What does a director, inside sales do?
The role of inside sales directors is to sell services and products over the phone. They are responsible for overseeing sales representatives who make and take telephone calls. They must ensure that the inside sales department is operating smoothly and that sales quotas are met by sales representatives. They may also be involved in the recruitment and training of new sales employees, settle sales disputes in a highly-pressured environment, and ensure that sales representatives have consistent sales leads.
Director, inside sales responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real director, inside sales resumes:
- Manage job flow with Peachtree ERP.
- Manage A/R to payment terms, including resolution of discrepancies
- Manage inside sales team, implement best practices and conduct sales training as CRM administrator on SalesForce.com.
- Full responsibility for all sales activities for a start-up electronic commerce company managing electronic data flow in the healthcare industry.
- Log all information in SalesForce.
- Establish product standards for implementation of ERP package.
- Establish procedures for min/max levels as well as procedures RFQ's.
- Supervise website design and uphold ISO 9001:2008 and AS9100 : 2009 standards.
- Process all customer RFQ and choose vendors for top price and service.
- Monitor purchasing and the matching receiving entries in QuickBooks to ensure vendor price.
- Complete adjustments/transfers in QuickBooks to maintain accurate inventory levels and work with operations to ensure accurate inventory.
- Reverse negative relationship with distributors through personal relationship building, changes in sales execution, and implementation of new distributor programs.
- Assist in upselling banking portfolio packages of services for increase revenue.
- Experience with MRP, MRPII, order points, and vendor negotiations.
- Analyze MRP system for purchasing requirements which assure parts and materials are available for upcoming jobs.
Director, inside sales skills and personality traits
We calculated that 23% of Directors, Inside Sales are proficient in Customer Service, Product Knowledge, and Salesforce. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Leadership skills.
We break down the percentage of Directors, Inside Sales that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 23%
Demonstrated ability of exceeding target revenue goals, providing excellent customer service, and building long-term relationships in a team-oriented environment.
- Product Knowledge, 13%
Provided superior product knowledge to customers to ensure items ordered met their needs and specifications.
- Salesforce, 5%
Redesigned SalesForce CRM application to provide forecast and site-specific sales information to the IOP Field Sales team.
- Purchase Orders, 5%
Conduct and oversee all procurement operations-requisitions, purchase orders, price negotiation, receiving, delivery verification.
- Order Entry, 4%
Collaborated within organizations and coordinated order entry/management of two diverse acquisitions into the corporation.
- Outbound Calls, 4%
Championed constant quality improvement on inbound and outbound calls via training initiatives.
"customer service," "product knowledge," and "salesforce" are among the most common skills that directors, inside sales use at work. You can find even more director, inside sales responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a director, inside sales to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "sales managers must collect and interpret complex data to target the most promising geographic areas and demographic groups, and determine the most effective sales strategies." Directors, inside sales often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "accessed database consisting of numerous vendors and product lines. "
Communication skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling director, inside sales duties is communication skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "sales managers need to work with colleagues and customers, so they must be able to communicate clearly." According to a director, inside sales resume, here's how directors, inside sales can utilize communication skills in their job responsibilities: "maintain open communication with clients and proactively seeking new ways to improve customer service/satisfaction. "
Leadership skills. This is an important skill for directors, inside sales to perform their duties. For an example of how director, inside sales responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "sales managers must be able to evaluate how their sales staff performs and must develop strategies for meeting sales goals." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a director, inside sales: "implemented dashboard report of individual campaign performance goals and metrics for project management, account management and leadership teams. ".
