How to hire a national sales director

How to hire a national sales director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step national sales director hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a national sales director job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new national sales director
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a national sales director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the national sales director you need to hire. Certain national sales director roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a national sales director to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a national sales director that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of national sales directors and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of National Sales Director	Description	Hourly rate
   National Sales Director	Sales managers direct organizations' sales teams. They set sales goals, analyze data, and develop training programs for organizations’ sales representatives.	$35-64
   Director Of Sales & Business Development	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... Show more	$18-84
   Director Of Sales And Operations	Directors of Sales and Operations are executives who oversee the performance of the company. They set the strategic direction for the company's sales force... Show more	$48-90

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • CRM
   • Healthcare
   • Business Development
   • Product Development
   • Revenue Growth
   • Salesforce
   • Sales Management
   • Sales Targets
   • Sales Training
   • Business Plan
   • Account Management
   • Trade Shows
   • Sales Strategies
   • Market Research

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage relationships, POS, and oversee coffee sales for key core accounts H.T.
   • Lead team on product redesign to web-base SaaS infrastructure and generate feature content base on customer need and marketability.
   • Develop key POS material to assist the sales force across the country.
   • Reverse negative relationship with distributors through personal relationship building, changes in sales execution, and implementation of new distributor programs.
   • Follow up with program recap including syndicate research to support effectiveness of program as well as ROI analysis.
   • Partner with vendors to obtain quality merchandise at desirable price points to obtain highest ROI and profit optimization.

   More national sales director duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the national sales director job description is a good way to get more applicants. A national sales director salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a national sales director in Ohio may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level national sales director. Additionally, a national sales director with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average national sales director salary

   $99,665yearly

   $47.92 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level national sales director salary

   $73,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average national sales director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$127,953	$62
   2	Washington	$119,095	$57
   3	Michigan	$112,000	$54
   4	District of Columbia	$108,262	$52
   5	Texas	$107,150	$52
   6	Utah	$106,376	$51
   7	Arizona	$106,131	$51
   8	Massachusetts	$104,680	$50
   9	New Mexico	$102,795	$49
   10	New York	$101,598	$49
   11	Georgia	$101,138	$49
   12	West Virginia	$101,084	$49
   13	Pennsylvania	$100,772	$48
   14	Connecticut	$98,815	$48
   15	Minnesota	$93,646	$45
   16	Illinois	$90,486	$44
   17	North Dakota	$89,832	$43
   18	Indiana	$88,132	$42
   19	Missouri	$86,059	$41
   20	Louisiana	$85,727	$41

   Average national sales director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Cargill	$131,738	$63.34	13
   2	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$126,748	$60.94	39
   3	NBCUniversal	$126,535	$60.83	20
   4	Abbott	$120,556	$57.96	93
   5	Alere	$107,875	$51.86
   6	QuintilesIMS	$104,262	$50.13	65
   7	Louis Vuitton	$103,694	$49.85	4
   8	McKesson	$103,460	$49.74	18
   9	Conair	$101,378	$48.74	9
   10	Veolia Water Tech	$99,710	$47.94	11
   11	Jackson Healthcare	$97,739	$46.99	1
   12	Sinclair Broadcast Group	$97,126	$46.70	20
   13	Compass Group USA	$96,568	$46.43	264
   14	Goodwin Recruiting	$95,985	$46.15
   15	Randstad North America, Inc.	$95,462	$45.90	10
   16	North American Stamping Group	$94,328	$45.35
   17	Comscore	$94,290	$45.33
   18	mPulse Mobile	$92,878	$44.65
   19	Valet Living	$92,829	$44.63	8
   20	Cater2.me	$92,456	$44.45

4. Writing a national sales director job description

   A national sales director job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a national sales director job description:

   National sales director job description example

   Collaborative Solutions is looking for a National Sales Director (Large Enterprise) with a successful track record of managing and mentoring high performance sales teams selling complex solutions. As the National Sales Director, you'll be responsible for setting and executing the sales strategy for the Large Enterprise sales team, and effectively positioning Collaborative Solutions and our services against our competitors within the Workday ecosystem and externally. This is a fantastic opportunity to jump in as a sales leader in the highly competitive Workday ecosystem, at an award-winning partner with a strong focus on company culture and values.
   
