Sales Director

We do this for the owner-manager who still steers every major deal personally, for PE portfolio companies that have to deliver on their growth plan, and for corporates where the head of sales cannot get the people he needs through the usual route.

When revenue grows but grip declines

With a sales team of five you can still steer on gut feeling. At fifteen, that breaks down. The pipeline looks full, but the forecast is rarely right. Everyone works hard, just not on the same priorities. And you notice that you are steering more yourself than you would like.

For an investor, that is a direct risk to the investment case. For a family business, it is often about moving from entrepreneurship to organisation without damaging customer relationships. In a corporate the question is usually sharper: the sales model has to become scalable, and it has to happen now.

Who you need depends on one question. Does the new Sales Director have to build, improve or transform? The answer shapes the profile more than the sector does.

Sales Director Benchmarking

Perhaps the question is not who comes next, but whether the person in the role can carry the growth plan. The team does not follow, or the approach that used to work no longer does.

An assessment gives you an independent view before you decide. And when it is time for a successor, we search confidentially.

How we find your Sales Director

Development Driven Search® is the way we search. Good Sales Directors have a job and are well paid. They move when a new role takes them further as a leader. So we look for the candidate for whom your sales challenge is exactly the challenge he or she is looking for. That is the match that lasts.

1. We make the assignment concrete. In the intake we define what the sales organisation must be able to do in 12 and 24 months. We also look at the leadership style that fits your team.
2. We approach the right people. Almost always these are candidates who do not respond to job ads, but are open to a conversation with us.
3. We assess on evidence. Past results, the predictors of success in sales and the fit with your team. You receive a substantiated recommendation for each candidate.
4. We stay involved until after the start. Interviews, references, the offer and the first months in the new role.

On average this takes 8 to 12 weeks. If someone needs to take the helm right away, we bring in an interim Sales Director while the permanent search runs.

Discuss your Sales Director vacancy with SalesQuarters. Call +31 20 226 90 00 or email info@salesquarters.nl. A first conversation commits you to nothing. Would you like to hear how it went for others first? We will put you in touch with a client as a reference.

The evidence

At BearField we searched for a commercial leader with corporate FMCG experience and the mindset of a scale-up. That candidate is now Sales Director. CEO Pieter van den Akker: "We found someone who really fits us. He is someone with long term potential in this organisation."

We also found the Sales Director for Quin Dokters, Light & Living and Pladis Group. Over the past two years we have worked for more than 40 clients across all three segments.