Jobs as a sales director are typically available with any company or business that sells a product or service and has a separate sales department. Sales director jobs are sometimes referred to as sales manager or marketing director jobs, but there are clear distinctions between the two. Only an examination of open sales director job descriptions will provide detailed information about the specific work involved.
The main distinctions between sales and marketing director jobs are scope and function. Creating or organizing promotional campaigns, branding a company, and preparing promotional material such as brochures, media advertisements, and mailings are all common responsibilities of a marketing director. Sales directors are typically in charge of managing a sales force directly, with responsibilities that include sales strategy planning, determining territorial sales quotas, training salespeople, and tracking sales trends.
The title of sales manager usually refers to the supervisor of an in-house sales staff, such as in a retail store or a telemarketing office, whereas sales director implies a broader scope. A regional sales director may be in charge of a sales force that spans several states. An executive sales director may be in charge of all aspects of sales in multiple countries.
Sales managers are more likely to be involved in retail sales, whereas sales directors are more likely to be involved in the wholesale product market. In most wholesale product sales, sales territories are assigned. A sales director may service certain accounts in a designated territory while also managing a sales force in the rest of the territory.
Sales director jobs are a little different in the sale of intangibles like insurance or advertising. In these industries, territories are uncommon, and salespeople are expected to find and develop new accounts while also servicing any existing accounts they are assigned to. While a sales director in a service or intangible industry will often service “house accounts,” or long-term customers, a wholesale product sales director will spend more time training new account executives, monitoring sales figures and compensation, and supporting sales staff.
Sales director jobs are more likely to be determined the company’s size than a product or service. Aside from the distinctions between service and consumable product sales, and the distinctions between sales manager and sales director, the variety of sales director jobs is as diverse as the products and services purchased and sold. Sales director jobs, whatever their differences, entail managing a sales force, working with quotas or territories, and generating revenue for the company’s growth.