   Responsibilities:Actively coach and mentor a team of 5-10 sales team members Develop strategies to create net new opportunities from both existing and new accounts Effectively position Collaborative Solutions and its services against competitors both within the Workday ecosystem and externally Drive collaboration between all internal groups to deliver on sales quotas Cultivate mutually beneficial relationships with Workday Regional ManagementMaintain accurate and timely customer, pipeline, and forecast data Drive adherence to internal process Provide onsite support to the sales team to help close large deals and align with customer leadership Provide thought leadership for corporate improvements and continuous process evolution Skills and Requirements:A successful track record managing teams selling complex services and solutions Bachelors degree or equivalent experience Exceptional presentation skills with the ability to present to all organization levels Ability to work with customer and internal team members to estimate services needs Ability to understand and effectively communicate the benefits of an on-demand/web services architecture Experience with Excel, Word and PowerPoint as well as using SaaS applications Ability to travel 50% to customer and Workday locations for effective relationship development
   #LI-Remote
   
   Why Choose Collaborative?
   Unlimited paid time off, including volunteer hours, balance days, flexible work schedules, and options to work remotely or out of one of 5 office locations to cultivate personal and professional balance Competitive benefits including 401(k) matching program, Medical, Dental, Life, and Vison insurance, and perk benefits such as commuter plans and pet insurance Inclusive benefits that support mental health, gender affirmation journeys, caregiving and all paths to parenthood including Carrot Fertility, excellent paid parental leave programs for maternity, paternity, adoption, and surrogacy Established Employee Resources Groups (ERG's) that provide a safe space for employees to build relationships, connect, and develop initiatives to enhance diversity and inclusion Open, transparent lines of communication with leadership through Town Halls, internal newsletters, and monthly small group conversations with a member of the executive team Committed to giving back to improve our communities and environmental impact Opportunities for learning and development through established corporate programs, on and off-site trainings, and on-demand online learning coursesA people development focused environment where you have autonomy to drive your career path
   
   Collaborative's Travel Approach
   Throughout the pandemic, Collaborative continued to achieve the highest level of customer satisfaction in the ecosystem as we worked with our clients to successfully deliver projects remotely Because the future is still unknown, some clients will continue to be deployed remotely, while others may desire more face-to face-contact We will monitor and adapt as needed, but we do not anticipate travel of more than 50%; many consultants will likely travel less than 25%As Balance is a core value at Collaborative, we strive to ensure that Collabies find the right balance in their personal and professional lives, and that includes travel
   
   Who you are:
   You have a Growth Mindset: A belief that abilities can be developed along with a desire to be curious, learn & grow You take Initiative: Solve problems by thinking & taking action on solutions rather than waiting for direction You take Accountability: Follow through on commitments, take ownership & ensure timeliness You Give Back: Leverage your knowledge & expertise to make improvements around you You are Resilient: Work through challenges with optimism, agility & adaptability You demonstrate Awareness: An ability to understand how your attitudes & actions impact others and adapt your approach accordingly
   
   Collaborative Solutions Covid-19 Vaccine Policy
   Collaborative Solutions has implemented an Interim Covid-19 vaccine policy that requires employees who are required or choose to be at an office to be fully vaccinated. Additionally, there may be specific clients who have vaccination policies in place that require only fully-vaccinated individuals to be onsite. At this time, our vaccination policy applies to roles where job duties can only be performed from an office location or require onsite presence as determined by the employee's manager or client. Anyone unable to be fully vaccinated, either because of a sincerely held religious belief or a medical condition or disability that prevents them from being fully vaccinated, can request a reasonable accommodation.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find national sales directors for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your national sales director job on Zippia to find and recruit national sales director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with national sales director candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new national sales director

   Once you've decided on a perfect national sales director candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new national sales director. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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