Sales Director Jobs – Nigel Wright Group

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Find sales director jobs in the consumer and FMCG industry

Nigel Wright partners with UK and international consumer brands and manufacturers to find sales leadership talent including sales directors, commercial directors, account directors and business development directors. We bring several exciting sales director jobs to the market every year and have a proven track record of building successful sales teams for our clients.

As Europe’s leading and largest consumer and FMCG industry search firm, our consultants enjoy strong networks of sales talent across the various sectors and often work with sales professionals throughout their careers as they progress from sales management and into director-level roles. If you’re interested in discussing your next career move, please contact us directly.

You can view the latest sales director jobs on our vacancies page. We also encourage you to send us a copy of your CV and register for job alerts.

Our track record in sales director appointments

During the last two decades, we have placed over 720 people in key sales leadership positions. Some of our notable placements include:

• Antler – Sales Director
• Asahi – Sales Director
• Asahi – Commercial Director
• Bounty – Sales & Business Development Director
• Burton's Biscuit Company – Sales Director
• Florette – Commercial Director
• Formica – European Business Development Director
• Funkin Cocktails – Sales Director
• Greencore – Commercial Director
• Hozelock – Commercial Director
• Husqvarna – Sales and Marketing Director
• Lovering Foods – Commercial Director
• McBride – UK Sales Director
• Mission Foods – Sales Director
• Mission Foods – Commercial Director
• Newell Brands – Commercial Director, Yankee Candle
• Nuby – UK Sales Director
• Proper Snacks – Sales Director
• Purity Soft Drinks – Sales Director
• Rothley – Commercial Director
• Sage Appliances – International Sales Director
• Speedo – UK Commercial Director
• Speedo – Business Development Director
• St Pierre Groupe – Commercial Director UK
• Targus – Sales Director EMEA
• Targus – Sales Director Germany
• The Bountiful Company – Sales Director Western Europe
• UK Greetings – Sales Director
• Upfield Foods – Interim Account Director, Asda
• Upfield Foods – Interim Account Director, Tesco
• Valeo Confectionery – International Sales Director
• Wrights Food Group – Commercial Director

Here’s what successful sales candidates have said about the service they received from Nigel Wright:

“I received a great service and enjoyed regular communication from Nigel Wright throughout the process.”
Candidate placed as UK Sales Director at McBride

“I found the consultant to be objective, timely with their communications, and knowledgeable about the client and the wider industry.”
Candidate placed as Commercial Director Yankee Candle at Newell Brands

“I have dealt with Nigel Wright several times and I have always found the consultants to be professional, open and pragmatic in all their dealings. They effectively and clearly adapt their style and approach according to the people and situations they are dealing with.”
Candidate placed as Commercial Director at Wholebake

Searching for sales director jobs?

Please note that if you’re searching for sales director jobs using any of the following expressions, a member of our marketing department can assist you.

• Account Director Jobs London
• Business Development Director Jobs UK
• Commercial Director Jobs London
• Commercial Director London Jobs
• Director of Sales Jobs
• Director of Sales Jobs London
• Group Account Director Jobs
• Group Account Director Jobs London
• Sales and Marketing Director Jobs
• Sales and Marketing Director Jobs London
• Sales Director Jobs London
• Senior Account Director Jobs
• Senior Account Director Jobs London
• VP Sales Jobs
• VP Sales Jobs London

What are you worth?

The Nigel Wright UK Consumer Sector Salaries Report is a popular resource for professionals working in a broad range of sectors including Personal & Homecare, Fashion & Lifestyle, Homeware, Food, Drinks, DIY, Consumer Electronics, Ecommerce & Retail, and Toys & Children. Our latest edition is now available to download and contains a detailed overview of the salaries commanded by sales leaders.

If you want to know the latest remuneration trends at director level for Sales, Commercial, Account, and Business Development, roles, please access and download a copy of the report here.

Are your sales skills up to date?

