How To Become An Executive Sales Director: What It Is and Career Path

What is an executive sales director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Doc McAlister Billingsley Ph.D.

The buck stops at the desk of the executive sales director. From strategy to execution, the executive sales director takes charge of a business's sales operations and helps their company rack up profits.

The executive sales director needs to be good at a lot of things and wear a variety of hats. They are extremely knowledgeable of markets and know-how to develop a strategy that will help the business grow. They are highly organized and able to track the team's progress towards their sales goals. The executive sales director also needs to be good at working with people since they manage the rest of the sales team.

It takes a lot of work and study to become an executive sales director. Most executive sales directors have a bachelor's degree in a field like business, and some even have master's degrees. It also takes a lot of practical experience to earn this position, usually years working up the corporate ladder in the sales department.

What general advice would you give to an executive sales director?

Dr. Doc McAlister Billingsley Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Elmira College

A big part of any new job is learning the culture of the workplace. Practice your observational and interview skills--ask the right questions, learn the language, and what it reflects about unspoken rules. Imagine that you need to create a manual for new employees, and fill in the missing pages as you learn the ropes. Society is also adapting to the online nature of work during a pandemic, which requires sorting out the rules and norms for things like video conferences and appropriate expectations for colleagues, who may be responsible for family care.

ScoreExecutive Sales DirectorUS Average

Salary

8.5

Avg. Salary $133,544

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.4

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.24%

Asian 4.07%

Black or African American 3.24%

Hispanic or Latino 9.82%

Unknown 4.41%

White 78.23%

Gender

female 33.37%

male 66.63%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

6.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.4

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an executive sales director

Explore executive sales director education requirements

Most common executive sales director degrees

Bachelor's

74.7 %

Master's

13.3 %

Associate

8.1 %

Start to develop specific executive sales director skills

Skills	Percentages
Healthcare	22.61%
C-Suite	9.67%
HR	9.40%
Sales Growth	7.08%
Direct Sales	6.57%

Complete relevant executive sales director training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New executive sales directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an executive sales director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real executive sales director resumes.

Research executive sales director duties and responsibilities

Design and lead the development, implementation and adoption of an enterprise-wide CRM and data strategy.
Manage cross-selling opportunities between all business segments.
Incorporate graphics and re-usable database into RFP process.
Self-Direct, building an accurate CRM and effective sales database.

Get executive sales director experience

Generally, it takes 6-8 years to become an executive sales director. The most common roles before becoming an executive sales director include director of sales, account executive team lead and regional sales manager.

Prepare your executive sales director resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your executive sales director resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an executive sales director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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