Explore Jobs
Find Specific Jobs
Explore Careers
Explore Professions
Best Companies
Explore Companies
A sales director is responsible for the strategic leadership of an individual sales department within an organization. The sales director can be the leader of an entire sales team, a middle-tier of the sales team, or simply govern their own sales representatives while reporting to the management.
In larger organizations, the sales director will work closely with other directors to help formulate corporate strategy.
Because these individuals are responsible for developing and implementing growth sales strategies, the most important skills should revolve around attracting more customers, ensuring revenue growth for the business, and how to best motivate your staff.
Some common responsibilities may include implementing sales plans and strategies, maintaining or increasing sales volume, expansion into industries, competitive analysis, employee training, understanding and catering to customer needs, working closely with the customer success team, cultivating and maintaining customer relationships, and more.
There is a lot riding on your personality and social skills as a director of sales. But you also must be motivated to succeed and motivated to help others on your team succeed. You should be skilled at negotiating and an expert in developing professional relationships with your clients. Sale is a demanding job, and being a director in this field is hard work.
To best prepare yourself for a sales director position, you’ll want to update your existing resume to include any relevant experience for this job. Additionally, you’ll want to craft the perfect sales director cover letter that will help you stand out from the competition and blow your interviewer away.
Looking for a job? These position are hiring now near you:
The most important part of your cover letter requires looking back over the initial job posting. Consider addressing specific skills, qualifications, or experience requirements that are called out.
Be sure that your cover letter isn’t too templatized and that your personality shines through. Cover letters should be brief, no more than one page, and address your reader by their first name. Below are the parts to include in your director of sales cover letter.
Contact information. At the top of your cover letter, you’ll want to include your contact information just under your name. Your header should reflect your resume, so be sure it’s the same font type and size.
For sales directors, it’s a good idea to include as many personal details as possible, including a link to your LinkedIn profile.
Make sure your link is customized and easy to remember and ensure it’s up-to-date before you send your resume. LinkedIn’s digital presence is more important now than ever, especially for sales directors.
Salutation. As a sales director, it’s incredibly important to avoid generic salutations such as “To Whom It May Concern.” This can come off as insincere and lazy. Check out the company’s website, or if you’re working with a recruiter, ask them directly for the name of your interviewer.
This individual is typically the hiring manager, sales executive, or HR director to whom you would report if you got the job. Once you have their name, start your letter with “Dear” and their full name or “Mr./Ms. [last name]” at the top of your letter.
This will help get their attention and show that you did your homework.
Cover letter opening. This is one of the most important parts of your cover letter as it sets the tone and expectation for your interview and who you are as a person. You’re looking for conversion here, and like any other sales tactic, the same rule applies. Your first line should be irresistible and immediately grab the attention of your hiring manager.
Cover letter body. The body of your cover letter for a sale position is an opportunity to show why the organization must hire you. It’s the place where you should attempt to motivate the hiring manager to move forward with you as their top candidate.
Here, you’ll want to focus on why you’re perfect for the position and why the organization is perfect for you.
Closing. A formal closing on cover letters is best, such as “Best regards” or “Sincerely.” Don’t use informal closings like “Ciao” or “Cheers” since your cover letter should give off your most professional voice.
Signature. If you are sending your cover letter through mail or handing it to the potential employer during a screening interview, it’s a great idea to add a handwritten signature as an extra touch. If you are submitting your cover letter via email, typing your name is acceptable.
The opening of your director of sales cover letter should catch the reader’s attention and articulate what you’re applying for and why. For your opening, it’s a good idea to focus on these two things and try to condense them into one or two lines.
This piece should be straight to the point and immediately give the reader a sense of who you are and why they have your information in front of them.
Dear Helen Troy,
As an accomplished and Successful Sales representative with over 14 years of experience driving high-performance sales teams to capture market share, I was thrilled to see your Director of Sales opening at Sample Company. I possess a wide range of skills and knowledge that I feel make me a perfect candidate for this position.
The body of your sales director cover letter is the area where you can go into more detail about your specific skills, qualifications, and experience. You’ll want to make sure this information is condensed into a few paragraphs so as not to go past a single page. Consider focusing on two things.
Your value. Your value should come upfront. What have you accomplished? What are you most proud of in your professional experience? List all of your skills relevant to the director of sales position. Consider taking a look over the job posting so that you can reiterate some of the language used.
Why you want to work for the company. Make sure this isn't just about what the company can benefit from you. Be sure to express what you think you can benefit from the company.
My expertise revolves around developing and implementing sales strategies to boost revenue, partnering with marketing to develop and implement go-to-market campaigns, and negotiating contracts to accelerate business development.
During my career, I have also managed teams of all sizes and skill levels, managed a variety of accounts across multiple industries, and contributed heavily to competitive analyses.
Additionally, I have had much success with client relationship building and feel these qualities make me an ideal addition to your already impressive team. A few of my accomplishments include:
Joined current organization to spearhead sales for newly developed territories. Led turnaround of a poorly performing district and increased sales from $2 million to $8 million in 13 months.
Vetted over 30 prospects per day, resulting in 20 closed deals in Q1 and $220,000 in revenue (+31% to quota).
Optimized 25 landing pages in a single quarter, resulting in a 17% life in organic search traffic.
Managed teams of five sales representatives to 50 sales representatives.
I have been a longtime fan of Sample Company and your products. I love the innovation of this organization and feel as though I could help push the sales team to new heights if considered for this position.
Your closing shouldn’t be overlooked in your cover letter, as it’s the piece you last leave with the reader. Make sure this section is as strong as your beginning. A good way to do that is to summarize some of your best skills and include a call to action. Remember, this should be another short section that consists of up to three lines. Finally, finish with an appropriate closing.
My proven record of managing and developing high-performing sales teams and realizing impressive revenue increases will contribute significantly to Sample Company’s sales goals. Thank you for your consideration and the opportunity to apply. I look forward to speaking with you soon.
Sincerely,
Pam Snipes
Looking for a job? These position are hiring now near you:
Pam Snipes
1670 Reynolds Alley
Irvine, Ca, 92618
562-257-5042
linkedin.com/in/pamsnipesJune 5, 2021
Dear Helen Troy,
As an accomplished and successful Sales Representative with over 14 years of experience driving high-performance sales teams to capture market share, I was thrilled to see your Director of Sales opening at Sample Company. I possess a wide range of skills and knowledge that I feel make me a perfect candidate for this position.
My expertise revolves around developing and implementing sales strategies to boost revenue, partnering with marketing to develop and implement go-to-market campaigns, and negotiating contracts to accelerate business development.
During my career, I have also managed teams of all sizes and skill levels, managed a variety of accounts across multiple industries, and contributed heavily to competitive analyses. Additionally, I have had much success with client relationship building and feel these qualities make me an ideal addition to your already impressive team.
A few of my accomplishments include:
Joined current organization to spearhead sales for newly developed territories. Led turnaround of a poorly performing district and increased sales from $2 million to $8 million in 13 months.
Vetted over 30 prospects per day, resulting in 20 closed deals in Q1 and $220,000 in revenue (+31% to quota).
Optimized 25 landing pages in a single quarter, resulting in a 17% life in organic search traffic.
Managed teams of five sales representatives to 50 sales representatives.
I have been a longtime fan of Sample Company and your products. I love the innovation of this organization and feel as though I could help push the sales team to new heights if considered for this position.
My proven record of managing and developing high-performing sales teams and realizing impressive revenue increases will contribute significantly to Sample Company’s sales goals. Thank you for your consideration and the opportunity to apply. I look forward to speaking with you soon.
Sincerely,
Pam Snipes.