Is your sales director cover letter limping behind your resume? As a person responsible for closing deals and overseeing whole departments, you know the power a persuasive sales pitch holds. And that's exactly what a cover letter is! We've prepared this guide, packed with the best cover letter templates, examples, useful tips and samples, to make the process of cover letter writing as easy as can be. So, let's begin!
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In this guide, we talk about all the key elements that any good sales director cover letter requires. Continue reading to learn all about:
- Achieving structure with your sales director cover letter header and headline
- Personalizing your sales director cover letter to impress employers
- Crafting an excellent cover letter introduction as a sales director
- Conveying your best qualifications as a sales director
- Concluding your sales director cover letter persuasively
- Accessing top resourcees for job-seeking sales directors
1. How to properly format your sales director cover letter header and headline
When you write a resume, the document automatically has a defined structure thanks to the different sections the information is divided into.
By contrast, a cover letter doesn’t have an inherent structure, making it easy for it to become one large wall of text if you’re not mindful of its appearance. Thus, before you even begin writing the body text of your letter, you should first focus on giving it structure and visual appeal.
This is accomplished through the application of a cover letter header and a cover letter headline.
The header will always come first, containing key information about who you are, what your professional background is, and how you can be contacted.
Additionally, a header should include identifying information about the employer as well, such as the company name and address.
Here is an example of a visually appealing sales director cover letter header
Jane Smith, Sales Director
(123) 456-7890 | janesmith@email.com | linkedin.com/in/jane-smith
To: Jones & Jones Sales Solutions
1234 Street Address
Chattanooga, TN 37405
The next key structural element to include in your cover letter is the headline. Headlines are essentially title statements that preview the most important or interesting information found within a cover letter.
To write a cover letter headline, always include a few relevant keywords, as well as powerful adjectives and verbs that help to hook the employer’s attention.
Here is an example of a well-written headline from a sales director's cover letter
3 Skills that Make Me a Talented Sales Director & the Perfect Addition to Your Team
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2. How to personalize your sales director cover letter to impress employers
Let’s face it — employers read tens if not hundreds of cover letters when going through the hiring process. As a result, each cover letter can bleed into the next, making it hard to differentiate between different applicants.
To make your cover letter truly impressive and stand out to employers, you must personalize it as much as possible. The personalization process is done by first researching the company or employer thoroughly and then including that information throughout your letter.
For example, let’s say you discover that an employer values productivity the most in its employees. To reference this, you may choose to describe productivity as one of your top skills and explain how you can help boost the productivity of the employer’s entire sales department.
In addition to referencing these personalized details throughout your cover letter, you should also employ a personalized greeting that addresses a specific person by name, such as a hiring manager.
Here are 3 examples of personalized cover letter greetings
- Dear Hiring Manager Joe King,
- Dear Mr. Joe King,
- Dear Manager Joe King & the Sales Department Team,
3. How to craft an excellent cover letter introduction as a sales director
As a sales director, you know how crucial a strong sales pitch is when attracting new clients.
This is how you should view your cover letter introduction — as a sales pitch in which the product is your professional skills. Your goal is to convey to employers why you’re the right fit for the job, compelling them to continue reading to learn more about you.
A strong cover letter introduction will often include:
- A summary of your professional history and experience
- An overview of your professional specializations that make you a stand-out candidate
- A mutual acquaintance that can serve as a professional reference (if you do not have a mutual acquaintance with the employer, you can gain one by expanding your professional network and connecting with relevant professionals on LinkedIn and other platforms)
Here is an example to help demonstrate how to write a sales director cover letter introduction
Dear Hiring Manager Joe King,
As an experienced sales director with 8+ years working in the aerospace industry, I know I can provide your company with the sales leadership needed to thrive. My former coworker, Ms. Kate Yates, is now one of your many talented sales managers and alerted me to this opening at your company. I have chosen to apply due to my high-level skill set being a perfect match for the professional needs you have expressed in the job posting for this position.
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4. How to convey your best qualifications as a sales director
Now that you have the employer’s attention hooked following your sales pitch introduction, you can begin offering greater details regarding your top qualifications as a sales director.
The most important qualifications to focus on are your relevant skills and the accomplishments you’ve achieved because of these skills.
As you describe these, make sure the information you include is highly relevant, concise, and quantifiable (when possible). Remember that your main purpose now is to convey the professional value you have to offer to an employer.
