Job description - Head of Sales: salary, role, studies

Head of Sales: the definition

Meaning of the word and translation

The Head of Sales (sales manager) oversees all business development activities. It also provides a strategic vision for the development of the business. He actively participates in the recruitment and management of The sales team. He or she will also intervene personally on the most important deals, in front of customers.

Be careful not to confuse it with the VP Sales Or the Sales Manager. Although their missions and names are very similar, these jobs remain different.

What is the role, the missions of a Head of Sales?

The missions and responsibilities of a Head of Sales are varied and depend on the structure of the company. In general, he or she implements the commercial strategy and monitors commercial activity.

In general, it may be necessary to:

- Create and implement a sales strategy

The commercial strategy includes many elements such as market analysis, determining a sales objective, drawing up sales arguments, setting a budget... For example, it must monitor the competition (Competitive intelligence) and anticipate market developments. This strategy will then be transmitted to the N-1 level (Account Executives, or Sales Managers or Business Developers) who will work with their teams in order to achieve the objectives.

- Manage and supervise sales teams

The Head Of Sales must have great management skills since he communicates a lot with Sales Managers and Business Developers. He must be a good leader and a driving force to increase the sales force. He participates in actions for the continuous improvement of the organization with Sales Managers: for example by offering them tools, advice...

- Follow up and analyze commercial performance

The Head of Sales monitors the performance of his teams to find areas for improvement, train them and find talent within the team. This regular reporting will be done to VP sales or CEO, all along the business process.

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Head Of Sales VS. VP Sales VS. Sales Manager — difference

What is the role of a VP Sales?

The VP Sales is responsible for the Sales Strategy and the growth of the company. He works closely with the Director (s) /Head (s) of Sales to define, disseminate and monitor the development strategy. He deploys the sales force and sales managers to ensure that the company achieves its goals.

What is the role of a Sales Manager?

A Sales Manager is responsible for leading and guiding a Sales team in an organization. He determines and organizes the commercial strategy of his team, analyzes its results and commercial performance. He coaches the members of his sales team and participates in the recruitment process.

What is the difference between a Head of Sales, VP Sales & a Sales Manager?

These 3 jobs can often be confused due to their names. First of all, we find a difference in hierarchy between the 3. The VP Sales supervises the Head of Sales who manages one or more Sales Managers.. Both the Head of Sales and the Sales Manager are sales team managers. They follow the mission of the company and set goals. They participate in the recruitment process.

The Head of Sales may be in charge of a certain geographic area Or of a specific team while the Sales Manager is in charge of managing a sales team. The difference is that the VP Sales does not only plan for his sales team but for the entire business. He develops and implements the sales strategy. He is less in contact with customers than the Head of Sales or Sales Manager.

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What are the qualities of a good Head of Sales?

What is a good Head of Sales?

Leadership spirit

The Head of Sales manages several people and must therefore know how to meet the needs of his team. Having a leadership spirit allows the Head of Sales to ensure the support of his team, to be listened to and supported.

Have communication skills

A good Head of Sales is required to communicate with many actors: the marketing teams, Sales Managers, Customer Success Manager, management. He must therefore be able to transmit clear and transparent messages from his team and his observations. A good communication capacity will also allow him to maintain the motivation of the teams through active listening and careful follow-up.

Knowledge of sales techniques

To better understand field teams and best set goals, a Head of Sales must be fully familiar with sales techniques to optimize them. He must always be on the lookout for news in his sector.

The entire Sales team is working hard to achieve the goals. She can sometimes face difficulties and it is important for the Head Of Sales to know how to motivate the troops and find the right words.

Analytical spirit

Since he decides which commercial strategies to follow and analyzes the results, a Head of Sales must have strong analytical skills.

Stress resistance

Many sources of stress can occur during the year: pressure from management, hazards within teams, unexpected events concerning sales or competition... A good Head Of Sales must keep a cool head and find solutions to achieve goals.

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How do I become Head of Sales?

Skills required

- Strong analytical skills

- Management

- Sales techniques

- Good relationship

- Sense of organization

- Adaptability

- Have a commercial and entrepreneurial spirit

Degrees, training and studies required

To become Head Of Sales, it is essential to have experience as a Sales Manager and Business Developer.

This position is often available after a minimum of 5 years of experience. Some companies require a bac +5, usually in a course such as a business school or IAE. Some candidates come from engineering schools.

