Commercial department: structure and management. Who is a commercial director: duties and functions

A commercial director may have a different field of activity, depending on the industry affiliation of the company, the profile and scale of its activities. However, in any case, it plays a key role in the enterprise management system. He oversees the company's strategic planning and implementation of the sales plan, builds relationships with suppliers, determines distribution and logistics channels, oversees budgeting in this area, and coordinates the implementation of the marketing strategy. It is this top manager who is responsible for the formation of the final performance indicators of the enterprise, including the maximum increase in the revenue side of the budget.

Often, the commercial director maintains close ties with shareholders, as he plays one of the key roles in the management of the company. In organizing sales training, the commercial director cooperates with the HR director. In matters of determining the sales strategy, pricing policy and in other matters, the commercial director cooperates with the financial director.

Profession functionality

1. Together with the CEO and shareholders - long-term and current planning of the company's work, ensuring the efficient use of its resources;

2. Together with the CEO and shareholders - developing a strategy to expand the portfolio of brands, searching for new opportunities to develop the company's presence in the market and free niches for the company's products;

3. Determination of the company's trade policy, taking into account market research and sales performance in the past, determining the geography of the company's work, formulating and implementing regional sales strategies;

4. Creation and training of an effective sales team;

5. Selection of sales channels, creation and / or management of a distribution network, dealer network, management of the direct sales department;

6. Sales planning, responsibility for the implementation of the sales plan;

7. Coordination of work (or direct participation in work) with key clients, including negotiating;

8. Together with the marketing department - development of an assortment and pricing policy, various programs to increase sales (trade marketing: special promotions, including their budgeting; discounts; bonus programs, etc.). It is the commercial director who is responsible for the successful implementation of these programs and policies;

9. Organization of logistics - delivery, warehouses, packaging, etc. The key point of the logistics function is forecasting and planning for future needs, creating the necessary structure for the delivery of goods, as well as finding new suppliers of transport and storage services;

10. Participation in the development of the company's budget for the financial year (including marketing and sales budgets), approval of budgets and monitoring their implementation;

11. The commercial director is also responsible for commercial purchases, smooth work with suppliers, selection of suppliers and services, coordination of all supply issues.

12. Organization of a system for advanced training of sales managers.

Features in companies of different industries

Features in companies of different sizes

If the company is small, then marketing is also part of the functional responsibilities of the commercial director. Thus, in a small company of any profile, the functions of sales, procurement and marketing can be the responsibility of one specialist. The number of departments reporting to this top manager may vary depending on the specifics of the business. How to create a commercial department and manage it professionally, read the Executive.ru publication. In a large company, the above three areas are supervised by line directors who report to the commercial director.

Candidate requirements: competencies

Experience of effective work in the industry. Experience in effective sales. Higher education, preference in the field of economics or business. The advantages are knowledge of quantitative methods, fluent English. An MBA degree is also an added advantage.

The commercial director must constantly work on professional development. Regular attendance of various kinds of trainings and seminars on the profile will be a definite plus.

Candidate requirements: personal qualities

Responsibility and result-oriented, excellent negotiating skills, communication skills, team management skills, thoroughness, structuredness and consistency in work, leadership qualities, ability to make decisions in non-standard situations, ability to generate new ideas, strategic thinking, entrepreneurial spirit, stress resistance, high efficiency .

Compensation level

The range is from $5,000 to $15,000 per month, depending on the size of the company and its location. The bonus of commercial directors is usually not lower than 20% of the base remuneration, the most common rate is 25-50%, sometimes up to 100%. The bonus calculator can be tied to the fulfillment of the sales plan. In particular, additional conditions can be added to the bonus calculator: expanding or updating the product line, sales growth in a certain segment or region, sales profitability indicators.

The commercial director is one of the first persons in any large organization. We can say that this is the first person after the chief manager, because he is responsible for both the internal and external environment. In addition to prestige, such a position also carries with it a huge responsibility. Sometimes it happens that this person in the organization becomes almost equal in relation to the CEO.

Who is a commercial director

Undoubtedly, each individual employee is invaluable to the enterprise. Nevertheless, the role of the commercial director in the successful functioning of the organization cannot be overestimated. This is not just the right hand of the manager, but it is also the face of any organization. He is responsible for almost all processes that are associated not only with supply and marketing, but also with some production moments.

Despite the fact that there is a generally accepted instruction of the commercial director, which defines the scope of his duties, in fact, these boundaries are quite blurred and depend on the specifics and scale of the organization. So, if the enterprise is large, then the commercial director has a fairly wide range of responsibilities associated with almost all departments. In smaller organizations, this position allows you to focus on working with the external environment and expanding sales channels.

Also, do not forget about such a position as deputy commercial director. He has the same rights and obligations as his immediate superiors in the event that he acts on his behalf and on his behalf. The commercial director delegates a number of his functions to his subordinate, who at the same time has a smaller area of responsibility.

The commercial director of LLC, CJSC, OJSC and other companies is also responsible for working with shareholders and shareholders. He is engaged in informing them, as well as searching for new participants.

Job description of commercial director

When choosing a profession for yourself, you need to clearly understand what kind of work you will have to do. So, the job description of the commercial director contains the following responsibilities:

drawing up strategic and operational plans for the economic and production activities of the organization;
analysis of current work and quick response to deviations in the production process in order to normalize the situation;
study of financial indicators for the purpose of making managerial decisions;
control over compliance with the budget for the enterprise as a whole and for its divisions;
monitoring the implementation of the developed plans not only for the enterprise as a whole, but also for individual divisions and departments;
development of measures to expand sales markets and increase sales volumes.

What rights does a commercial director have?

