A director of sales and marketing is a senior executive or manager who is in charge of a company’s sales, advertising, marketing, and public relations departments. A director of sales and marketing typically has a long history of experience in both sales and sales management, and is often tasked with developing and improving the performance of businesses. Though the tasks assigned to this person vary greatly depending on the company, they are frequently the driving force behind all major marketing and sales decisions.
Most sales and marketing directors’ overall goal is to continue to grow a company’s success. This could entail selling more gym memberships, securing more construction contracts, or launching more successful products from a company that is already performing well. With this goal in mind, a director of sales and marketing’s primary responsibility is to develop sales, marketing, and advertising programs that result in increased performance. A director of sales and marketing, a jack-of-all-marketing-trades, must be able to analyze the sales industry and be constantly on the lookout for ways to improve current business strategies.
The management, training, and hiring of employees is an important task for many sales and marketing directors. Training and hiring practices are especially important for sales and marketing professionals because good sales and marketing people can make the difference between a beloved company and a despised entity. A director may be in charge of developing training programs, developing a sales methodology, and comparing performance to forecasts to see if any changes are needed. Directors can also create competitive or team-based sales programs that reward sales and marketing personnel for achieving sales targets using the sales methodology.
A director of sales and marketing’s main concerns are frequently advertising and public relations. A director must work within his or her budget to ensure that the company receives the most positive exposure and generates the most business for the advertising dollars spent. In order to properly saturate the market and achieve maximum positive levels of public awareness, directors may need to be well-versed in the ways of television, radio, print, and Internet marketing schemes. Aside from that, all advertising, sponsorships, and marketing campaigns must be able to meet the company’s business objectives set by the director and executives.
A director of sales and marketing’s educational path can vary greatly from person to person. Some may hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree in business with a focus on communications or marketing. Others may rise through the ranks of the company by demonstrating a consistent record of excellent sales, as well as a flair for management and creative thinking. Sales and marketing directors may be required to work long hours and oversee large departments, but for those with a true passion for the diverse field of marketing, the career can be extremely rewarding.