≡× MENU

• Repair
• Repair
• Interior Design
• About everything
• About plumbing

What does a commercial director do in a construction company. Commercial director: duties and functions. Functional duties of the commercial director of a trading company

First of all, the commercial director is responsible for all matters related to clients and the main profit of the company. But there is always confusion about commercial director job responsibilities.

The fact is that in different companies, commercial directors perform different functions. Also, two different positions are very often confused - commercial director and sales director. The maximum segment where a commercial director can work is the simultaneous management of sales, logistics, procurement and marketing services. It is also often thought that the duties of a commercial director include only the management of the sales department.

Where the skills of a commercial director may be required

Today, there are a lot of vacancies for this position, but the requirements for a commercial director are not small. The whole specificity of vacancies for this position lies in the fact that they are open very for a long time. This leads to the conclusion that the search itself and further selection of candidates takes a very long time. Also, the vacancy is very often vacant due to the fact that new commercial directors cannot hold out for a long time in their place (up to a year of work). All this is due to the complexity of building relationships with the founders of the company.

Most often, the vacancy of a commercial director is open in poorly structured companies in Russia. The reason is that such companies have never had commercial directors up to this point. The volume of transactions within the company is gaining volume and managing the company by the same methods becomes practically inefficient. As a result, the owners of the company are trying to increase the level of efficiency of the company by attracting experienced managers and commercial directors.

It also happens that during the entire existence of the company it had only one commercial director, who was one of the founders of the company or an employee who worked from the beginning of the company's opening, and then was promoted to the general director and now a new commercial director is required. In this case, stringent requirements will be imposed on the new candidate - management literacy, new methods to achieve the goal.

When it comes to structured companies, then in this case, the mood or personal sympathies will play a lesser role than the level of professionalism. In this position, the commercial director is a person who performs clearly defined functions in the structure of the company's business processes.

Most often, any clear requirements to education or skills exist only in Western companies. Concerning Russian companies, then they just want to find the "wizard". That is, they need a person who will come and personally solve all the problems and raise the company to a new level.

Key Responsibilities of a Commercial Director

The main responsibilities of this position include the following:

• Commercial Director must organize the management of the material and technical supply of the enterprise, as well as engage in activities for the storage, transportation and further marketing of products.
• The director must coordinate the development and draw up long-term plans for the logistics and subsequent marketing of products.
• Manages the development of all norms and quality standards for manufactured products.
• Recommends further development strategies to department managers and specialists of the financial department. Controls their quality of work.
• Responsible for the timely delivery of budget and financial documents, calculations, reports on the implementation of the plan.
• Monitors financial and economic performance and spending of funds
• Responsible for negotiations on behalf of the company with various counterparties of the company on any business or financial activities
• Acts on behalf of the company at auctions, stock exchanges, advertising campaigns and other events

It is also worth noting (as we said above), in some companies the duties of a commercial director may differ. His list of duties may also include:

• Development of a plan to promote a new product or service
• Budget discussion and calculation together with CEO
• Control all distribution channels
• Creation of a program for material motivation of employees of the enterprise
• Participate in the creation of a new personnel policy of the company
• Manage sales reporting
• Negotiate with clients
• Develop new methods of pricing policy
• Make final decisions on advertising campaigns

It is worth noting here that if a person gets a job in this position in foreign company, then the following may be required:

• MBA diploma
• Have a good command of English
• Have at least five years of management experience

Functions of the commercial director

As we have already understood, the main tasks of the commercial director are the organization and direction of the activities of all departments that are in his segment. It is worth saying that his duties directly depend on the specifics of the industry of the company and the size of the organization.

In the course of his work, the commercial director interacts with various heads of different departments of the company. This list may include: accounting, marketing department, IT, logical service, financial department. Most often, the main functions of this position are joint strategic planning with different departments, the formation of marketing, pricing, financial, personnel policy. He is also obliged to control the sale of goods and plan further sales. Its functions include monitoring the competitive environment and the market for goods and services. The commercial director must also expand and control all supplier relationships and form the budget for the entire commercial unit.

Personal skills of a commercial director

Here it is worth telling in more detail, since personal qualities are one of the key points when choosing a person for this position. The personal qualities of a commercial director should include a special management style, delegation of authority, and skills in interacting with company employees. Naturally, such a position requires a high level of communication skills and the ability to properly manage personnel. Any company will be interested in people who have general management skills and the ability to organize forecasting and budgeting.

Despite the above, each company has its own criteria by which the personal qualities of a commercial director are evaluated. Everything will directly depend on the current goals of the company and on the period of its development. So, it all depends on the life cycle in which the organization is now. Depending on this, the requirements are changing not only for management positions, but also for all employees of the company. We will talk about each life cycle of the company, and what personal qualities a commercial director should have in each of the cycles.

Initial stage of development

A person must have successful experience in building business models of companies from scratch. He must be able to form a new experienced team. Among personal qualities, during this period, innovation, creativity, rigidity in decisions, structuredness will be valued. At this stage, the commercial director must be able to quickly and efficiently make the necessary decisions. Have an objective point of view to deal with competitors.