A person holding the position of commercial director has not only duties, but also a number of rights in the organization:

making independent decisions regarding the effective marketing of products within the competence;
the opportunity to put forward proposals to the general director on improving the work of the enterprise;
the right to reward subordinates for special merits (or to submit similar petitions to the manager);
the opportunity to participate in the collective bodies of the enterprise when it comes to improving the production process, expanding distribution channels, as well as marketing policy issues.

Functions of the commercial director

The instructions of the official commercial director allow us to single out a number of mandatory functions, the implementation of which implies this position:

definition and expansion of distribution channels for goods and services;
drawing up long-term strategic plans;
negotiating with suppliers and buyers;
management of sales activities;
budget execution control;
development and implementation of marketing policy;
development of measures to reduce the expenditure.

What an applicant should be able to do

This is not an easy job. The commercial director must be able to perform a fairly wide range of duties. In this regard, the applicant for this responsible position must have a number of knowledge and skills:

be able to regulate the movement of finished products both within the enterprise and outside it;
know the intricacies of budgeting;
have the ability to search for distribution channels;
have basic knowledge of enterprise personnel management;
have negotiation skills;
be familiar with the development of advertising projects.

It is also worth noting some personal qualities that a commercial director must possess:

sociability;
stress resistance.

Special knowledge of the commercial director

The commercial director of the company must thoroughly familiarize himself with the following information about the work of the organization:

the norms of the law regulating the activities of commercial enterprises;
organizational structure of the company;
comprehensive information about the range of products and the technology of its manufacture;
methods of research and analysis of existing markets, as well as ways to search for new ones;
existing, as well as promising or reserve distribution channels;
general information about the state of affairs in the industry in which the organization operates;
rules and procedures for concluding contracts with suppliers and buyers;
theoretical aspects of marketing;
foreign best practices in the management of marketing and sales activities;
standards for ensuring the safety of workers.

Powers of the commercial director

Of course, the main person who manages all the processes in the organization is the CEO. The commercial director, on the other hand, has under his control and in his subordination the following divisions of the enterprise:

advertising and marketing departments that create the image of the organization in the external environment;
public relations department, which ensures recognition of the enterprise;
the sales department, which determines the sales channels, as well as the logistics department, which determines the most profitable ways to deliver goods from the manufacturer to the consumer;
warehouse service, which receives raw materials and materials, as well as unshipped products.

Working conditions

The job of a commercial director has a number of characteristics and features:

the working regime and working hours are determined by the internal labor regulations (nevertheless, due to the high responsibility, it is sometimes necessary to stay overtime);
one of the duties of the commercial director is to travel on business trips related to the need for business negotiations with suppliers or buyers of products;
in some cases, the commercial director is provided with official transport or the cost of fuel consumed during business trips is covered;
The commercial director has the right to sign a number of documents that fall within his area of responsibility and official duties.

Area of responsibility of the commercial director

The commercial director bears quite a serious responsibility for the activities of the organization. It implies the following points:

organization of processes for the sale of products and their delivery to the intermediate or final consumer;
compliance with not only their own labor discipline, but also the control of these processes regarding subordinates;
ensuring complete confidentiality of all information regarding the organization of production, technological features, financial transactions, marketing methods, and so on;
ensuring proper working conditions for their subordinates;
responsibility for safety, including fire safety, in those premises where the divisions controlled by the commercial director are located.

Failure to comply with rules and obligations

Sanctions and penalties may be applied to the commercial director in the following cases:

improper performance of their duties or evasion from them;
non-execution of orders and instructions of the higher management;
exceeding official authority or using official position to achieve material or other personal goals;
providing false information and reporting to management or government agencies;
negligent attitude to fire safety and other circumstances that pose a threat to the life and health of employees;
personal non-compliance with labor discipline, as well as failure to take measures to ensure it among employees;
criminal, administrative or civil offenses;
infliction of material damage to the organization, which arose both as a result of illegal actions, and as a result of negligent inaction.

Who evaluates the quality of the work of a commercial director

In order to determine the quality of the work of the commercial director and the conscientiousness of the performance of duties, inspections are periodically carried out. This may be done by the following persons or bodies:

daily control is carried out directly by the general director of the organization, who interacts quite closely with the commercial director on almost all issues related to management;
at least once every two years, a special attestation commission checks all documentation, as well as the results of the commercial director's activities.

In both the first and second cases, the work of this specialist is evaluated according to certain indicators: the quality of the tasks, as well as the completeness and accuracy of reporting.

How to find a job

Of course, for many applicants, such a position as a commercial director is quite desirable. Vacancies in this area are constantly available, as firms seek to find the most professional and valuable employees. But not everyone will be accepted for such a position.

A prerequisite for employment will be the presence of higher education in the field of economics or marketing. In addition, the cumulative seniority in managerial positions must be at least 5 years. Thus, if you have just graduated from a university or have no previous management experience, then you are unlikely to be able to immediately become a commercial director.

If you want to get into a prestigious organization that provides decent wages and working conditions, then you should not look for vacancies on the Internet or in newspapers. The best option is to send your resume directly to the companies where you would like to work.

In 80% of cases, large organizations prefer to appoint their own employees to the position of commercial director, who have sufficient work experience and are familiar with the structure and specifics of the enterprise. Therefore, if you do not immediately manage to get a high post, this is not a reason to give up. By conscientiously fulfilling your duties and showing initiative, you have every chance in a few years from an ordinary specialist to become a highly paid commercial director.

