Exceptional Sales Directors/Managers are some of the hardest people to come by in the Agriculture industry. At any given moment, Ag 1 source is actively recruiting four to five Sales Directors in either regional or national markets.

While sales can be a highly demanding role – with managers often responsible for leading a Sales team of hundreds of employees – a Director of Sales can be one of the most rewarding jobs in agriculture with annual salaries that can easily eclipse $175K, depending on scope and total package!

Our client’s needs are very specific when it comes to the professionals they’re looking for (perhaps why sales is one of the highest paying jobs in Ag). Here are some top-line metrics you should be able to demonstrate to land one of these sought-after and lucrative roles.

Continued growth of the sales team must be a top priority

Sales Directors, whether in a national or regional market, are responsible for shepherding and directing their teams to grow revenue, profits, and overall effectiveness. Again, these teams could run anywhere from just a few direct reports to a large number of employees. Regardless of the size of the team, the same desire and ability to motivate and drive success is key in this role.

Teams with strong leaders can often drive corporate sales to the top 1% in their sector in any given year. This is why our clients are willing to offer highly competitive salaries for candidates who are proven leaders who are capable of growing their teams and incentivizing them towards creating new, innovative ways of not just driving sales but gaining access to new clients and markets.

Your competitive market insights and the value you provide

Agriculture markets are notoriously difficult to understand. Predicting the needs and moods of clients can sometimes be a science of intuition and savvy. And this is especially true for the Agriculture industry where clients are not easily won over by a heavy-handed approach to sales. Not to mention the weather and other uncontrollable factors that expert sales leaders need to understand how to navigate.

The more a Sales Director understands about their market and their ability to make meaningful and active connections with customers (with a high priority on CRM), the easier it’ll be to identify trends and find new opportunities for revenue and profit.

Our clients will want to discuss value in plain terms. Specifically, how much value you can provide to their customers. Because in sales, it all comes down to value. How you provide that value will be what ultimately differentiates you from other sales professionals.

Think of selling yourself in similar terms of selling a product. You can tell your customer the product is a bargain at its selling price. But without value, even a below-market price can seem too expensive. With a strong and clear value statement, even a product that is priced above market rates could be perceived as a bargain.

The ins-and-outs of territory planning

A successful Sales Director will need to demonstrate not just an ability to develop and expand their teams into new markets to sell new products, and sign great contracts, they’ll need to provide concrete examples of how they created success in their previous or current role to leverage territory details to target new customers. As an added differentiator, an ability to plan out the details of market expansion and prospective territory will serve as an essential data point in your earning potential – a highly useful bargaining point in what is already one of the highest-paid jobs in Agriculture.

To demonstrate proficiency in territory planning, a Sales Director should be able to:

• Create detailed sales plans for sales teams and individuals to execute toward a clear goal
• Construct a clear, data-driven argument during the sales process by using market-based insights to build effective presentations
• Deliver a flexible plan for growth that balances opportunity with risk
• Demonstrate the breadth of your domain knowledge including your understanding of promotions, what motivates clients, and an ability to quickly align sales strategy with new or developing products or services.

What are your go-to-market recommendations?

The sales environment can be kind of chaotic. While market conditions are in a constant state of flux, our clients could present you with a hypothetical sales opportunity in which they’ll want to know your go-to-market recommendations after an initial pre-qualification you give the customer.

There may not be one right or wrong way to respond here, but your response should be measured and demonstrate a high level of intuition for customer needs and market factors that can potentially accomplish more than just a single sale but by building a long-term partnership. 

In the past, our clients have been most impressed not by the Sales Directors who can do it all but who can appropriately delegate and empower their sales teams, essentially leveraging many hands to make light work.

Gain access to the highest paying jobs in Agriculture

You would think that salespeople would be natural at selling themselves and their track record. But when it comes to landing one of the highest paying jobs in agriculture, that is not always the case. You need an advocate on your side who can not only intuitively understand your needs and goals but who can match your personality and capabilities to the best corporation.

That’s what we do. 

At Ag 1 Source, we are Agriculture’s most trusted and reliable recruiters for executive and professional level talent nationwide. Contact us today, and gain access to the most lucrative careers with the most sought-after companies in Agriculture.