The heyday of the company

During this period, sales are growing, there are already ideas for future periods in general market trends and plans for organizational development. In this case, the owners of the company most often need a person with successful experience work in structured companies, who has considerable experience in optimizing all business processes. During this period, the director must be able to quickly and competently delegate authority and have a methodical approach to any problems. Already at this stage, thoroughness and consistency in the performance of work are more valued. It is necessary to work deeply into each problem in order to find the most effective and least expensive solution. At this stage, the director must adhere to normative guidelines and be tuned in to the systematic promotion of the goal.

The commercial director is one of the key and significant figures in the management system of each enterprise. At the same time, there is no common understanding of what he should do.

It should be said that in some organizations the duties of a commercial director involve the management of marketing, sales, procurement, advertising, so the position may sometimes sound different, for example, director of sales and marketing. In other companies, such a department as marketing does not report to him. If we talk about small organizations, then, as a rule, they do not have such a position. They simply recruit individual managers for various departments, while the commercial director can be taken over by the head.

It is worth noting that the commercial director reports directly to the head of the company. This position plays a decisive role in the preparation and implementation of strategies aimed at the development of the enterprise.

In most cases, the tasks that relate to the field of sales are solved by the commercial director. His responsibilities include the development of a sales plan, its implementation, as well as overseeing the sales, logistics and marketing system. He must also maintain constant contact with the shareholders.

In the event that the activity of a particular company is production, then, first of all, the commercial director is responsible for the purchase of materials, supplies, logistics, transport, as well as for relations with suppliers. If we talk about large structured organizations, then these 3 areas are controlled by linear individual directors, headed by a commercial director.

Responsibilities

As noted above, the position of commercial director is very multifaceted, so his duties may include the following areas:

Together with shareholders and the CEO - development of a work plan (current and prospective) of the organization, ensuring the efficient use of all resources.

Development of strategies, search for new opportunities for the successful development of the company in the market.

Determination of the company's trading policy based on market analysis and past sales performance, determination of the geographic areas of the company's work, implementation of the latest sales strategies.

The commercial director, whose duties are quite varied, is also responsible for building and effectively training the sales team.

Management of the sales department, selection of distribution channels, management of the dealer network.

Together with the marketing department, the commercial director is also required to develop assortment and variety programs that can increase the company's sales. The successful implementation of these policies and programs is also the responsibility of the commercial director.

Organization of logistics - packaging, warehouses, delivery and so on. Planning and forecasting future needs, as well as creating a structure for the efficient delivery of goods, searching for suppliers of warehouse and transport services.

The commercial director is responsible for smooth cooperation with suppliers, commercial purchases, selection of services and suppliers, as well as all coordination of supply issues. His duties also include participation in the development of the organization's budget for the financial year.

Personal qualities

A candidate for such a high position as a commercial director, whose duties include constant contact with people, must possess certain Namely:

Ability to interact with people, communication skills.

The qualities of an organizer and leader.

Strategic thinking.

High efficiency.

Ability to work with numbers and data

Mobility, the ability to make decisions quickly.

Responsibility, initiative, result-oriented.

High resistance to stressful situations.

Striving for self-development and growth.

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:

Best Article of the Month

Marshall Goldsmith, Forbes Best Business Coach, Reveals the Technique That Helped Ford, Walmart, and Pfizer Executives Climb career ladder. You can save a $5,000 consultation for free.

The article has a bonus: a sample instruction letter for employees that every manager should write to increase productivity.

• 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: on manufacturing plant 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 official 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 learning sales teams.
• 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 official 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:

1. determination of directions for the sale of the company's products and the provision of its services;
2. creation of strategic plans;
3. communication with partners-suppliers;
4. managing the activities of sales managers;
5. budgeting management in all divisions of the enterprise;
6. organization marketing activities;
7. 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.

1. 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.
2. 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 the maximum investment of effort, so that there is no time and energy left for marketing development: there is a lack necessary tools promotion of products, skills in their application, as well as a strategic vision of market development in the medium term.
3. 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 trade enterprises 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 search optimal strategies interactions with contractors. It is necessary to continuously engage in market analysis to select the most suitable conditions procurement.
4. 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. Usually in such cases 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's about 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 tolerance and loyalty. In addition, it is important to be able to find non-standard methods troubleshooting and defend your opinion with reason.

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 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 resolves issues of an economic, personnel, technological, political and other nature, being indispensable assistant company manager. We list here some of the main recommendations for its activities.

1. Become right hand the first person of the company. One of the main duties 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 become an indispensable adviser to the head of the company and earn high wages. 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.
2. 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 marketing strategy to be successful and bring good results, should include 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 correctly make forecasts and plans, extract maximum benefit from the current situation, skillfully manage risk.