An interesting fact is that a number of enterprises do not see the need for a commercial director. We are talking mainly about monopoly organizations for which the sale of products is not a particular problem. Also, this position is not necessary in the case when the responsibilities for the organization of supplies and sales are already distributed among individuals or departments. This is also possible in the case when the enterprise has several founders who can distribute these areas of responsibility among themselves.

Recruitment for a large construction company.

Duties:

Search and attraction of new volumes of construction and engineering services.
Development of construction, design and other activities of the company;
Conducting commercial negotiations within the framework of the marketing and supply policy, business correspondence with customers in the interests of the company.
Analysis of the competitive environment of the construction and engineering services market.
Formation of a sales plan for the services of a general contracting construction company and ensuring its implementation.
Organization of work on the preparation of tender documentation and participation in tenders; preparation and calculation of commercial offers, conclusion of contracts, interaction with Tender Committees.
Managing the activities of structural divisions of the company, supervising current projects.
Monitoring compliance with work quality standards, ensuring that the organization fulfills its obligations.
Monitoring the implementation of design and construction schedules.

Requirements:

V / o construction is desirable;
At least 5 years of experience in a key managerial position in the construction industry;
Experience in the structures of the general contractor and technical customer;
Knowledge of the processes and technologies for the construction of class A buildings;
Knowledge of economics and pricing in construction;
Experience in project management;
Experience in construction management and commissioning of large facilities.
PC knowledge: user of office applications, AutoCAD;

The main responsibilities of a commercial director in different organizations are similar, and the requirements for his professional skills and functions depend on the characteristics of the industries in which the enterprises operate. As a rule, this specialist controls and coordinates the activities of employees so that it is as efficient as possible and contributes to an increase in the income of the enterprise.

Kit duties of a commercial director rather difficult to define clearly, although this position is certainly of great importance. In most cases, sales managers seek to take the place of the manager of sales and supply of the enterprise, because they are the ones who know the features of their company well and are well versed in the nuances of communicating with customers and concluding contracts.

Features of the work of the commercial director regarding his job responsibilities are adjusted depending on the needs of the organization and the following factors:

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enterprise size: in large companies, this manager is entrusted with a wider range of functions;
product range and clientele: fast and easy sales processes allow the head of sales to devote more time and energy to marketing-related duties;
field of activity: at a manufacturing enterprise, the head of commercial matters manages logistics mechanisms, material delivery schemes, maintaining business contacts with suppliers. The less time the company devotes to production, the wider the set of functions of this manager.

Not in all companies, the duties of a commercial director cover the scope of product promotion. In those firms where advertising is a priority, this post may be called differently: marketing manager.

On-site specialist commercial director performs the following duties:

Development of an activity plan companies: current and long-term plans are drawn up with the participation of shareholders and the manager of the company. The duties of a commercial director include responsibility for ensuring that all resources are used as efficiently as possible.
Development of strategies: search for new ways to promote and strengthen the company's market position.
Determining trade policy enterprises based on market performance and sales data, looking for opportunities to expand the geographical presence of the company, applying innovative methods in the field of product marketing.
Sometimes the scope of duties of the commercial director includes work on the creation and effective training of the sales team.
Management of the sales department, determination of sales directions, cooperation with dealers.
The Sales Director's responsibilities include the ability to develop assortment and pricing policy in close cooperation with the marketing department, the ability to create various strategies to increase the level of implementation and the willingness to take responsibility for their effective implementation.
The duties of the commercial director include organization of logistics: work on packaging, delivery, warehouse management, planning for the needs of the company for the long term.
One of the activities of such a leader is the organization uninterrupted cooperation with suppliers, involving the implementation of commercial purchases, establishing relationships with partners in the provision of services. The specialist in this position, in accordance with his job functions, also takes part in the preparation of the company's budget plan for the coming financial year.

We list briefly main responsibilities of any commercial director:

determination of directions for the sale of the company's products and the provision of its services;
creation of strategic plans;
communication with partners-suppliers;
managing the activities of sales managers;
budgeting management in all divisions of the enterprise;
organization of marketing activities;
reducing business costs.

According to this list of duties, it can be seen that the commercial director solves strategic problems, which allows us to consider him the second main person of the company. There are various variations on what degree of responsibility can be assigned to this specialist.

Commercial Director as head of the sales department. In this case, his duties are minimal. He is responsible only for the implementation process, so it would be more logical to call such a specialist a sales director. In order to prevent an employee working in this place from feeling that he was demoted, you can rename this position at the moment when a new person is accepted for this position.
Commercial Director as Head of Sales and Marketing. This variation is quite popular abroad. A specialist who combines the duties of a marketing and commercial director needs knowledge of the features and trends of market development, the ability to understand the nuances of the activities of competing companies and an understanding of consumer preferences. Managing sales processes in market conditions often requires maximum investment of effort, so that there is no time and energy left for marketing development: there is a lack of the necessary tools for promoting products, the skills to use them, as well as a strategic vision of market development in the medium term.
Commercial Director as manager of sales, procurement and marketing departments. This configuration assumes the concentration of responsibility for the development of the processes of promotion, sale of their products and purchases for the needs of production in the hands of one specialist. This provides a set of significant advantages when choosing the most popular product in the current period of time, taking into account its qualities that meet consumer demand. This is most important for merchants or intermediary companies. This combination should be used with caution in those firms where there are no permanent suppliers. The manager may not have enough opportunity to work on finding optimal strategies for interacting with contractors. It is necessary to continuously analyze the market to select the most suitable procurement conditions.
Commercial and CEO in one person. In some cases, the CEO formally continues to hold the position of head of the company, but in reality does not manage it. Typically, in such cases, the executive director takes on the role of leader. In those companies where sales activity is a priority, managerial tasks are included in the terms of reference of the commercial director.