Here are 6 skills to describe in a sales director cover letter
- Managing sales teams
- Creating sales budgets
- Drafting sales reports
- Meeting sales targets
- Communicating with clients
- Leadership (describe your exact leadership style)
Here is an example of how to describe an accomplishment in a sales director cover letter
As the sales director for [Former Employer], I led my team to many great victories by efficiently delegating sales tasks and providing necessary support for each team member. After my team flourished under my leadership, our department was able to exceed quarterly sales targets by nearly 150% on average.
5. How to conclude your sales director cover letter persuasively
It’s time to celebrate — you’ve made it to the end of your cover letter!
Although you’re almost finished writing, you must ensure your conclusion is just as effective as the rest of your cover letter. To do this, you must make it persuasive by encouraging the employer to contact you at their earliest convenience and reiterating your excitement for the position.
Here is an example of a persuasive sales director cover letter conclusion
I am eager to get to know you and your team better and discover how my skills may best benefit you and your clients. Please contact me at your earliest opportunity at (123) 456-7890. The best times to reach me are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. I hope to hear from you soon and look forward to speaking with you directly.
Yours Truly,
[Applicant Name]
If you’ve ever wondered how a cover letter differs from a resume, this article will tell you everything about the key differences between the two.
6. Top resources for job-seeking sales directors
Now that you have both your resume and cover letter ready, there's one more thing left to do in order to land the job you want — finding the right job posting! But that's easier said than done. If you're unsure about where to look for suitable work opportunities, try going through the following list of resources:
- Industry-specific job boards: You can begin your job search with websites that cater specifically to your industry like SalesGravy, TheLadders, or SalesJobs.
- Online job search engines: Another avenue worth exploring is to look at websites that aggregate a broad variety of postings like Indeed, Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter, or SimplyHired
- LinkedIn: This platform isn’t only great for finding job postings, but also for connecting with potential employers.
- Professional associations: Associations like The Institute of Sales Management (ISM), the National Association of Sales Professionals (NASP), or the American Association of Inside Sales Professionals (AA-ISP) can offer you much more than just job postings. They're also a great source of networking opportunities, training programmes, industry publications, and the latest news.
- Specialized publications: If you want to keep up-to-date with the latest industry trends, news, strategies, or other developments, it could be beneficial to follow media like “Selling Power,” “Sales and Marketing Management (SMM),” or “Sales Leadership Roundtable (By CEB, now Gartner).”
- Continuous learning: To stay on top of your game, you have to keep on gaining new skills. Platforms like Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, edX offer a wide selection of courses and certifications. All you need to do is pick.
The process of job search is more like a marathon than a sprint, So don't exhaust yourself at its very beginning. Remember to check job boards regularly for new postings, use every opportunity you get to network, look for opportunities to upskill. And, remember to custom tailor every single cover letter you send. Good luck!
Sales Director Cover Letter FAQ
What should I avoid mentioning in my sales director cover letter?
Never ever speak ill of your previous employer! Even if you have plenty of reasons to. It's one of the most, if not the most unprofessional thing you could possibly do. The focus of your cover letter should be on your skills, achievements, and eagerness for the new role. Additionally, avoid any unnecessary personal details that aren’t relevant to the job.
How personally should I write my cover letter?
While the tone of your cover letter should stay professional, it doesn't have to be overly formal. Injecting your own personality can help the hiring manager get a sense of who you are, just remember to stay focused on the job and what you can offer. Also, don't try to be funny! Sense of humour isn't universal, and you can never know who's going to be the recipient of your cover letter.
What are some common mistakes to avoid in a sales director cover letter?
Aside from the basic errors of poor grammar and spelling, avoid being vague. To drive home your achievements from previous jobs, use quantifiers where possible. For example: "Significant sales growth" is far less effective than "Increased sales by 25% over 12 months". Also, remember each cover letter should be tailored to the specific job.
Should I mention salary expectations in my cover letter?
Unless explicitly asked in the job posting, it's generally not recommended to write about your salary expectations in your cover letter. Salary discussions are usually more appropriate during later stages of the interview process. Otherwise you could cause quite the faux pas. The best thing you can do is follow the recruiter’s instructions. Talk about salary expectations only when asked about it directly.
How do I address a gap in employment in my cover letter?
In case you have a gap anywhere in your employment, it's a good idea to briefly address it in your cover letter. The recruiters are going to find out anyway. So take the narrative into your own hands. The key is to focus on how you used that time to better yourself professionally, through courses, volunteering, or other relevant activities. In other words, frame it in a positive way.
