Sales Director Jobs in the United Kingdom

Sales Director Jobs Overview

Are you thinking about advancing in your field and pursuing one of the many sales director jobs? If you are reliable, flexible, result driven, and enjoy managing people, this could be your next career step.

Sales directors are leaders of their department. They’re in charge of designing and implementing the company’s sales strategy. Typical sales director responsibilities include:

• Leading and motivating the sales department.
• Preparing and presenting reports to the company president or C-suite.
• Updating their professional knowledge through networking and educational opportunities.
• Establishing and adjusting strategic plans for the sale department.
• Forecasting and planning sales goals for each region and product.
• Tracking company results, competitors, economic trends, and supply and demand changes.
• Creating sales training programmes for new hires and providing guidance to managers.

Sales director jobs are full-time careers. Based on your industry you might be required to travel, as well as work on evenings and weekends during peak seasons, such as the financial year-end.

How to Find the Best Sales Director Jobs for You

Before starting to scroll through sales director jobs, think about all the factors that could determine whether a role is a good fit for you or not. Below you can find the most important aspects to consider when looking at a job opening:

Industry and Market

Working in sales gives you the great advantage of being able to work in a variety of different industries. Identify the sales director jobs that sit in industries aligning with your interests and expertise. In this way, you'll not only be a more qualified candidate in the pool, but you’ll likely enjoy your work much more.

Company Structure and Culture

Evaluate a company’s structure and culture to determine if they align with your working style and values. Carefully read the job ad and information on the company website to grasp a feeling for these. Plus, if you have the opportunity, network with existing or previous employees to get their input.

Career Development and Growth Opportunities

Assess the potential for advancing within the company. Look for organisations that offer opportunities for advancement, skills enhancement, and professional growth. For example, do they offer mentoring, leadership training programmes or similar?

How to Apply to Sales Director Jobs

Working in sales, you know how important strategy is to success. Applying for sales director jobs is no exception. So, here are our tips to easily secure your next interview:

Create a Strong CV for a Sales Director Job

Writing a CV for a sales director position might seem challenging. How do you fit your extensive career experience into a short two-page document? Well, you don’t. The secret to writing a good CV is cherry-picking from your employment history. Focus on those job titles that match the closest with what’s required in the job posting, and sell them well.

Metrics are your best friends in your work. So, include them in your CV as well. Here are just a few of the most common that recruiters want to see:

• sales volume
• upsell and cross-sell rates
• sales cycle length
• customer lifetime value (CLV)

For the best results, you should also present your skills with the same industry keywords the job ad uses. For example, some of the best keywords you can use in your CV for sales director jobs are:

• leadership
• problem-solving
• managing relationships
• active listening
• effective communication
• sales strategy and planning
• curiosity
• adaptability
• time-management

Write a Compelling Sales Director Cover Letter

A great salesman cover letter highlights your relevant skills, experiences, and accomplishments while demonstrating your enthusiasm for the role. Remember that your cover letter must complement not repeat your CV. So, add value. Talk about your motivations, your vision and what you can help the company achieve.

Start with a powerful opening to grab the recruiter’s attention right away. Introduce your years of experience and a couple of your most important successes. Then, state your interest in becoming part of their organisation. Always support your claims with quantifiable metrics. Be professional but also engaging, just like you are with sales clients.

Now that your CV and cover letter are ready, create a free candidate account on Monster and submit your application. Need more reasons to be a Monster member? Activate the customised alerts, so we can notify you every time a similar job opening pops up.

How to Follow Up with an Employer

Still no answer from that job opening you were excited about? Be proactive and reach out to the company. A simple message can make a big difference. It demonstrates your enthusiasm to the recruiter and could potentially boost your chances of being selected.

Here are three things to keep in mind when preparing your follow-up:

• Address a real person. Whenever possible find the name of the person managing the job opening. If you can’t find it in the job ad, or on the company’s website, simply give them a call and politely ask.
• Choose your medium. You can follow up either by email or phone call, it’s up to you. If you choose the latter, though, send an email first and politely ask for a good time to call.
• Pick a good time. Strategically send your follow-up mid-week and after lunchtime, when recruiters tend to be less busy with emails and tasks backlog.

Interviewing Tips for Sales Director Jobs

Approaching your interview with confidence it’s all about preparation. Follow our tips and prepare for the following types of questions to make the best impression on recruiters.

Common Sales Questions

If you’re looking for a sales director job, we’re sure you already know how to answer questions such as “Sell me this pen” and other tough sales interview questions. However, refreshing your answers can never hurt.

Sales Director Specific Questions

To prepare for the job interview for a director role, focus on questions for managers that inquire about your leadership, communication, organisation, delegation and people management skills. Practice answering with examples of real-life experiences in which you demonstrated these skills.

Behavioural Questions

You’ll very likely run into behavioural questions as well. These test you on hypothetical scenarios to understand how you’d react and determine if you’re a good fit for the company. Learn how to use the STAR Method to handle them flawlessly.

Your Questions

Finally, never leave an interview without asking a few questions yourself. It shows you’re committed to the recruitment process and helps you understand if this is the right company for you. For example, you could ask for more details about the company culture or the team you’d lead.

Follow-up

No later than 24 hours after the interview, write a thank-you email to the hiring manager or recruiter you met. When crafting this brief message it’s important to:

• thank them for their time and the opportunity to interview
• emphasise your interest in the role
• solidify your relationship by mentioning something that was said during your meeting

Then, if after a week or so you still haven’t had any news, write a follow-up message as well.

What to Do When You Get an Offer

You’ve got the sales director job, congratulations! First and foremost, answer promptly. Thank the hiring manager and express your enthusiasm for the offer. Even if you’re ready to accept, it’s a good idea to take some time to review the offer carefully.

Sales director is a top management role. In this case, is it acceptable to take up to a week to decide, but be clear about your timeframe with your prospective employer.

Go through the job offer details and ensure that the job title, responsibilities and compensation package are in line with what you discussed during the interview. If you think it’s necessary, seek clarification about or negotiate the terms.

Sales Director Job Career Paths

Already wondering where your career could take once you have a few sales director jobs on your CV? Check out the following options:

Director of Sales Operations

Once you have some experience in directing sales, you’ll have the credentials to transition to a director of sales operations role. Key responsibilities in this position include:

• optimising sales processes
• analysing sales data
• working closely with cross-functional teams

Vice President of Sales

Advancing to the role of a vice president of sales is a common career path for experienced sales directors. If you choose this route, you’ll oversee multiple sales teams and regions, while playing a strategic role in setting sales goals.

Business Unit Leader

Another great option for progression is becoming a business unit leader within the same organisation. In this position, you’ll take on broader operational responsibilities beyond sales. These include business operations and driving business performance.

Executive Leadership

With at least eight to 10 years in the industry, you can pursue the highest levels of corporate leadership, such as:

• Chief Sales Officer (CSO)
• Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)
• Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

These roles involve overall strategic planning, decision-making and leading the organisation beyond sales and revenue functions.

Similar Occupations

Are you open to considering similar sales jobs? Check out all the offers on Monster such as the following popular ones:

• account manager jobs
• regional sales manager jobs