There is a decision that many B2B founders and CEOs make at the wrong time: hiring a sales director. They do so when the sales team is not generating the expected results, when the pipeline is irregular, or when the founder no longer has time to manage sales personally.

The reasoning is logical: if sales are not going well, you need to bring in an expert to fix them. The problem is that this profile cannot fix what does not exist. If there is no documented sales process, if roles are not defined, and if the CRM is empty or outdated, the hiring solves nothing. It only adds a fixed cost and expectations that will not be met.

In this guide, we explain what a B2B sales director does, how they differ from a commercial director, when it makes sense to hire one, and what needs to be in place before taking that step. Based on the experience of SalesDose structuring the sales department of B2B companies.

What a B2B sales director is and what they do

The sales director is the profile responsible for leading a company's sales department. Their main function is to ensure that the sales team reaches business objectives: they define the sales strategy, structure the team, implement the sales process, manage the pipeline, and report to general management.

Unlike a senior sales representative who sells well, the sales director does not sell directly. Their lever is the team. Their job is to make others sell better and more, not to be the best salesperson in the company.

In B2B companies with between 10 and 100 employees, the sales director is usually the first sales leadership profile hired. Before that point, it is common for the founder or CEO to perform that role, with the limitations that implies in terms of time and scalability.

Sales director vs commercial director: key differences

The terms sales director and commercial director are frequently used as synonyms, but they do not mean exactly the same thing. The difference lies in the scope of the role.

Sales director: focus on sales execution

The sales director has an operational focus. Their responsibility is to ensure that the sales team executes the sales process well: that the pipeline is fed, that deals move forward, and that monthly and quarterly objectives are met. They manage people, process, and metrics.

Commercial director: broader strategic scope

The commercial director has a broader scope. In addition to sales, they are usually responsible for market positioning, distribution channels, commercial marketing, and key account management. It is a more strategic and less operational profile than the sales director.

In small and medium-sized companies, the distinction is often blurred. The sales director duties can include elements of both profiles. The important thing is to be clear about what the company needs at any given moment: more sales execution or more market strategy.

When it makes sense to hire a sales director

Not all B2B companies are ready to bring on this profile. There is a specific time when it makes sense and an earlier stage when what is needed is something else.

Signs that you are ready to hire

• The sales process exists and is documented. The sales director comes in to optimize and scale, not to build from scratch.

• The sales team has at least 3 or 4 people with distinct roles who need leadership.

• The founder can no longer manage sales personally and needs to delegate that responsibility to someone trusted.

• The pipeline is consistent but closing deals or team management is not up to par.

Signs that you are not ready yet

• There is no documented sales process. The sales director cannot build it from scratch without the support of someone who understands the business deeply.

• The sales team has fewer than 3 people or the roles are not defined.

• The problem is not the leadership but the value proposition or the ICP. A sales director cannot sell something the market does not want.

• There is no budget for a senior profile. A sales director with real experience in B2B has a significant cost.

h2 id="31">The mistake of hiring a sales director without a prior process

This is the most common and most expensive mistake. A company hires a sales director because sales are not going well. The director arrives, analyzes the situation, and discovers that there is no process, the CRM is empty, and each salesperson sells in their own way. Everything has to be built from scratch.

The problem is that building a sales process from within takes months. Months in which the new profile is not generating the expected impact, the founder begins to doubt whether it was a good hire, and the sales team continues without consistent results.

The usual result is one of two things: the director leaves within 12 months because the conditions to work well are not there, or they stay but with adjusted expectations far below what was paid for that profile.

What to build before hiring

Before hiring a sales director, you must have in place: the ICP documented with operational criteria, the sales process mapped out stage by stage, the CRM configured and updated, at least one clear pipeline metric and objective, and a sales team, even if small, with minimally defined roles.

If that is not there, what the company needs first is not a sales director but external support to build it. For more details, consult our sales plan guide.

What profile to look for depending on the company's stage

Not all sales directors are the same. The profile needed by a company in the construction phase is different from the one needed in the scaling phase.

Builder profile: for companies starting the sales division

A builder sales director is one who can join a company without a process and build it from scratch. They have experience in early stages, are comfortable with ambiguity, and know how to prioritize. This is the hardest profile to find and the one that adds the most value in companies with fewer than 50 employees.

Scaler profile: for companies that already have a foundation

A scaler arrives when the process already exists and needs to be grown. They have experience managing large teams, optimizing the funnel, and implementing tools. This profile is easier to find but needs a foundation to work on.

Most companies that hire poorly for this role look for a scaler when they need a builder, or look for a builder but want them to have already scaled large teams. These are different profiles that do not usually come together in the same person.

How SalesDose guides the sales director decision

At SalesDose, we work with B2B founders and CEOs who are at the point of deciding whether to hire a sales director or if they first need to build the foundations of the sales process.

The first thing we do is an honest diagnosis: is the company ready for a sales director? Do they have the process, the team, and the minimum metrics so that this profile can work well? If the answer is no, we work with them to build that foundation before hiring.

In some cases, the solution is not to hire an in-house sales director but to work with external commercial management: someone who performs that function on a part-time basis while the company builds the process and the team. This is a more agile and less costly option for the initial phase.

More details on our B2B Sales Consulting page.

Frequently asked questions about the B2B sales director

What exactly does a sales director do?

The main sales director duties are: defining the sales strategy, structuring and leading the sales team, implementing and improving the sales process, managing the pipeline and forecast, and reporting results to management. In small companies, they may also participate in closing strategic deals, although that should not be their main function.

When is it too early to hire a sales director?

It is too early when there is no documented sales process, when the team has fewer than 3 people, or when the real problem lies in the value proposition and not in the leadership. Hiring a sales director under these conditions is adding a cost without solving the underlying problem.

Sales director vs commercial director: what is the difference?

The sales director has an operational focus: leading the team and the sales process. The commercial director has a broader scope that can include marketing, channels, and positioning. In small companies, the distinction is often blurred and the two terms are used interchangeably, but in medium and large companies they are roles with different scopes.

What is the salary of a sales director in Spain?

The salary of a sales director in Spain varies depending on the size of the company, the sector, and the profile's experience. In medium-sized B2B companies, the typical range is between 60,000 and 100,000 euros gross annually fixed, plus variable based on objectives. Very senior profiles with experience scaling teams can exceed that figure.

Can a B2B startup afford a sales director?

It depends on the stage. A startup in the product-market fit stage with fewer than 10 employees rarely has the budget and conditions for a sales director to work well. A more suitable alternative in that phase is to work with external sales consulting support to build the process and the team without the fixed cost of a full-time director.

At SalesDose, we help B2B founders and CEOs make the right decision on when and how to bring in a sales director, and build the foundations that make that hiring work.

Do you need a sales director or to build the process first? Speak with our team at SalesDose →