Although the functions of a commercial manager vary depending on the nature of the company's activities, the person applying for this position must, in any case, possess certain qualities. It is not only about the ability to focus on the result. In this job, it is important to be able to make decisions in difficult situations, skillfully resolve conflicts, be honest, have a high level of stress resistance and loyalty. In addition, it is important to be able to find non-standard methods of troubleshooting and defend your opinion with arguments.

A potential commercial director must be clearly aware of his personal goals and objectives of the entire company, among which the main place is given to regular income. For a good specialist, such qualities as a breadth of views and thinking, a high level of responsibility are important (after all, he takes on the functions of managing all the leading departments of the enterprise and controlling the movement of cash flows within it).

Serious requirements are also placed on the Deputy Director for Commercial Affairs, because his duties are important for the company. They include the implementation of:

control over the work of subordinate units;
supervision over the material and technical support of the company, over the fulfillment of the terms of supply contracts, over the correct use of credit funds, etc.;
creating working conditions for personnel that comply with the rules and regulations.
control over the timely payment of earnings to specialists of subdivisions subordinate to the commercial director;
solving other work issues specified in the employment agreement or indicated in the job description.

The question of the temporary transfer of the competencies of the commercial director to his deputy is the responsibility of the head of the company.

Functional duties of the commercial director of the enterprise

The commercial director solves economic, personnel, technological, political and other issues, being an indispensable assistant to the manager of the company. We list here some of the main recommendations for its activities.

Become the right hand of the first person of the company. One of the main responsibilities of the commercial director is close interaction with the managing company: he must know well all the weaknesses of the general director and, if necessary, support him. This is the most reliable way to become an indispensable adviser to the head of the company and earn a high salary. In the case, for example, if the leader of the company is a strong, charismatic and public person, then it is best for the commercial director to become a gray cardinal, quietly helping his leader. At the same time, he needs to be able to think analytically and strategically, accurately predict the behavior of his boss and direct his energy in a positive direction. However, if the main person of the company is a restrained person with poor communication skills, but with excellent strategic and analytical vision, then the commercial director can take on the role of moral and public leader in the team.
Create an effective team. The commercial director must know effective ways to motivate subordinates, be able to plan the development of the company in the long term and demonstrate a deep strategic vision of the future of the organization as a whole. He must also select the right specialists for the effective operation of the enterprise. One of the key competencies of a commercial director is also the ability to understand what approaches can be used to increase profit from product sales.

Approach 1. Understanding the company's sales strategy. The marketing policy in an organization is a special document that is developed and modified in accordance with the current state of the market, regularly supplemented with important data related to the implementation process. Many enterprises, unfortunately, do not pay due attention to it. An intuitive understanding of business processes allows you to realize that for the success of a company, sales must constantly grow, that it is necessary to systematically work with customers and analyze data. However, most often this representation is expressed in a set of actions that resemble chaos rather than a system. Usually the result of such a strategy is not particularly impressive. It is not uncommon for companies to go bankrupt, the cause of which is not the market itself and its changes, but the fact that a systematic approach to sales management was not formed in a timely manner. In order for the sales strategy to be successful and bring good results, it should be included in the duties of the commercial director to work with sales managers: to make the most of their advantages and skillfully hide their shortcomings, as well as to make forecasts and plans correctly, to extract the maximum benefit from the current situation, skillfully manage risks.

The implementation strategy adjustment activity is a continuous process aimed at the intelligent use of market influences in order to improve the sales performance of the company. This work is important for three main reasons.

Reason 1. Potential customers of the company are constantly changing.

Reason 2. Salespeople or sales representatives should not be allowed to relax.

Reason 3. From the market and competing companies at any time, you should expect surprises, most often unpleasant ones.

With the help of these questions, the commercial director, within the framework of his duties, can Diagnose the work of sales specialists:

Are the company's implementation policies known and understandable to sales managers?
What personal tasks and goals will specialists work on as part of the overall sales strategy of the company?
How are the personal goals of managers and the overall objectives of the company related?
How does each of the employees within the sales department present themselves?(Most often, such a unit is individual specialists working on their own under general management.).
What is the most important thing for sales managers? The answer to this question is of great importance. It is quite rare to hear from employees that the most important thing in their work is sales and sales promotion. Most often, managers call something else that is not directly related to the trading process.

These questions allow you to find out and see how sales managers position themselves and their responsibilities within the company. Answers and work on them help to form the general principles of the sales strategy and understanding of its importance for the success of the company.

A talented commercial director considers it one of his duties to pay attention to the internal aspirations and motivation of employees, to strengthen and develop the merits of specialists and reduce the impact of their shortcomings on the workflow. Such a balanced and competent approach helps to improve sales performance and bring the management team to a whole new level.

Approach 2. Sales discipline in your company. The process of management and development of trade should allow managers to show and use their advantages in the most effective way. Quite often, talented specialists lack discipline and consistency in their activities. Teaching employees the art of selling is not easy, but many managers believe that special training, which provides general information and universal knowledge, can solve this problem. However, instead of teaching everyone everything, it is much more practical to pay special attention to the formation of the right motivation and inspiration in the preparation of a sales manager. Thanks to corporate trainings on trade issues, it is possible to diagnose specialists in order to subsequently, in accordance with these data, create a training program with an individual approach to each employee, using his true motives. Three questions can help with this:

Why do managers engage in this particular activity?
How exactly do they carry out their duties?
What results are being achieved?

Thus, the sales manager is trained according to an individual plan, the results of which are reflected in the company's sales figures, which does not allow him to hide his shortcomings.