The implementation strategy adjustment activity is an ongoing process aimed at competent use market influence in order to improve sales performance in 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?
• Over what personal tasks and the goals will be worked by specialists within the framework 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. It is not easy to train employees in the art of selling, but many managers believe that special trainings, where it is given 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 individual approach to each employee, using it 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 (in this paragraph 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 developmental features construction market and his 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 duties 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. The social package is added to this amount: expenses for the maintenance of official vehicles are reimbursed, mobile communications, 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 their motivation;
• 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 big business, the duties of the commercial director are performed by the 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 the psychology of consumers, 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 organizational structure enterprises; 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 towards fire safety and other circumstances that pose a threat to the life and health of employees;
• non-compliance labor discipline, as well as failure to take measures to ensure it within the working 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 depends on it. wages and the nature of recommendations from management.

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 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 companies.
• Achieving results according to current business plan enterprises. 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 the performance of 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, understand nothing about marketing and is not able to negotiate with important partner or a client.

However, managers overlook the fact that they do not work side by side with their boss and therefore cannot objectively evaluate him. professional quality. Therefore, it is extremely important to maintain the authority of the commercial director with subordinates on high level, confirming his competence with examples of successful sales or conclusion of 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 nip in the bud possible difficulties in the field of personnel management.

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 that will be especially valued 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 faithful assistant him in this process: it must be demonstrated in short time both employees and the sales manager.

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

4. Build a line of defense.

key point in solving problems in personnel management, there may be a closer relationship with the company's management, which means an expanded range of opportunities in solving 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. 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 has simply appropriated the result of a team activity, for example, new strategy sales, 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 top 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 customer, you need to effectively solve his problem by providing what is required, in 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.

How to define the functions of the commercial director of the company? What to write in a job description for a commercial director? What are his responsibilities? And what is beyond his competence? The answers to these questions may differ from company to company. Eat three main factors affecting the duties and powers of the commercial director:

• Company size: the larger the company, the more strategic tasks the commercial director faces;
• Clients of a b2b or b2c company, how easier product and the sales process, the less the commercial director is concerned with specific sales and more involved in system building and marketing;
• Availability of production- how less company creates itself and is more engaged in sales, the more functional the commercial director.

Of course, there are many more features of the company that affect functions and duties of the commercial director, such as: participation of the commercial director among the founders, family ties, high leadership qualities and the participation of the head of the commercial unit at the stage of the company's formation, but we will not be able to evaluate all of them. Let us dwell on those functions that are most often prescribed in job descriptions for the commercial director of a company.

Functional responsibilities of the Commercial Director:

1. Development of the commercial strategy of the enterprise.

Determine the positioning of the company price segment, long-term and short-term goals, plans and ways of fulfilling sales plans.

2. Organization of interaction between commercial and other blocks in the company.

All employees in the company are engaged in sales. Even the actions of the secretary and specialist will affect the success of sales technical support. The task of the commercial director is to ensure the actions of non-selling departments so that they help, and not interfere with sellers and sales managers.

3. Definition of sales channels.

Select the most promising channels. Define performance criteria. Protecting a business from having just one channel and constantly developing existing channels is one of the main functions that affects the stability of sales.

4. Formation of an algorithm for the operation of each sales channel.

In order for a sales channel to be effective, it is necessary to define the business processes by which sales are carried out in the channel. Prescribe these algorithms and fix them in the instructions. And most importantly: make sure that these algorithms work, and are not a pile that interferes with business, documentation.

5. Operational control of sales managers.

Even with a superbly designed strategy, victory depends on the actions of each soldier. The tactical task that determines the success of the entire strategy: how to ensure that outsiders do not interfere with the leaders to break the stars. And the solution, or rather not the solution of this problem, is the scourge of most companies in Russia.

6. Evaluation of the performance of the unit and the implementation of measures to improve results.

It is impossible to build an ideal sales system once and for all. It is important to measure results, innovate, measure again, adjust and do it constantly. Stopping equals death...

7. Connection to work with key clients.

The famous Pareto rule: 20 percent of customers bring 80 percent of income. It is these 20% that the commercial director should personally control, of course, depending on the size of the company, he will control from 1 to 50% of customers.

8. Organization of training for managers.

Building a training system for new and existing managers is the responsibility of the commercial director. Sometimes personal participation in the training of managers is also necessary.

9. Working with the company's suppliers.

In a trading organization, this is a sacred duty. In a manufacturing company, the production unit may also be involved in deliveries, but the commercial director must control this process, since the cost is important in the sale.

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 strategic planning of the company and the 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 - a promising and ongoing planning work of the company, ensuring the efficient use of its resources;

2. Together with the CEO and shareholders - developing a strategy to expand the portfolio trademarks, search for new opportunities for the development of 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 - the development of an assortment and pricing policy, various programs 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 small company of any profile, the functions of sales, purchasing 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 big 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. Advantages are possession of quantitative methods, free English language. 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. Including in the bonus calculator can be made additional terms: extension or update product line, sales growth in a certain segment or region, indicators of profitability of sales.