What does a director of retail sales do?
A director of retail sales is in charge of spearheading and overseeing retail sales operations, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. They are primarily responsible for setting goals and objectives, supervising product roadmaps, managing budgets, coordinating managers and different departments, and making decisions in adherence to the company's needs. They must also monitor the progress of sales, implementing solutions in problem areas. Furthermore, as a director, it is essential to lead and encourage the employees to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Director of retail sales responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real director of retail sales resumes:
- Manage initial contact, negotiation and administration of all OEM programs.
- Manage a staff of 2 OEM account managers and 3 national account managers.
- Monitor and manage all KPI's driving DTC business including taster count, bottles per visitor, conversion rates and attrition.
- Manage multi-million dollar advertising budgets and strategically book vehiclesgarnering optimal visibility and ROI.
- Full responsibility for all sales activities for a start-up electronic commerce company managing electronic data flow in the healthcare industry.
- Visit and train in store sales staff on new products, sales reports, POS placement and customer service.
- Develop relationships with healthcare buying groups.
- Lead the downstream product management team for LATAM.
- Full development and oversight of divisional budget and all business decisions for the department.
- Move direct mail program to an external agency partner and convert catalogs to a CRM vehicle.
- Create and write operations manual, job descriptions, KPI benchmarks, financial reporting forms and budgets.
- Provide a stable POS environment and improve store efficiency by automating time, attendance, and gift cards systems.
- Develop and market nineteen data-mining websites that generate 500,000 unique visitors per year and result in a permission marketing CRM.
- Develop key account strategies in accordance to the overall company strategy to create for immediate growth in the LATAM region.
- Evaluate advertising efficacy and promotional ROI.
Director of retail sales skills and personality traits
We calculated that 11% of Directors Of Retail Sales are proficient in Customer Satisfaction, Product Line, and Retail Sales. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Interpersonal skills, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Directors Of Retail Sales that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Satisfaction, 11%
Maintain customer satisfaction and overall good public relations.
- Product Line, 8%
Assisted in the development of marketing strategies for product lines and category management information for customer product categories.
- Retail Sales, 6%
Developed and implemented annual retail sales and marketing plan for a major metropolitan media company.
- CRM, 6%
Account Management - Updated customer information and tracked order history using online CRM systems.
- POS, 5%
Implemented new POS system for Visitor Services and cross-trained Visitor Services and Museum Shop staff to accommodate high traffic periods.
- Market Research, 5%
Utilized market research and competitive analysis to effectively direct products through market evolution.
Common skills that a director of retail sales uses to do their job include "customer satisfaction," "product line," and "retail sales." You can find details on the most important director of retail sales responsibilities below.
Analytical skills. director of retail sales responsibilities often require "analytical skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact 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." This resume example shows what directors of retail sales do with analytical skills on a typical day: "analyze sales data, develop and implement strategies to improve sales results in each store. "
Communication skills. A commonly-found skill in director of retail sales job descriptions, "communication skills" is essential to what directors of retail sales do. Director of retail sales responsibilities rely on this skill because "sales managers need to work with colleagues and customers, so they must be able to communicate clearly." You can also see how director of retail sales duties rely on communication skills in this resume example: "design and oversee all store communication and training programs. "
Customer-service skills. While "customer-service skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to director of retail sales responsibilities. Much of what a director of retail sales does relies on this skill, seeing as "when helping to make a sale, sales managers must listen and respond to the customer’s needs." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of directors of retail sales: "provide overall day to day direction for store operations by analyzing business performance and guest satisfaction against business objectives. "
The three companies that hire the most director of retail saless are:
- Zumiez172 directors of retail sales jobs
- Cracker Barrel85 directors of retail sales jobs
- Lowe's Companies50 directors of retail sales jobs
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Compare different directors of retail sales
Director of retail sales vs. Sales vice president
Sales vice presidents are top-level executives at a sales, retail, or marketing corporation. Primarily these executives are tasked to direct and lead a sales department or team within the organization. Their objective is to meet or even exceed the sales or marketing standards set for a successful business operation. They manage brands, deploy sales, and distribute the channels of the company. Also, they oversee the internal operations of the organization to establish customer relationships.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between directors of retail sales and sales vice president. For instance, director of retail sales responsibilities require skills such as "retail sales," "pos," "market research," and "digital marketing." Whereas a sales vice president is skilled in "sales process," "healthcare," "sales management," and "sales strategy." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Sales vice presidents really shine in the finance industry with an average salary of $150,209. Comparatively, directors of retail sales tend to make the most money in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $37,873.The education levels that sales vice presidents earn slightly differ from directors of retail sales. In particular, sales vice presidents are 3.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a director of retail sales. Additionally, they're 0.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Director of retail 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.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that director of retail sales responsibilities requires skills like "product line," "retail sales," "pos," and "enterprise sales." But a client services director might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "client service," "excellent interpersonal," "project management," and "healthcare."
Client services directors earn a higher average salary than directors of retail sales. But client services directors earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $120,175. Additionally, directors of retail sales earn the highest salaries in the manufacturing with average pay of $37,873 annually.In general, client services directors achieve higher levels of education than directors of retail sales. They're 7.4% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Directors of retail sales 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 of retail sales vs. National sales director
A national sales director is responsible for monitoring the sales targets and performance of the sales force across the country's regions. National sales directors handle the execution and release of goods and services according to market trends and public demands. They strategize on related business opportunities to identify additional resources that would increase the company's revenue and profitability. A national sales director conducts data and statistical analysis to determine pricing techniques, considering the availability of supplies and its market demands.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from director of retail sales resumes include skills like "customer satisfaction," "retail sales," "pos," and "digital marketing," whereas a national sales director is more likely to list skills in "healthcare," "salesforce," "sales management," and "sales targets. "
National sales directors earn the highest salary when working in the pharmaceutical industry, where they receive an average salary of $110,884. Comparatively, directors of retail sales have the highest earning potential in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $37,873.Most national sales directors achieve a similar degree level compared to directors of retail sales. For example, they're 2.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Director of retail sales vs. Regional sales director
A regional sales director is responsible for monitoring sales quotas for a specific area or region, developing sales strategies, and adjusting existing techniques to increase revenues and achieve its profitability goals. Regional sales directors manage marketing campaigns, analyze current market trends to meet consumer demands, plan promotional events, handle employees' sales training programs, and coordinate with multiple sales teams to implement effective sales processes. A regional sales director must have excellent leadership and communication skills, especially managing customers' inquiries and concerns and resolving complaints.
Types of director of retail sales
Updated January 8, 2025
