What does a director of sales & service do?
A director of sales and service is a management professional who is responsible for managing the daily activities and sales efforts of a sales team to ensure it meets the expected sales targets. This director is required to develop and execute strategic plans to achieve sales goals while expanding the customer base of an organization. To ensure the growth of the organization, the director must educate new hires by implementing sales training and orientation program. This director must also find opportunities to maximize value from the establishment of a referral network with the local businesses.
Director of sales & service responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real director of sales & service resumes:
- Cultivate and manage business relationships with wholesale distributors creating positive impact for newsstand product sell at retail.
- Establish competitive OEM and end user pricing.
- Rekindle poor OEM relationships and build a structure partner communication process.
- Design improvements to CRM financial reporting.
- Reverse negative relationship with distributors through personal relationship building, changes in sales execution, and implementation of new distributor programs.
- Set targets, monitor, review and initiate action plans to achieve target KPI's.
Director of sales & service skills and personality traits
We calculated that 11% of Directors Of Sales & Service are proficient in CRM, Customer Satisfaction, and Sales Process. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Customer-service skills.
We break down the percentage of Directors Of Sales & Service that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- CRM, 11%
Designed improvements to CRM financial reporting.
- Customer Satisfaction, 8%
Created standard operating procedures and performance indicators that allowed team to meet commitments to customers and exceptional levels of customer satisfaction.
- Sales Process, 7%
Designed and standardized due diligence/implementation process branded and featured during sales process.
- Revenue Growth, 6%
Promoted revenue growth and asset retention through monitoring, analysis, and reporting of budgets and expenses, including payroll costs.
- Business Development, 5%
Directed sales strategy to pioneer and develop brand including implementing short-term business development projects to achieve long-term growth.
- Sales Strategies, 5%
Developed and implemented corporate sales strategies and service protocols for client/subscriber acquisition and retention.
"crm," "customer satisfaction," and "sales process" are among the most common skills that directors of sales & service use at work. You can find even more director of sales & service responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a director of sales & service to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what directors of sales & service do because "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." Additionally, a director of sales & service resume shows how directors of sales & service use analytical skills: "analyze data, build product lines and cultivate relationships, engagement and experiences. "
Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform director of sales & service duties is communication skills. Directors of sales & service responsibilities require that "sales managers need to work with colleagues and customers, so they must be able to communicate clearly." Directors of sales & service also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "served as primary liaison between ticketing patrons and senior company management which resulted in improved customer satisfaction and enhanced communication. "
Customer-service skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of directors of sales & service is customer-service skills. This skill is critical to many everyday director of sales & service duties, as "when helping to make a sale, sales managers must listen and respond to the customer’s needs." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "direct sales and managing relationships with company's largest customers; u.s. bank, wells fargo, and citibank. "
Leadership skills. director of sales & service responsibilities often require "leadership skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "sales managers must be able to evaluate how their sales staff performs and must develop strategies for meeting sales goals." This resume example shows what directors of sales & service do with leadership skills on a typical day: "provide leadership and direction to teams of crm professionals. "
The three companies that hire the most director of sales & services are:
- Patra40 directors of sales & service jobs
- AEA Investors31 directors of sales & service jobs
- Accenture17 directors of sales & service jobs
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Compare different directors of sales & service
Director of sales & service vs. Business development director
A business development director specializes in crafting plans and strategies to develop the relationship between the brand, clients, and other key characters in the industry. It is their responsibility to examine and understand everything about the brand and figure out which areas require improvement or changes. They must also conduct a thorough marketing analysis and remain updated on the latest trends in the market to identify new opportunities that would improve customer satisfaction. Furthermore, they must also communicate with all clients, even appear on public gatherings to strengthen brand awareness.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a director of sales & service are more likely to require skills like "relationship building," "professional services," "customer care," and "sales objectives." On the other hand, a job as a business development director requires skills like "patients," "customer relationships," "project management," and "customer service." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Business development directors earn the highest salaries when working in the finance industry, with an average yearly salary of $124,195. On the other hand, directors of sales & service are paid more in the finance industry with an average salary of $140,927.business development directors tend to reach similar levels of education than directors of sales & service. In fact, business development directors are 4.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.9% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Director of sales & service 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 sales & service responsibilities requires skills like "sales process," "sales strategies," "relationship building," and "sales growth." But a client services director might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "customer service," "excellent interpersonal," "project management," and "client satisfaction."
On average, client services directors earn a lower salary than directors of sales & service. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, client services directors earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $120,175. Whereas directors of sales & service have higher pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $140,927.client services directors earn similar levels of education than directors of sales & service in general. They're 2.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Directors of sales & service 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 sales & service 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.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, directors of sales & service are more likely to have skills like "relationship building," "professional services," "customer care," and "excellent organizational." But a regional sales director is more likely to have skills like "regional sales," "customer service," "sales management," and "salesforce."
Regional sales directors make a very good living in the pharmaceutical industry with an average annual salary of $157,646. On the other hand, directors of sales & service are paid the highest salary in the finance industry, with average annual pay of $140,927.When it comes to education, regional sales directors tend to earn similar degree levels compared to directors of sales & service. In fact, they're 1.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Director of sales & service 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.
Types of director of sales & service
Updated January 8, 2025
