How Do I Become a Director of Sales and Marketing?

To become a director of sales and marketing, you may have to have at least eight years of experience in either sales or marketing or a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) with a focus on marketing studies. As someone who wishes to work in marketing or sales, you will need to be able to prove that you can come up with a viable business marketing and sales plan, whether through traditional channels or online means. Being a director of sales or a director of marketing also requires that you are able to communicate and manage a group of employees in an effective way.

Eight years of experience is usually the cutoff mark for a candidate who wants to work in this position. In that amount of time, you will be expected to have lead several successful marketing campaigns. These campaigns might include anything from search engine marketing and search engine optimization campaigns for company websites to traditional public relations and marketing campaigns in newspapers, magazines, and other forms of media.

You will also have to demonstrate that you have consistently exceeded company sales goals. Showing that you have implemented a plan of action to motivate and encourage your past sales teams is also important. Due to the difficulty of corporate sales, which may include inside sales or straight cold calling customers, a person who plans to become a director of sales and marketing should come equipped with a distinct sales acumen and philosophy for winning more sales for any type of company.

Most aspiring directors of sales and marketing apply for and enter into graduate business school programs that grant the MBA degree, since this degree can be a powerful asset. Any good graduate business school program will introduce you to the fundamentals of marketing and sales and how to practically apply these principles in the working world. You will have the opportunity to evaluate real case studies from other directors of sales and marketing in companies both large and small. Studying what these directors did in challenging marketing or sales situations will help you avoid common mistakes in this profession.

As a future director of sales and marketing, it is vitally important that you can communicate marketing or sales goals to your team. Clear communication will help you manage your team better, and this will help you lead a winning marketing and sales strategy for the company.