What does a director of sales & business development do?
A director of sales & business development is responsible for monitoring the business and project plans, ensuring that the sales targets are met, according to project requirements and specifications. Directors of sales & business development perform data analysis to track business performance and identify opportunities to grow revenues and profits. They also coordinate with the clients and maintain healthy business relationships by enhancing their brand image on various platforms and reach the target audience. A director of sales & business development works closely with the marketing and sales team for public relations and marketing campaigns placement.
Director of sales & business development responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real director of sales & business development resumes:
- Lead all client communications, in order to exceed expectations, retain business and increase ROI for brand partners.
- Lead centralized, electronic referral center coordinating post-acute service needs of patients discharging from multiple acute facilities in Arizona region.
- Utilize SaaS to increase multimillion dollar business growth with portfolio of ~ clients.
- Develop CRM, internal pipeline, and project management platform for reporting up and downstream.
- Coach and supervise SaaS sales / product specialists to configure and coordinate technology deployment services.
- Hire and direct a staff of five to teach consultative selling, digital products, new sales associate curriculum and CRM.
- Penetrate and sell into target vertical markets including education, healthcare and public safety.
- Deliver business consulting services to health practitioners and healthcare organizations as well as retail business interest.
- Initiate regional campaign to assess and grow field readiness of sales team to effectively communicate corporate software solutions and capabilities.
- Set targets, monitor, review and initiate action plans to achieve target KPI's.
Director of sales & business development skills and personality traits
We calculated that 6% of Directors Of Sales & Business Development are proficient in Value Proposition, Sales Cycle, and CRM. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Leadership skills, and Analytical skills.
We break down the percentage of Directors Of Sales & Business Development that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Value Proposition, 6%
Identified specific customer segments and industry verticals to target with a join value proposition.
- Sales Cycle, 6%
Reduced internal sales cycle 20%; led a corporate initiative focused on shortening the sales cycle and enhancing customer experiences.
- CRM, 5%
Collaborated on MS CRM software implementation for improved client interaction and retention.
- Revenue Growth, 5%
Managed and developed accounts for sustained revenue growth, which included prospecting and qualification.
- Leveraged, 5%
Leveraged thorough knowledge of company and competitor software for sales and marketing presentations.
- Lead Qualification, 4%
Create a scalable and repeatable process for lead generation, lead qualification and new account acquisition process.
Most directors of sales & business development use their skills in "value proposition," "sales cycle," and "crm" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential director of sales & business development responsibilities here:
Customer-service skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a director of sales & business development to have is customer-service skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "when helping to make a sale, sales managers must listen and respond to the customer’s needs." Directors of sales & business development often use customer-service skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "developed and presented sales presentations, product demonstrations and bid proposals to current and prospective customers. "
Leadership skills. Another essential skill to perform director of sales & business development duties is leadership skills. Directors of sales & business development responsibilities require that "sales managers must be able to evaluate how their sales staff performs and must develop strategies for meeting sales goals." Directors of sales & business development also use leadership skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "designed and implemented pay-for-performance systems, sales training materials, and business leadership models. "
Analytical skills. This is an important skill for directors of sales & business development to perform their duties. For an example of how director of sales & business development responsibilities depend on this skill, consider 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 excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a director of sales & business development: "performed direct sales, submitted weekly analysis/summary reports, managed and supervised sales team. ".
Communication skills. A big part of what directors of sales & business development do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to director of sales & business development responsibilities because "sales managers need to work with colleagues and customers, so they must be able to communicate clearly." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical director of sales & business development tasks: "manage and direct sales of telecommunications equipment and materials for national/global markets. "
See the full list of director of sales & business development skills
The three companies that hire the most director of sales & business developments are:
- Cardinal Health11 directors of sales & business development jobs
- BI WORLDWIDE10 directors of sales & business development jobs
- California Dental Association3 directors of sales & business development jobs
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Compare different directors of sales & business development
Director of sales & business development 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.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a director of sales & business development are more likely to require skills like "value proposition," "sales cycle," "leveraged," and "lead qualification." On the other hand, a job as a national sales director requires skills like "salesforce," "sales management," "sales performance," and "sales territories." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
National sales directors tend to make the most money working in the pharmaceutical industry, where they earn an average salary of $110,884. In contrast, directors of sales & business development make the biggest average salary, $127,443, in the technology industry.The education levels that national sales directors earn slightly differ from directors of sales & business development. In particular, national sales directors are 2.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a director of sales & business development. Additionally, they're 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Director of sales & business development 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.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that director of sales & business development responsibilities requires skills like "value proposition," "leveraged," "lead qualification," and "strategic partnerships." But a regional sales director might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "regional sales," "customer service," "sales management," and "salesforce."
Regional sales directors earn a higher average salary than directors of sales & business development. But regional sales directors earn the highest pay in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average salary of $157,646. Additionally, directors of sales & business development earn the highest salaries in the technology with average pay of $127,443 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Regional sales directors tend to reach similar levels of education than directors of sales & business development. In fact, they're 1.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Directors of sales & business development in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Doc McAlister Billingsley Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Elmira College
Director of sales & business development vs. Senior sales director
A senior sales director is in charge of spearheading and overseeing the sales operations in a company, prioritizing customer satisfaction and profit growth. Their responsibilities revolve around developing strategies to reach sales targets, devising and defining sales objectives, coordinating with fellow directors and managers, and creating extensive sales reports. Furthermore, as a senior sales director, it is essential to lead and encourage the team to reach sales goals, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
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 sales & business development resumes include skills like "value proposition," "sales cycle," "leveraged," and "lead qualification," whereas a senior sales director is more likely to list skills in "customer satisfaction," "digital transformation," "sales management," and "product knowledge. "
Senior sales directors make a very good living in the manufacturing industry with an average annual salary of $130,551. On the other hand, directors of sales & business development are paid the highest salary in the technology industry, with average annual pay of $127,443.senior sales directors typically earn similar educational levels compared to directors of sales & business development. Specifically, they're 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Director of sales & business development vs. Head of sales
The head of sales is primarily responsible for overseeing the sales performance of a company and devising strategies to optimize practices. Their responsibilities typically revolve around monitoring the progress of every sales effort, setting objectives and deadlines, performing research and analysis to identify sales opportunities, and coordinating with different departments to improve procedures and reach sales targets. Furthermore, as the head of sales, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between directors of sales & business development and heads of sales, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a director of sales & business development might have more use for skills like "value proposition," "sales cycle," "leveraged," and "lead qualification." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of heads of sales require skills like "sales strategy," "product knowledge," "customer service," and "customer satisfaction. "
Heads of sales enjoy the best pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $189,378. For comparison, directors of sales & business development earn the highest salary in the technology industry.The average resume of heads of sales showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to directors of sales & business development. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 0.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.4%.Types of director of sales & business development
Updated January 8, 2025
