What does a Director of Sales do?
Sales managers are responsible for leading sales teams to reach sales targets. Sales managers are primarily tasked with hiring and training team members, setting quotas, evaluating and adjusting performance, and developing processes that drive sales. Sales managers are oftentimes expected to travel.
Sales managers usually need a Bachelor's degree in business or a related field. Additionally, sales managers typically need to have several years of experience in sales prior to becoming a manager. Oftentimes, sales managers are promoted into sales director positions. The best sales managers have strong analytical skills, excellent leadership abilities, and exceptional customer service skills.
- Recruit, hire, and train sales team
- Set sales goals, compare performance to goals, and adjust goals as needed
- Assess current team processes and procedures, identify opportunities for improvement, and implement them
- Develop individual quotas and assign territories for team members
- Provide detailed and accurate sales forecasts
- Coach, mentor, and provide feedback to team members
- Foster a competitive yet collaborative team environment
- Assess individual performance through observation and measurement, and suggest corrective actions as needed
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, or related field
- 5 years of experience in sales
- Strong oral and written communication skills
- Proven ability to lead a team to meet quotas
- Excellent leadership skills
- Experience setting sales goals
- Results-oriented with strong analytical skills
- Deep understanding of CRM systems and best practices
- Proficient in Microsoft Office
Director of Sales Salaries
Average Base Pay
Director of Sales Career Path
Learn how to become a Director of Sales, what skills and education you need to succeed, and what level of pay to expect at each step on your career path.
Years of Experience Distribution
Director of Sales Insights
Secureframe“Working with smart and diverse colleagues really helps with challenging me to grow personally and in my career”
Datto “Everything is ok and I am happy here and getting a good salary and bonus from every deal I close”
“Incentive for each colleague is excellent and very unique which is best in Pharma industry.”
WAC Lighting Company“down makes this an exciting and fun place to grow your talents and establish a meaningful career.”
Time Rack“One of the investors was genuinely interested in my success and was able provide amazing coaching both professionally and personally.”
Boux Avenue“Store manager is amazing and so supportive and really helps you to fill your full potential.”
Ulta Beauty“I liked the team of associates I had and the discount for products and salon was nice.”
Workiva“Plateaued in my role and had an amazing career growth oppty elsewhere are the only reasons I left”
Frequently asked questions about the role and responsibilities of sales managers
During a typical day, a sales manager deals with the distribution of a company's products to its customers. To do this, they establish sales territories and set quotas. Each day they spend time coordinating with a sales team, developing strategies to help the team operate efficiently, and identifying new customers to target.
Job growth for sales managers is expected to remain strong, especially for those who work for brick-and-mortar stores. An advantage of working as a sales manager is that many individuals are promoted from positions as sales representatives, purchasing agents, and buyers. They're rewarded for their hard work and promoted to manager.
Sales managers do earn a good salary, although the amount varies depending on where they live and how many years of experience they have. The average annual base salary of a sales manager is $114,661 in the United States, but those who have more experience can make up to $183,470.
One of the hardest parts about working as a sales manager is that it's a high-stress job. Sales managers might work long hours, including weekends, especially when deadlines approach. Since sales managers are in charge of a team, they might also have sales team members that fail to meet quotas.