Sales / Business Development, Strategy / Planning
Director of Sales
Overview
A director of sales is responsible for leading a team of sales professionals and overseeing the sales process to ensure revenue goals are met. They may develop sales strategies, identify new business opportunities, and maintain relationships with key clients.
The main responsibilities of a director of sales may include developing and implementing sales strategies, setting sales targets and quotas, managing and motivating sales teams, analyzing and interpreting sales data, and collaborating with other departments to ensure that sales efforts are aligned with overall company goals.
Common tasks
| Task | Related trait(s) |
|---|---|
| Developing sales strategies to achieve revenue targets and business objectives | Cautiousness in Planning Attention to detail Creativity and problem solving Adaptability |
| Leading, coaching, and mentoring a team of sales professionals to achieve sales goals | Communication skills – Understanding others Communication skills – Expressiveness Emotional Intelligence – Understanding customers and others |
| Identifying current customer needs to inform sales strategies | Cautiousness in Planning Emotional Intelligence – Understanding customers and others Creativity and problem solving Adaptability |
| Building and maintaining strong relationships with key customers and stakeholders | Communication skills – Understanding others Communication skills – Expressiveness Emotional Intelligence – Understanding customers and others |
| Managing budgets and ensuring cost-effectiveness | Cautiousness in Planning |
| Collaborating with cross-functional teams, such as marketing, product development, and customer success | Equality and fairness in leadership Teamplayer Positive group practices Calmness |
| Participating in industry events, conferences, and trade shows to represent the company and generate leads | Extroversion Presenting with confidence |
| Staying up-to-date with developments in the field | Activity Level Curiosity |
Soft skills measured by TraitForward
| Trait | No of Questions | Cronbach’s alpha (α) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communication skills – Understanding others | 8 | 0.71 | |
| Do they understand others? | |||
| Communication skills – Expressiveness | 11 | 0.84 | |
| Do they express themselves effectively? | |||
| Emotional Intelligence – Understanding customers and others | 6 | 0.70 | |
| Do they understand the emotions of others? | |||
| Cautiousness in Planning | 7 | 0.73 | |
| Do they plan carefully? | |||
| Attention to detail | 5 | 0.71 | |
| Do they pay attention to details? | |||
| Equality and fairness in leadership | 11 | 0.73 | |
| Are they biased? | |||
| Creativity and problem solving | 8 | 0.77 | |
| Are they creative problem solvers? | |||
| Adaptability | 6 | 0.75 | |
| Are they adaptable? | |||
| Extroversion | 6 | 0.75 | |
| Can they handle social situations? | |||
| Activity Level | 9 | 0.78 | |
| Can they multitask? Can they handle demanding workloads? | |||
| Calmness | 4 | 0.77 | |
| Are they calm? Do they respect others? | |||
| Presenting with confidence | 5 | 0.74 | |
| Are they socially confident? | |||
| Curiosity | 9 | 0.76 | |
| Are they deep learners? | |||
| Teamplayer Positive group practices | 9 | 0.72 | |
| Do they like being included in a group? | |||
Did you Know?
Source: US Department of Labor – Bureau of Labor Statistics
Median wage:
$193,387 / per year
$93 / hour
A relatively low annual wage is $146,680(10th percentile)
A relatively high salary of the annual wage is $247,386 (90th percentile)
Entry Education level:
Τo become a director of sales, one typically needs a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, such as business, marketing, or sales. They must have strong leadership and management skills and be able to motivate and manage sales teams effectively. Additionally, directors of sales must have strong analytical and problem-solving skills and be able to develop and implement effective sales strategies. They should also have excellent communication and interpersonal skills and be able to build and maintain strong relationships with customers and internal stakeholders. Many directors of sales have several years of experience in sales roles before moving into leadership positions.
Find out the psychometric properties for the Director of Sales Traitforward questionnaire