training of sales employees.
In the role of sales director, the executive is in charge on all sales activities within the region or company which typically involves approving sales projections made by different teams and also providing input to budgets from individual sales managers who could manage smaller sales campaigns that must be approved from the Director. Sales directors also create and supervise large multi-team sales campaigns and initiatives, and report the results of sales to the executive board regularly.
The people in this position need to maintain a consistent standard across several sales teams by cooperating with managers to ensure that they adhere to hiring guidelines and conduct high-quality interviews. They should also ensure that sales training sets an environment of excellence in the department, and that proper follow-ups and performance reviews are conducted.
Sales directors usually work with branding, marketing as well as logistical and supply teams to ensure that they are able to operate effectively between these departments that help consumers get products and services. The majority of sales directors hold at minimum an undergraduate degree in a business or marketing-related field, as having a wealth of experience in the field as team or sales managers. Sales directors typically work in an office setting however, they should expect frequent travel to meet face-to-face with local sales groups.