Approach 3. Show with an example. The commercial director is the best role model for sales managers. But it may happen that, due to heavy employment with managerial tasks, he cannot always show in practice how to professionally perform his duties in the field of product sales. If the commercial director seeks to understand his employees, he needs to try to walk a "kilometer in their shoes." This approach will become especially important when a new specialist enters this position. This post involves a wide range of duties, so high demands are made:

education: higher economic or financial (in rare cases, technical);
having experience as a leader from 3 years;
practical activity in the field of personnel management - from 3 years;
experience in organizing and managing the work of the sales department;
deep knowledge in the field of marketing and advertising;
excellent communication and leadership skills;
experience in negotiation and sales.

In addition, it is often welcomed:

work experience in the company's profile (for example, a construction organization prefers specialists who have already worked in the construction field);
English proficiency;
experience in the field of business process automation (most often sales).

In addition to the above requirements, the candidate must provide a well-written summary.

The hiring party does not have information about the unique skills, talents and knowledge of the applicant. Any specialist applying for the desired job should be able to present his resume in the most favorable light for him. In many respects, it will depend on this whether he will be accepted for this post or not.

commercial director resume must contain the following information:

personal data (date of birth, registration address or place of residence, etc.);
education (higher education institutions and all courses);
work experience (name of companies, position and responsibilities);
professional skills and abilities (at this point it is important to indicate competitive advantages);
additional information (knowledge of programs and languages).

When writing a resume, you can use the following recommendations:

Try to describe your professional achievements with numbers and specific data.
Indicate the direction of activity of those organizations of which you were previously an employee.
Try to see your resume through the eyes of a potential employer.

Implementing the company's development strategy, the commercial director is at the same time coordinator and head of several departments:

marketing department;
sales department;
supply department;
logistics department.

In addition, the commercial manager acts as a mentor for new employees.

Expert opinion

Commercial directors in 80% of cases are specialists with experience in sales departments

Ilya Mazin,

General Director of ZAO Office Premier, ErichKrause group of companies, Moscow

It often happens that specialists who perform the duties of a commercial director for some time later become the first persons or owners of companies. For example, for financial or administrative managers, such career ups occur much less frequently.

In the vast majority of cases (80%), experienced sales professionals who have led as managers or executives in VIP areas become commercial directors. Sometimes professionals from the purchasing department can also grow into a manager of this rank.

The scope of duties of the commercial director means solving problems in different areas of activity. This suggests that a specialist who successfully copes with these functions is able to occupy a higher position. Thus, working as a commercial director is a very valuable experience in terms of acquiring important skills and professional qualities, as well as forming useful contacts for further activities.

With the changes taking place in the field of business, and with the development of the market in the commercial field, separate areas began to form: marketing, purchases, sales. In connection with these variations, the role of the commercial director in the company is also subject to revision and adjustments.

It should be remembered that the formation of the competencies of a commercial manager is influenced by the specifics of the industry in which the enterprise operates. For example, duties of a commercial director of a trading company include:

knowledge of the rules of acceptance, storage and certification of goods;
understanding the conjuncture of core products, the competitive environment and consumer markets;
skills in using techniques for analyzing and forecasting trade: factorial method, SWOT, marginal, and others;
understanding the subtleties of the process of organizing the sale of goods.

Responsibilities of the commercial director of a construction company assume that the specialist is well versed in:

in construction and engineering services;
in the features of the development of the construction market and its current state;
in preparation of documents for participation in tenders and competitions;
in the development of contracts for the provision of engineering and construction services.

Commercial director of a food service company performs duties similar to those of a similar position in a trading company. For example, he is responsible for:

organization of all work of public catering enterprises, starting with their equipment and ending with the sale of products;
planning and organizing the opening of new facilities;
development of new directions for the sale of goods and services.

At a manufacturing plant, the director of commercial affairs must perform duties related to knowledge of:

production technologies and product certification;
industrial facilities of the company;
economics of its production.

Responsibilities of the Commercial Director require the following features:

in an LLC, he is appointed to the position by the head of the enterprise, to whom he is directly subordinate, takes on the role of one of the company's leaders; one of the founders of the company can become a commercial director, he can also be elected and approved by the minutes of the general meeting of the founders;
the commercial director of a private entrepreneur manages the company or is one of the managers in certain areas, reporting to the owner.

There are many factors that affect the salary of a commercial director. As a rule, the monthly income is from 50,000 to 500,000 rubles. It often happens that if the income of the commercial director is low, then his job responsibilities are limited only to the management of the sales department, and with higher pay, this specialist can take on the role of managing the company. The average level of the monthly remuneration of the commercial director is set within 100,000 rubles. A social package is added to this amount: expenses for the maintenance of official transport, mobile communications are reimbursed, medical expenses, vacations, sports, etc. are paid.

Rights and obligations of the commercial director

In addition to the prescribed salary, the commercial director becomes the owner of certain rights:

representing the interests of the company in negotiations is one of the advantages that allows you to request information and papers related to the commercial affairs of the company;
take an active part in the preparation of orders and instructions, estimates and agreements in order to make a profit for the company;
certify with his signature the documents related to the trade area of the enterprise;
encourage and punish their subordinates in order to increase the efficiency of their activities, develop various ways to motivate them;
send proposals to the head of the company to bring employees and heads of related departments to account for the disciplinary and financial nature of the employees (based on the results of inspections).

The commercial director is responsible for the process of personnel training aimed at improving the personnel of the enterprise. He can conduct corporate lectures and seminars himself, organize and initiate trainings, explain to employees what is the meaning of the company's overall development strategy and its mission. The duties of the commercial director of a trading company will include both negotiating and organizing meetings with partner supplier enterprises. The marketing strategy also occupies an important place in the activity of this leader: he carefully develops it and thinks it over, because without advertising, "only the mint can make money." Another important duty of the commercial director is to take actions to reduce costs and expenses, especially during the period of growth of the company's profits.

