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 Northumberland
The most northern of the counties in the north-east of England, Northumberland is bordered by Cumbria, County Durham and Tyne and Wear. It also shares a border with Scotland and has coastline on the North Sea.
Those looking for Sales Director roles in Northumberland will have a variety of opportunities to consider, particularly in the major settlements, such as Morpeth, Ponteland, Prudhoe and Alnwick. Parts of the county are also common choices for those who want to work in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, but live away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Northumberland has a tumultuous history. It was occupied by the Angles and Romans, and as an important location in the wars between Scotland and England, the region is known for having more castles than anywhere else in England. Many of these are now popular tourist destinations, such as Lindisfarne, Alnwick and Bamburgh.
The modern economy of Northumberland is predominantly based in tourism, as well as the service sector and retail.
A few large companies have factories in the area. These include SCA Hygiene - once part of Kimberly-Clark, the company manufactures paper products like tissues - and Hammerite Products, which makes paints and paint-thinning products.
Other large companies include Eclipse Translations, Barter Books and Thompsons of Prudhoe. There's also the Sanofi Alnwick Research Centre - it specialises in the research and testing of pharmaceuticals.
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.
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