Vice President of Sales

Career Guide
A Vice President of Sales leads an organization’s sales strategy and sales teams to hit revenue goals. This role balances executive planning with hands-on leadership, including setting targets, improving sales processes, developing managers, and partnering with marketing, product, finance, and customer success.

Key Responsibilities

  • Set sales strategy and revenue targets aligned to company goals
  • Lead and develop sales leaders and sales managers
  • Build and scale sales teams, including hiring and onboarding
  • Own sales forecasting and pipeline health reviews
  • Improve sales process, sales playbooks, and deal quality standards
  • Drive key deals and support high-stakes negotiations
  • Define performance metrics and manage accountability to results
  • Partner with marketing on lead quality and market positioning
  • Partner with product on customer feedback and product readiness
  • Manage sales budgets, territories, and compensation plans

Top Skills for Success

Executive Communication
People Leadership
Coaching
Strategic Planning
Negotiation
Revenue Forecasting
Pipeline Management
Sales Process Design
Territory Planning
Compensation Planning
Customer Relationship Management Systems
Go To Market Strategy

Career Progression

Can Lead To
Senior Director of Sales
Head of Sales
Chief Revenue Officer
General Manager
Chief Executive Officer
Transition Opportunities
Vice President of Revenue Operations
Vice President of Customer Success
Vice President of Partnerships
Vice President of Business Development
Operating Partner

Common Skill Gaps

Often Missing Skills
Forecast Accuracy ManagementSales Team ScalingSales Manager DevelopmentCompensation Plan DesignCross Functional LeadershipEnterprise Deal StrategySales Enablement
Development SuggestionsStrengthen forecasting discipline through consistent pipeline reviews and clear stage definitions. Build a repeatable manager coaching cadence. Review compensation plans for clarity and alignment to priority outcomes. Partner closely with marketing and finance to improve lead quality and forecast reliability.

Salary & Demand

Median Salary Range
Entry LevelUSD 170,000 to 230,000 base
Mid LevelUSD 230,000 to 320,000 base
Senior LevelUSD 320,000 to 450,000 base
Growth Trend
Demand remains steady, with stronger hiring in software, business services, cybersecurity, and healthcare. Companies are placing more emphasis on predictable forecasting, efficient growth, and leader experience scaling teams.

Companies Hiring

Major Employers
SalesforceMicrosoftAmazon Web ServicesGoogle CloudOracleServiceNowSAPHubSpotWorkdayADP
Industry Sectors
SoftwareCloud ServicesCybersecurityBusiness ServicesFinancial ServicesHealthcare TechnologyManufacturingTelecommunicationsProfessional ServicesConsumer Goods

Recommended Next Steps

1
Document a clear sales operating rhythm for pipeline, forecasting, and performance reviews
2
Audit sales process stages and tighten exit criteria for each stage
3
Create a manager coaching program with weekly expectations and measurable outcomes
4
Refresh territory design and account coverage based on market potential and capacity
5
Review compensation plans to ensure they reward the behaviors that drive revenue quality
6
Build an executive dashboard with a small set of trusted metrics
7
Collect customer and win loss insights and turn them into sales playbook updates