Monopoly companies can do without such a specialist who promotes the brand, because they do not need to advertise or popularize their brand. In manufacturing and trading firms of small size, this position is also often abolished, since all the duties of a commercial director can be quite distributed among ordinary managers.

Expert opinion

Very large and too small companies do not need a commercial director

Ilya Mazin,

CEO of Office Premier holding, ErichKrause group of companies, Moscow

If a company has a need to obtain attractive terms of supply and marketing, then it needs the position of commercial director in the state. Otherwise, such a position is not so necessary. Huge or, conversely, small organizations can also work without a commercial director. The cost of a top manager is considerable, and companies with low incomes will not be able to pay for such a position: very often the owner takes over the duties of a commercial director in such firms. In the event that an enterprise has several founders, they can distribute different functions among themselves: someone is engaged in an area related to profit and income, someone takes on administrative and economic issues, etc.

In companies representing large businesses, the duties of a commercial director are performed by heads of individual areas. At the same time, enterprises in the medium-sized business sector need the position of a manager in the commercial sphere, because the level of income of the entire company depends on his activity.

Unfortunately, in higher educational institutions there is no opportunity to study the specialty of a commercial director. But even the presence of education does not mean that a person has high professionalism in his field. More important than a diploma are specific knowledge, skills, and competencies. In addition to owning special computer applications, experience in the field of product promotion, understanding of consumer psychology, as well as the structure and features of the sales process is important. It often happens that an ordinary employee is able to perform the duties of a commercial director more efficiently than a specialist who comes from outside. The key factor is the ability to apply administrative skills and achieve real results in the growth of the company's income. It is important to understand that such a leader is, first of all, an organizer and manager, and only then a performer.

When embarking on the duties of a commercial director, a specialist must carefully get acquainted with the information about the company and the features of its activities, namely:

to study the norms of the law regulating the work of commercial companies;
understand the organizational structure of the enterprise; provide yourself with complete information about the range of products and the technology of its production;
understand the methods of analyzing existing markets, as well as have an idea of what methods allow you to look for new techniques;
learn about all available, as well as promising or alternative directions for the sale of products;
get an idea of the current situation in the industry in which the company operates;
familiarize yourself with the rules and procedures for concluding contracts with suppliers and buyers; study the theoretical aspects of marketing;
collect information about foreign innovative practices for managing the company's work in the field of promotion and marketing of products;
know the rules for ensuring the safety of personnel.

The following situations may have consequences for the commercial director in the form of sanctions and fines:

improper performance of official duties or evasion from them;
ignoring the orders and instructions of a superior employee;
abuse of official position and official powers in order to satisfy material or other personal needs;
provision of distorted data and reporting to the head or state inspection bodies;
irresponsible attitude to fire safety and other circumstances that pose a threat to the life and health of employees;
non-compliance with labor discipline, as well as failure to take measures to ensure it within the work team;
offenses of an administrative, civil or criminal nature;
causing material damage to the company as a result of illegal actions or negligent inaction.

Today, in almost every company, the value of an employee lies, first of all, in the effectiveness of his work. This indicator is very important, because often the size of wages and the nature of recommendations from management depend on it.

The following aspects can help assess the quality and effectiveness of the performance of the duties of a commercial director:

Unquestioning adherence to each item of the job description.
Compliance with the established order and subordination. The ideal commercial director is a responsible employee with a high degree of self-discipline and organization, who is aware of his responsibility for the present and future success of the company.
Achieving results in accordance with the current business plan of the enterprise. The activities of the company must constantly occur in accordance with the developed strategies and be subject to verification (as well as economic indicators). Failure to meet the deadlines for the implementation of any item may have a negative impact on the development of the company in the future.

The following persons or authorities check the effectiveness of the duties of the commercial director:

the head of the company daily controls the actions of his subordinate, is in constant and close relationship with him on managerial issues;
a special attestation commission at least twice a year audits all the documentation of the enterprise, and also checks the work of the commercial director for the effectiveness and efficiency of performing his duties.

In both cases, the assessment takes place according to specific parameters: how well the specialist copes with the functions assigned to him and how completely and accurately he draws up the reporting documentation.

The main difficulties in the work of a commercial director

Sales management requires relentless attention and constant monitoring of sales performance. Another difficulty in fulfilling the duties of a commercial director may be rooted in the fact that sometimes you have to fight with your own employees.

1. Take a closer look at your opponents.

Someone from the rank and file employees of the commercial department or from the heads of other services may secretly seek to take the post of a superior person.

subordinates. They are competitors in the truest sense of the word, as they demonstrate activity, ambition and perseverance in their movement towards the intended goal: to take the place of the leader. Subordinates are ready with their results and achievements to prove that they are worthy to take on the duties of a boss. In addition, managers tend to be very critical of those who manage them. The authority of the commercial director in their eyes will be very low if they consider that he does not have the talent to sell, does not understand anything about marketing and is not able to negotiate with an important partner or client.

However, managers overlook the fact that they do not work side by side with their boss and therefore cannot objectively evaluate his professional qualities. Therefore, it is extremely important to maintain the authority of the commercial director among subordinates at a high level, confirming his competence with examples of successful sales or important transactions.

Top managers. They are not direct rivals of the commercial director. Leading a commercial department is not easy; its head has many diverse responsibilities and a high degree of responsibility for mistakes. At the same time, it is important to know that there is an exception: if the sales and advertising functions are separated in the company, then the marketing director can make claims in order to become the head of both areas.