Selling is at the heart of every industry. And every industry has a different sales context that determines the types of skills, knowledge and experience required, as well as the structures of remuneration and parameters for success.

Regardless of whether it’s a product or service being sold, the end-customer is a person (b2c) or business (b2b), or transactions are direct or online, sales is a demanding, fast-paced and fulfilling profession. It’s also one of the highest paying jobs, with lots of career progression opportunities too.

Traditionally, soft skills are the making of a successful salesperson. Though, given the complex nature of different sectors, products and services today – together with the pace of technological change – there are several hard skills now associated with the sales discipline.

Here are a few to be aware of in today’s competitive job market:

Product/technical knowledge

Having in-depth product/technical knowledge is absolutely critical for sales professionals. It's considered a hard skill within the discipline because of the formal learning involved in acquiring competency.

Being a product (or service) expert means offering customers extensive knowledge of its features, benefits, and weaknesses. The less you understand about what you’re selling, the harder it is to achieve a sale. Expertise builds trust too and boosts your own and your employer's reputation.

The level of technical know-how required is, of course, dependant on functionality or context. And, as outlined above, it could also mean being a subject matter expert – specifically educated, and with experience working, in the technical area in which you are employed. Furthermore, the more technical the product/service is, vis-a-vis the knowledge and experience required to sell it, the greater ‘full sales-cycle responsibility you will likely have.

Technology skills

As well as technical/product knowledge, the other critical factor underpinning sales success is technology skills.

Being able to leverage the latest sales tools is essential today. At the very least, all sales professionals should master their company’s CRM software and be familiar with a range of digital devices. But increasingly, they must also demonstrate competence with other sales enablement technologies such as document management software and workplace productivity apps.

Expertise in selling via digital platforms is important too there’s an increase in demand for sales professionals to offer employers digital marketing skills. This includes social selling or the ability to capitalise on tools like LinkedIn, twitter, Instagram to generate leads, convert customers and gain referrals.

And, generally, the overlap between sales and marketing means salespeople should develop a deep understanding of marketing principles to facilitate positive collaboration between the two teams.

Furthermore, presentation tools have evolved beyond PowerPoint. While the classic Microsoft program is still in widespread use, there are now several rivals in the market such as Prezi and keynote which can help salespeople stand out against competitors.

Research and data analysis

Research and data analysis skills are also valuable for gaining a competitive sales advantage.

Yes, other departments will undertake this work too, but as an organisation’s frontline, salespeople are expected to gather and interpret business intelligence data about clients, industry trends, or competitor activity – anything that will help cement relationships and shorten sales cycles.

Significantly, research also plays a critical role in prospecting/lead generation, which is a vital skill during the first stage of the sales cycle. It involves researching companies, identifying key decision-makers, and assessing the viability of the prospect as a likely buyer.

Lead qualification

Those focused on the preliminary phase of sales development may also get involved in lead qualification. This skill involves gathering and analysing further data after direct contact with prospects. Information is then used to determine whether a good match exists between the needs of the target and the solution you’re selling.

Qualification questioning skills are important here. Before revealing all the features of your product or service, you must first gain an in-depth understanding of a customer’s problem. This is only achieved through asking a series of qualifying questions that will determine what product/service benefits you reveal – and when – in the conversion. Learning how to do this effectively is the key differentiator between offering a consultative versus transactional service.

Giving presentations

While proficiency with presentation technology is an asset, the art of giving presentations is considered a hard skill within the sales discipline. Yes, you must have an aptitude in several soft skill areas (public speaking, etc. ) to deliver an effective presentation, but how you convey subject mastery and build trust also depends on the content you choose to share, its format, as well as and the timing in which you introduce concepts, ideas, strategies and costs. This skill is only developed through learning, practice and experience.

To discuss your job search please contact a member of our team 

If you’re seeking job opportunities at london or UK based consumer and fmcg companies in sales leadership roles, you can view our latest opportunities here or submit your cv to one of our specialist consultants.