Customer-service skills. A big part of what directors, inside sales do relies on "customer-service skills." You can see how essential it is to director, inside sales responsibilities because "when helping to make a sale, sales managers must listen and respond to the customer’s needs." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical director, inside sales tasks: "provided customer support to wide variety of electrical equipment purchasers. "
The three companies that hire the most director, inside saless are:
- Humana47 directors, inside sales jobs
- Oracle40 directors, inside sales jobs
- Compass Group USA4 directors, inside sales jobs
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Compare different directors, inside sales
Director, inside sales vs. Business development officer
A business development officer is responsible for implementing project management techniques and identifying business opportunities to generate revenue resources and increase client partnerships. Business development officers negotiate business offers to the clients, understanding their specifications, and develop strategic processes to reach their target goals according to their requirements, such as budget limitations and deadlines. They also review sales proposals and marketing materials, adjusting existing policies to deliver high-quality outputs with minimal costs. A business development officer analyzes feedback, evaluates current market trends, and monitors business and financial transactions.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a director, inside sales are more likely to require skills like "salesforce," "purchase orders," "order entry," and "outbound calls." On the other hand, a job as a business development officer requires skills like "business administration," "financial services," "workplace," and "sba." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Business development officers really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $84,162. Comparatively, directors, inside sales tend to make the most money in the technology industry with an average salary of $83,668.On average, business development officers reach higher levels of education than directors, inside sales. Business development officers are 7.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Director, inside sales vs. Sales account manager
The account sales manager is in charge of the retention of their customer relationship. They have to supervise the portfolio of existing clients, develop new business with them, and seek new sales opportunities. Account sales managers act as liaisons between the company and customer as well as build strong, long-lasting relationships by providing an improved customer experience. It is their responsibility to negotiate contracts and close deals to maximize sales profits. Also, they forecast track sales results and prepare reports on account status.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that director, inside sales responsibilities requires skills like "purchase orders," "order entry," "inbound calls," and "customer orders." But a sales account manager might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "crm," "work ethic," "sales territory," and "excellent interpersonal."
On average, sales account managers earn a higher salary than directors, inside sales. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, sales account managers earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $68,777. Whereas directors, inside sales have higher pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $83,668.sales account managers earn similar levels of education than directors, inside sales in general. They're 0.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for director, inside saleses in the next 3-5 years?
Bill Thorne
Executive Director of the NRF Foundation and Senior Vice President of Communication and Public Affairs of NRF, National Retail Federation
Director, inside sales vs. Sales/marketing
Among the responsibilities of working in sales and marketing is to reach out to clients to achieve sales targets and secure customer satisfaction. It is also essential to come up and develop strategies to obtain sales and find new opportunities that will strengthen the client base and improve the company's brand and image. Furthermore, working in sales and marketing requires coordination with team members and superiors, so it is vital to have an active line of coordination and communication.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a director, inside sales is likely to be skilled in "salesforce," "purchase orders," "order entry," and "sales reps," while a typical sales/marketing is skilled in "digital marketing," "facebook," "instagram," and "real estate."
Sales/marketing make a very good living in the technology industry with an average annual salary of $49,506. On the other hand, directors, inside sales are paid the highest salary in the technology industry, with average annual pay of $83,668.When it comes to education, sales/marketing tend to earn similar degree levels compared to directors, inside sales. In fact, they're 0.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Director, inside sales vs. Client services director
A client services director is responsible for maintaining healthy business relationships with clients, ensuring that operational teams provide the highest quality services for the clients, following their deliverables and business requirements. Client services directors oversee project management procedures, identifying inconsistencies, and revising business plans to improve outputs and achieve client satisfaction. They also recommend cost-reduction techniques, as well as processes to maximize productivity and enhance the utilization of resources. A client services director coordinates with the clients for progress updates, as well as informing them of adjustments and opportunities for business development.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between directors, inside sales and client services directors, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a director, inside sales might have more use for skills like "product knowledge," "salesforce," "purchase orders," and "order entry." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of client services directors require skills like "client service," "excellent interpersonal," "project management," and "healthcare. "
Client services directors enjoy the best pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $120,175. For comparison, directors, inside sales earn the highest salary in the technology industry.client services directors reach higher levels of education compared to directors, inside sales, in general. The difference is that they're 7.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.8% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of director, inside sales
Updated January 8, 2025