As a rule, such a competitive struggle can arise in companies whose corporate culture is not very well developed, business processes are not built up, and employees are not completely clear what exactly their responsibilities are. There is nothing surprising in the fact that they are trying to compete for resources and territory in which they win for themselves more opportunities to make decisions and wield power. Only the chief executive of the company can significantly change this state of affairs by making management decisions on a clear structuring of the activities of employees.

2. Get fit.

The commercial director must continuously confirm his competence in his position: demonstrate effective work with clients, effectively manage his department, professionally perform his duties. This will prevent possible difficulties in the field of personnel management in the bud.

To do this, you should regularly double-check the data that comes from managers and do not trust 100% of the veracity of their reports. There is a possibility that subordinates are not averse to taking the place of their leader and therefore deliberately provide false information in their reports about sales figures and the state of affairs in the industry. It is better for a commercial director not to lock himself inside his own office and be actively interested in what is happening with the market, what innovations and technologies are emerging, what changes are observed in consumer behavior and in their attitude to the company's products.

A core competency is necessary for any leader in order to feel confident and not face difficulties in managing personnel. In order to protect yourself and your position, it is important to identify your own strengths and abilities, which will be especially appreciated by employees, colleagues and management. For example, if a commercial director is excellent at organizing effective relationships without disputes and contradictions between the departments of sales, production, marketing and finance, then it is precisely this skill that will allow him to maintain his place in the company.
Indispensability. This property with The employee becomes noticeable when he goes on vacation or sick leave. It is at such moments that people in the company note that in his absence they face additional problems and difficulties. At the same time, it is not recommended to specifically demonstrate to colleagues that you are indispensable, because it is very easy to irritate others with such behavior. Management may perceive this as a potential danger and try to get rid of such employees.

3. Work with staff.

One of the main responsibilities of a commercial director is to build relationships with sales managers. Competence will be a faithful assistant to him in this process: it must be demonstrated in a short time to both employees and the head of the sales department.

Establish contact with subordinates. Try to communicate more actively and more often with managers.

4. Build a line of defense.

Having a closer relationship with the company's management can be the key to solving problems in personnel management, which means an expanded range of opportunities in resolving issues compared to competitors.

Show managers your competence. In the event of complications, you can demonstrate to subordinates your ability to competently eliminate problems with a single phone call to the right person. With this simple action, you will reveal the failure of applicants for your post in solving key issues.
Threaten your opponent. Sometimes the situation may require more decisive action in relation to your competitor: you must make it clear that his position in the company can be complicated if he does not want to interact peacefully. Explain to your opponent that you will be present at all meetings where he must report all difficulties and actions taken. If he shows incompetence regarding his work tasks, the decision will be yours.
Explain your position to the CEO. First, you should understand exactly what actions your opponent took in order to cope with the problem situation. If it turns out that a competitor simply appropriated the result of a team activity, for example, a new sales strategy, prove to the manager what contribution you made to this work. Demonstrate to your boss that you know exactly the timing of when the first results will be visible.
Get board support. Try to reasonably explain what is the danger of such career claims for the company as a whole. Wouldn't it be a threat to set a similar precedent in the sense that other department heads would also want to get rid of their leadership?

5. Work systematically.

Effective opposition to rivals and elimination of difficulties in the work of personnel management will be facilitated by continuous monitoring of the situation in the company. The more clarity in understanding the state of affairs within the team and active information exchange with employees, the more secure the commercial director will be able to feel in his place. It is important to be able to openly and clearly demonstrate to both subordinates and senior management their professionalism and competence.

danger signals. The first warning sign is a decrease in the amount of information that your subordinates provide you, or its unreliability. The second danger signal is claims expressed in an aggressive form by the head of the sales service or his ordinary employees. As a rule, the head of the department tries to blame his mistakes and blunders on the commercial director. The situation in which employees turn to senior management, bypassing the commercial director, indicates a third warning sign. To avoid these moments, it is better to strive to be aware of all the nuances of the work of the sales department and prevent possible attacks. This will allow you to gain the trust of management even in a difficult conflict situation, which will help you maintain your position in the company.

TOP 5 useful books for a commercial director

“Lean provision. How to build effective and mutually beneficial relationships. In their next book, James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones introduce readers to the synthesis of consumption and provision mechanisms, in which the latter plays the main role. In order to fully satisfy your client, you need to effectively solve his problem by providing what is required, at the right time and in the right place, in full accordance with the wishes of the customer. This book will be useful and interesting for middle and senior managers, businessmen, employees of consulting agencies, students and teachers of higher educational institutions of economic orientation.
"The Deal Navigator: Practicing Strategic Selling from A to...A". the author of this book Alexey Slobodyanyuk deals with the peculiarities of selling products to entire organizations and tries to understand the mechanisms of making decisions about purchases. One of the author's main recommendations: to draw up a specific action plan and work with the client in strict accordance with it, starting with the first phone call and the first meeting.
Survival Guide: Selling. Vaughn Aiken John tries to understand, together with readers, exactly how you can increase profits in your business by taking the initiative in the process of closing deals in your own hands. By acting in this way, it is possible to increase profits even in the event of economic problems and instability of the market system, when customers are lost, company budgets and market volumes are reduced.
How to Become a Sales Wizard: Rules for Attracting and Retaining Customers. Geoffrey Fox gives witty advice in his book that can help readers cope with their rivals in any field. The author's recommendations are practical and not without wisdom, so they will be useful to all interested people, and especially sales professionals and top managers.
"Hard Selling: Get People to Buy Under Any Circumstances." Book Dan Kennedy will be an excellent assistant on the path to achieving wealth, independence and power. The author gives advice on how exactly a sales specialist should be today in order to conquer the professional heights in this area.

