To develop, a company needs to increase its turnover and build an efficient sales process. For that, it needs a Chief Sales Officer.
Successful sales have a direct impact on business results. In order to optimize its growth, it needs a leading able to set up the sales strategy and to guarantee the smooth running of the activity. The Chief Sales Officer oversees the sales team performance and helps it reach its maximum potential. A key role among Sales & Business Development jobs.
Chief Sales Officer: the definition
The Chief Sales Officer is the highest ranking of Sales Executives in a company. This profession is mainly based on missions strategic. He oversees sales of the company. Its aim is toachieve goals in terms of revenue and growth indicators.
It is a position that requires a lot of responsibility. He identifies new markets and develops commercial strategy in accordance with the objectives of the company.
What is the role of a Chief Sales Officer?
The main role of the Chief Sales Officer (CSO) is to conclude a maximum of business. This means that its action extends from the training from the sales team to the customer relationship management (CRM).
He may have to define the company's KPIs. It also ensures the tracking And of Reporting of its sales teams.
He manages thesales activity and develops the commercial strategy, often on a sector defined. It can be positioned on a market segment but also on a geographic area. He must therefore travel and take into account numerous trips and hotel nights. The mission of the CSO is to control sales activity and to report to management.
Main missions of the Chief Sales Officer
- Analyzing and interpreting sales trends
In order to find the right sales technique, the Chief Sales Officer parses every factor that could influence the sale. Thanks to his observations based on metrics past sales and activities of contestants, it determines theefficiency of the strategy and the performance of the teams.
- Develop and plan the sales strategy
The Chief Sales Officer uses current data And the sales forecasts to set up the objectives for sale. Then he anime Of meetings who present the checkups of these activity reports and expectations. Eventually, he recommends changes to optimizing the process.
- Recruiting and training the sales team
One of the missions of the Chief Sales Officer is to recruit, expand the skills and retain its Sales team. For this, he is in contact with the Human Resources department. He seeks to create a recruitment process adapted to the needs of the company to attract the right talent.
- Oversee customer relationship management
In order to optimize the performance of his service, the Chief Sales Officer manages the collaboration between Sales, Marketing and Customer Service. The objective is to provide worthiness to the sales process. He wants to return thecustomer experience pleasant in order to build loyalty its customers over the long term. The sales process must primarily serve the interests of the consumer and not of the Sales Representatives.
Qualities to have for this position
- Have the ability to influence and motivate your team
The leadership is a quality to be developed to be a Chief Sales Officer. This position requires Guide A whole team with a vision And a common objective. The aim is to create a strong login between each other to promoteAgreement And the performance.
- Demonstrate empathy and adaptability
Its objective is to provide a excellent service to consumers combining quality and responsiveness. The Chief Sales Officer must be able to work sometimes under High pressure. Selling serves the desires of customers. To do this, he sets up and supervises all the necessary actions.
- Demonstrate resilience
Finding the right sales strategy requires patience And of theorganizing. The Chief Sales Officer must constantly adjust its commercial strategy in view of internal changes And external developments. It's a role that requires a lot of motivation.
How do I become a Chief Sales Officer?
A Chief Sales Officer requires a fairly specific profile. It is a plural role whom evolves depending on needs consumers and society. Combining both operational missions and strategic, this job requiresexperiment.
Skills needed to become a Chief Sales Officer
- Have a good knowledge of sales techniques
To claim to be a good Chief Sales Officer, the candidate must To know his business and the market in which he operates. To develop an effective sales strategy, he must understand the dynamics of the business. To do this, he must be able to master the analysis tools of the sales activity ofventure and of its contestants.
- Mastering analysis tools
A Chief Sales Officer should be able to seek And ofinterpret results from different springs. He should be comfortable with technological tools such as CRM. It is the most effective way to oversee the activity of the Sales team and generate Reportings. Afterwards, he will have to parse to understand the situation and decide of the next steps.
- Have a sense of communication
As the head of the Sales department, the Chief Sales Officer must be able to communicate clearly with his team. Its action is multiple. It concerns both the transmission of information in internally And in external. He may be required to liaise with shareholders and the CEO about performance Of sound sales team And scores.
What training courses do you need to become a Chief Sales Officer?
To become a Chief Sales Officer, several courses are possible such as: Sales, Advertising, Finance or Business Development.
Some students can apply for this position by going through a Bac+2 (BTS NDRC, BTS MCO, BTS Commerce International) or a Bac+3 (bachelor/license).
Students can also choose a level course Bac +5 at university or business school.
However, any theoretical course requires a complement. practice. Candidates for this type of position must have a certain Business Development & Sales experience in order to understand the responsibilities of this profession.
What career developments are there for this position?
The Chief Sales Officer can evolve into a function of Head of Sales, Sector manager or Commercial director.
After a few years in this role, the individual has commercial qualities but also in leadership And in Management. It can be operational in various Business Development & Sales jobs.
FAQ: Becoming a Chief Sales Officer
- What high school diploma to be Chief Sales Officer?
To be a Chief Sales Officer, a course at commercial dimension is required. All the Baccalaureate series can claim to integrate courses of this type from bac + 2 to bac + 5.
Higher education institutions specializing in sales (universities, business schools, etc.) offer courses accessible to all types of baccalaureate. Les general courses and STMG are the most popular.
However, the Bac Pro are also a good way to benefit from experience in the field.
- What are the appropriate retraining profiles?
Succeeding in becoming a good Chief Sales Officer goes beyond simply being able to be a good one vendor. The candidate for this job should know the sales techniques but also to know manage a team to achieve the results set.
An agent with a commercial profile such as an Account Executive represents a good retraining profile. It is an interesting option for those who want gain responsibilities and specialize in the sale.
What is the salary for a Chief Sales Officer?
How much does a Chief Sales Officer earn?
On average in France, a Chief Sales Officer earns between €50K and €60K gross per year.
Business Development & Sales jobs generally receive remuneration in the form of a Package. These salaries are composed of a fixed part And of a Variable part.
The fixed portion is paid regardless of the performance of the Chief Sales Officer.
The variable portion depends on sales goals met And modalities businesses. Here it is usually 20% on average.
Junior Chief Sales Officer Salary
En Early career, the average salary for a Chief Sales Officer is generally in the range between 49 K€ and 55K € annual gross.
Senior Sales Officer Salary
After several years ofexperiment As a Chief Sales Officer, workers can earn up to €70K annual gross.