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Head of sales vs senior sales director

The differences between heads of sales and senior sales directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a head of sales and a senior sales director. Additionally, a head of sales has an average salary of $166,100, which is higher than the $124,597 average annual salary of a senior sales director.

The top three skills for a head of sales include CRM, sales strategy and sales organization. The most important skills for a senior sales director are sales process, customer satisfaction, and cloud.

Head of sales vs senior sales director overview

Head Of SalesSenior Sales Director
Yearly salary$166,100$124,597
Hourly rate$79.86$59.90
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs112,59291,122
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Average age4646
Years of experience88

What does a head of sales do?

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.

What does a senior sales director do?

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.

Head of sales vs senior sales director salary

Heads of sales and senior sales directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Head Of SalesSenior Sales Director
Average salary$166,100$124,597
Salary rangeBetween $110,000 And $248,000Between $80,000 And $192,000
Highest paying CityPortland, ORSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateVermontOregon
Best paying companyFlexportVMware
Best paying industryTechnologyManufacturing

Differences between head of sales and senior sales director education

There are a few differences between a head of sales and a senior sales director in terms of educational background:

Head Of SalesSenior Sales Director
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern California

Head of sales vs senior sales director demographics

Here are the differences between heads of sales' and senior sales directors' demographics:

Head Of SalesSenior Sales Director
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 66.5% Female, 33.5%Male, 65.0% Female, 35.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between head of sales and senior sales director duties and responsibilities

Head of sales example responsibilities.

  • Coordinate social media work (Facebook, apps, and social post within the managed brands).
  • Create, and manage social media initiatives.including facebook, twitter, instagram, pinterest, and youtube.3.
  • Full responsibility for all sales activities for a start-up electronic commerce company managing electronic data flow in the healthcare industry.
  • Establish the group sales strategy, group ceiling, and booking calendar for groups.
  • Initiate and execute a customer service development program, CRM implementation and adoption.
  • Advance c-level and senior relationships with brand, agency, networks and publishers.
  • Show more

Senior sales director example responsibilities.

  • Develop and manage a partnership with a Korean company to outsource medical device manufacturing on OEM basis.
  • Manage relationships with toll manufacturers and logistics providers to exceed cost reduction and inventory turn targets.
  • Halve response time and triple RFP reply rates for both domestic and international clientele.
  • Prepare written proposals for RFP s, client presentations, cross-selling audio and video capabilities.
  • Full responsibility for entire CRM strategy implementation delivery.
  • Leverage internal CRM and external data to optimize acquisition and retention opportunities
  • Show more

Head of sales vs senior sales director skills

Common head of sales skills
  • CRM, 8%
  • Sales Strategy, 7%
  • Sales Organization, 5%
  • Product Knowledge, 5%
  • Business Development, 5%
  • Sales Operations, 5%
Common senior sales director skills
  • Sales Process, 13%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 12%
  • Cloud, 5%
  • Sales Management, 4%
  • Product Knowledge, 4%
  • Direct Sales, 4%

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