The duties of the commercial director of a trading company, the duties of the commercial director of a car dealership, the duties of the commercial director of a construction company, as well as the duties of the commercial director of a manufacturing enterprise, differ from each other only in some minor and rather specific aspects of activity characteristic of the industry.

In general, a commercial director is a leader whose goal is to create a stable revenue stream. This general goal is realized through personnel management in the context of 5 main functions: activity planning, motivation, organization, control and training.

Sales Director Job Responsibilities: 3 Steps in Planning

A commercial director can be arbitrarily sophisticated in matters of management. However, if he does not take into account the psychological side of planning, then beautiful plans will remain on paper. Therefore, you can adopt this algorithm.

1. Get busy with the numbers

Indeed, from the very beginning, you need to plan the activities of employees in such a way that you understand what actions and in what quantity each employee must perform daily in order to achieve a monthly financial goal for profit. These indicators can be calculated using the planned profit decomposition method.

First, you set a projected profit figure based on internal and external factors. Then find the revenue by the percentage of profit in it. After that, through the average bill, you can easily calculate the number of transactions that need to be closed in the planning period. The total determines the number of leads that need to be processed in order to reach the planned number of deals. After that, the intermediate conversion between the stages will allow you to find the daily number of actions that managers must perform at each of them.

2. Take care of managers

Correct calculation by the decomposition method does not mean at all that even with a sufficient number of sellers, the plan will be fulfilled. Therefore, you need to deal with the psychological mood of the staff and it may very well be corrected.

People tend to have their head in the clouds. And this is exactly what can disrupt any plans. Therefore, you should talk to each employee and find out if he fell into one of the two most common traps: "living in the past" or "living in the future." Both of these will have a detrimental effect on sales. You can diagnose the state of a slave by the following markers.

Markers of "living in the past"

“People are no longer as interested in the service/product”
“My income used to be higher”
"Now it's not so easy to sell"

Future life markers

"Now the season is over..."
“They will install CRM for us…”
"Here they will give me an assistant ..."

3. Focus on employee goals

A very tangible personal goal should be looming in front of employees. Your job is to bring it out and show how it can be achieved just by doing your job.

1. We identify the goal. Usually, the list of everyday “standards” includes: buying an apartment, visiting the Maldives / Bahamas / Seychelles (underline as appropriate), buying a car, saving up for children to study, paying off debts, etc. If, with all your efforts, you continue to observe an extinct look and a certain lethargy from the seller, then it is better to replace it altogether.

2. Making the goal achievable. At this stage, such a tool for specifying and evaluating goals as SMART helps a lot. It passes the target through criteria filters that will not let you go astray:

Specific (goal specification),
Measurable (indicators by which it will be clear that a person is moving in the right direction),
Achievable (reachability as a result of the actions taken),
Relevant (goal relevance),
Timebound (the time by which the goal will be achieved).

3. After a specific goal is set, you should increase the overall level of proactivity of the seller by talking with him about what he would like to achieve in 3, 5, 10 years.

4. And, finally, “don't let go” of the employee for more than a day. Constantly remind him of what he wants to receive. For this, the use of “new” marker phrases is very well suited. The marker phrase is the keywords from the goal formulated by the manager: “apartment”, “Maldives”, “car”, etc.

Job responsibilities of a commercial director: 3 levels of motivation

It should be borne in mind that the motivation of personnel should be worked out by the commercial director at 3 levels.

The first level is "I". This is the basic level - material motivation, the size of which depends on the performance of the subordinate. It is built on the principle of a "complex" seller's income: a fixed salary (up to 30-40%) + a soft salary for meeting indicators (10-20%) + bonuses (50-70%). Well, and, of course, do not forget about marker phrases: “car!”, “Apartment!”, “Maldives!”.

The second level is "you". On it, employees are motivated non-materially, involving them in competitions, competitions, or vice versa, teamwork and corporate holidays. As a result, the team becomes more united and friendly.

The third level is "Business". So, it will not work to immediately explain to employees why they should perceive the goals of the company in which they work as their own. We will have to develop a whole range of measures to promote corporate culture and ethical behavior with customers. Professional development, encouragement of the most “cultural”, an understandable career growth model are integral elements of this complex.

Functional responsibilities of the commercial director: 3 ways to organize

To keep employees on their toes, hold meetings. If you think this management tool is a waste of time, then you just don't know how to use it.

First, prepare an agenda.

Secondly, require sellers to publicly indicate their plans for the month/week/day.

Third, record their promises.

Fourth, send these promises in a general mailing to all employees.

Fifth, ask everyone about the results at the next meeting.

Meetings (conferences) are of 3 types. And each has its own functionality.

Big weekly meeting
Daily planning
Five-minute meetings with individual groups of employees

What is the responsibility of the commercial director: 4 types of control

The commercial director must organize a continuous process of training and professional development of salespeople. Simply hiring someone or lecturing on general principles of sales is a pointless exercise. You won't get any results. All efforts in the field of education of managers should be targeted, focused. How to do it?

1. Form a skill model - a document that describes a set of specific skills that are needed to make deals in your area.

2. Record and listen to calls. Thus, a database of cases is accumulated for working out typical objections and mistakes.

3. Organize a quality control service that will evaluate the skills of sellers according to development sheets (technological maps), collect them in development folders, and then analyze the performance of customers using the "Traffic Light" system.

We looked at the 5 basic responsibilities of a commercial director. Use the proposed algorithms and fill them with your specifics.