Sales Director
Any business, whether they’re mass producing widgets or selling their consultancy services, needs a steady flow of new customers to achieve growth or replace those that are lost.
In a competitive sector, that can’t be done with placing ads in industry newspapers and building a website – it needs an overarching sales strategy that takes the board’s growth and sustainability goals and achieves them through winning new clients and keeping existing clients happy.
This strategy is the responsibility of the director of sales, an executive level position that ensures the commercial health of the company is assured, at least from the revenue perspective.
The sales director accomplishes this strategic goal by managing a team of sales consultants, which might have its own hierarchy or could be just a few people, depending on the size of the business.
Sales Director skills required
Sales director jobs always require a good understanding of the basics of sales: marketing, networking, negotiation and contracts. A vital component of the skill set will be an ability to fully understand the products and services they are selling, as they may well be asked very technical questions whether it’s a sales meeting or a trade fair, and full knowledge is impressive and expedient.
They’ll also need to know the capabilities of the production team, supply chain and logistics when they are promising to supply goods or services to customers. That means they should be able to communicate effectively internally and externally, and to maintain good working relationships across the board.
Sales Director Jobs in Cumbria
Situated in the north-west of England and sharing a border with Scotland, Lancashire, North Yorkshire, Northumberland and County Durham, Cumbria is one of England's largest ceremonial counties and it includes settlements like Carlisle, Penrith and Kendal.
Throughout the region's history it has mainly been a rural location known for its stunning mountains and lovely towns and villages. It contains the Lake District National Park and those seeking Sales Director vacancies in Cumbria will certainly enjoy having this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty right on their doorstep.
People have been living in Cumbria for thousands of years. The Castlerigg stone circle was built by Neolithic people around 3200 BC, while later inhabitants included the Romans, Angles and Vikings.
By the 19th century, mining had become an important part of the local economy, producing iron ore and coal, while a number of slate quarries established during that time are still in operation today.
These days, there are many large companies based in Cumbria, while plenty more have large facilities in the area. Many of these employers are based in manufacturing - in industries ranging from petrochemicals to food manufacture, steel production, paper making and packaging.
Just some examples include Sealy Beds, Corus, The Stobart Group, Kimberly-Clark, Carr's, McVitie's, Nestle, Heinz, Lakeland and GlaxoSmithKline.
Popular locations
Sales director jobs at Cast UK
Cast UK specialises in executive-level recruitment in a wide range of industries. We are a hub for both those seeking to take a step up the career ladder and those looking for top quality talent.
If you need to find that director of sales to realise your goals and strategies, get in touch with Cast UK on 0333 121 3345 today or contact us here.
If you’re a sales director or are ready to use your experience to become one, please register with us here to get ahead of your next career move.
Contact us