Another more accessible alternative is possible. At Akimbo, short and intensive courses exist to train for Sales and Business Development jobs. The Full Time Bootcamp (9 weeks) or Part-time (12 weeks) allow you to acquire all the skills and knowledge necessary to work in jobs such as Business Developer, Account Manager, Sales Manager, Head of Sales or to start an entrepreneur.

Bootcamps allow you to study the sales cycle with the necessary skills: commercial data, sales simulations and calls... are taught by Sales Coaches who have more than ten years of experience in the field.

The Coaches will be there to share their knowledge and expertise to support talents throughout the training.

Adapted conversion profiles

There is no typical profile to become Head Of Sales. This position is oriented Mindset and soft-skills. With management, sales, marketing skills and sufficient experience, it is possible to apply for this position. In particular, we can find professional experiences such as: Account Manager, Sales Manager, etc.

What career developments are there for this position?

A Head of Sales can evolve into the functions of VP Sales, General Management but also more transversal functions such as Operations Department. Already having a position of responsibility, he will be able to evolve into the most Highest places of a company or a larger geographic area.

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What is the salary for a Head of Sales?

a. How much does a Head of Sales earn?

The Salary for a Head of Sales depends on many factors such as experience, market or seniority... Part of his remuneration contains a variable part that can represent 50% of the total remuneration depending on his performance. The structure of the business also has an impact.

Junior Head of Sales Salary

For a Junior Head of Sales, at the beginning of their career, the annual gross remuneration varies between and 55-75k €.

Senior Head of Sales Salary

For a Senior Head of Sales, after 5 years of experience, the expected remuneration can be up to 120k € per year in gross terms.

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The different Head of Sales jobs

Some titles you should know

- VP Sales

- Sales manager

- Chief Sales Officer

- Head of Sales Strategy

- Head of Sales Operations

What is the Chief Sales Officer?

A Chief Sales Officer (CSO) heads the entire Sales department and directs all activities related to generating sales for an organization. He oversees, develops, and leads daily sales strategies and manages sales goals. It analyzes sales from sales teams to determine their effectiveness. Based on this study, he developed a new sales strategy in order to aim for better results.

What is the Head of Global Sales?

A Head Of Global Sales in charge of an international entity of his company. Like the Head of Sales, he is in charge of commercial strategy and teams abroad. This can be a geographic sector on a regional, national, or continental scale.d.

What is a Head of Sales and Marketing?

The Head of Sales and Marketing aims to provide the sales strategy and the direction of the Marketing campaign together with the Marketing Plan. He is in charge of the KPIs, the target and positioning but also the promotional and communication part of their product or service. He works closely with the Sales and Marketing department.

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Our tips for finding a Head of Sales job

To find the right Head Of Sales job offer, start by choosing recognized job search sites such as JobTeaser or Welcome To The Jungle. You will save a lot of time and may come across great opportunities. The offer must be clear with numerical data with a minimum of care taken in the presentation.

You will pay particular attention to this information:

- The team and the management style

- The sector of activity

- Company size

- Personal support: onboarding, internal training,...;

- The culture of the company

Make sure you agree with what you are reading. Your integration into the company depends on it.

Make sure you get as much information as possible about your future missions:

- What are the responsibilities?

- What would be the daily missions?

- What tools are used? Having the answers to these questions will allow you to better understand what is expected of you and to ensure that you match the profile you are looking for for this position. Even if you don't check all the boxes, your determination, your correspondence with the company or even your soft-skills can make a difference.

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How do you recruit a good Head of Sales?

The Head Of Sales position has many different facets that require a variety of skills and qualities. Whatever the structure, these skills are necessary:

Be a good manager and a good manager

Given the many people he manages, it is important to have sales experience and expertise in team management in order to best understand his employees.

Analytical ability

The work with many people within the company and the different results make the results and information numerous. A Head Of Sales must know how to analyze these elements and draw consistent conclusions.

Decision making

A good Head of Sales must be able to make important decisions quickly, both for the Sales team and for the business as a whole.

Make sure you're asking the right questions.

In addition to the introductory questions, incorporate more in-depth questions like:

- What makes you an excellent Head Of Sales?

- What skills and soft-skills do you think are essential to succeed with us?

- How will you communicate with all management?

- How can you motivate a sales team?

Skills and experience on paper aren't everything. You can also challenge him with different tests such as a group interview, a practical case or a Business Game.

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Interview with Maxime Rizzo - Head of Sales