Commercial director skills. Commercial Director: responsibilities and functions

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 responsibilities of a commercial director involve managing marketing, sales, purchasing, and 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. There they simply recruit individual managers for various divisions, while the commercial director can be taken over by the manager.

It is worth noting that the commercial director reports directly to the head of the company. This position plays a crucial role in preparing as well as implementing strategies aimed at the development of the enterprise.

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

If 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 individual line directors, headed by the commercial director.

Responsibilities

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

    Together with shareholders and the general director - developing a work plan (current and long-term) for the organization, ensuring the effective use of all resources.

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

    Determining the company's trading policy based on market analysis and past sales performance, determining the geographical areas of the company's work, implementing the latest sales strategies.

    The commercial director, whose responsibilities are quite varied, is also responsible for creating and effectively training a sales team.

    Sales department management, selection of sales channels, dealer network management.

    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 also rests with 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 effective delivery of goods, searching for suppliers of warehouse and transport services.

    The commercial director is responsible for smooth cooperation with suppliers, for commercial procurement, selection of services and suppliers, as well as for all coordination of supply issues. His responsibilities 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 involve constant contact with people, must have certain things, namely:

    Ability to interact with people, communication skills.

    Qualities of an organizer and leader.

    Strategic thinking.

    High efficiency.

    Ability to work with numbers and other data,

    Mobility, ability to make decisions quickly.

    Responsibility, initiative, results orientation.

    High resistance to stressful situations.

    The desire for self-development and growth.

The responsibilities of a commercial director of a trading company, the responsibilities of a commercial director of a car dealership, the responsibilities of a commercial director of a construction company, as well as the responsibilities of a 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, the commercial director is a leader whose goal is to create a stable revenue stream. This common goal is realized through personnel management in the context of 5 main functions: activity planning, motivation, organization, control and training.

Job responsibilities of a commercial sales director: 3 steps in planning

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

1. Get into the numbers

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

First, set the projected profit figure based on internal and external factors. Then find the revenue by the percentage of profit in it. After this, using the average check, you can easily calculate the number of transactions that need to be closed in the planned period. The total determines the number of leads that need to be processed in order to reach the planned number of transactions. After this, intermediate conversion between stages will allow us 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 understand the psychological mood of the staff and, perhaps, correct it.

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 whether he has fallen into one of the two most common traps: “living in the past” or “living in the future.” Both will have a detrimental effect on sales. You can diagnose the condition of a subordinate using the following markers.

  1. Markers of “life in the past”
  • “People are no longer as interested in the service/product”
  • “My income was higher before”
  • “It’s no longer so easy to sell”
  1. Markers of “life in the future”
  • “The low season is about to end...”
  • “They’ll install CRM for us...”
  • “Here they will give me an assistant...”

3. Engage in employee goals.

Employees should have a tangible personal goal in mind. Your job is to identify it and show how it can be achieved simply by doing your job.

1. Identify the goal. Usually the list of everyday “standards” includes: buy an apartment, visit the Maldives / Bahamas / Seychelles (underline as appropriate), buy a car, save for children’s education, pay off debts, etc. If, despite all your efforts, you continue to observe a dull look and a certain lethargy on the seller’s face, then it is better to replace him altogether.

2. Making the goal achievable. At this stage, a tool for specifying and assessing goals such as SMART helps a lot. He passes the goal through criteria filters that will not allow you to stray from the intended path:

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

3. Once a specific goal has been 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, do not “let go” of the employee for more than a day. Constantly remind him of what he wants to get. The use of “new” marker phrases is very suitable for this. 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 taken into account that staff motivation 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 “complex” income for the seller: fixed salary (up to 30-40%) + soft salary for meeting indicators (10-20%) + bonuses (50-70%). Well, and, of course, don’t forget about marker phrases: “car!”, “apartment!”, “Maldives!”

The second level is “You”. Here, employees are motivated non-materially, by involving them in contests, competitions, or vice versa, team work and corporate events. As a result, the team becomes more and more united and friendly.

The third level is “Business”. So, it will not be possible 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 clients. Advanced training, encouragement of the most “cultured”, and a clear model of career growth are integral elements of this complex.

Functional responsibilities of a commercial director: 3 ways of organization

To keep employees on their toes, hold meetings. If you think this management tool is a waste of time, then you simply 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 as a general mailing to all employees.

Fifth, check with everyone about the results at the next meeting.

There are 3 types of meetings. And each has its own functionality.

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

What are the responsibilities of a commercial director: 4 types of control

The commercial director must organize a continuous process of training and professional development for 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 managerial education must be targeted and focused. How to do it?

1. Create a skill model - a document that describes a set of specific skills that are needed to make transactions specifically in your field.

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 salespeople using development sheets (routines), collect them in development folders, and then analyze the performance of clients using the “Traffic Light” system.

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

A commercial director must know:

  • The legislative framework regulating the processes of sales, procurement and marketing activities of the enterprise.
  • Fundamentals of transport, purchasing and warehouse logistics.
  • Document flow in the field of procurement, supply and sales.
  • Structure and prospects of the domestic and foreign markets.
  • State standards for products manufactured by the enterprise.
  • Fundamentals of labor protection standards and labor discipline.
  • Fundamentals of labor and administrative law.

Training program for the position of commercial director If a person does not have experience in sales, but he has the desire and inclination to work in this area, he can take a training course.

Job responsibilities of the commercial director

Attention

Such a specialist, making informed decisions, will be able to guide and train his subordinates and employees of related departments, leading them in the direction necessary for the company. A candidate for this vacancy must have and understand the company’s own goals and objectives, among which the main one is regular profit making. A person must have a high level of responsibility and breadth of thinking, because his position is associated with coordinating the work of all leading departments and controlling the flow of cash receipts.


And, of course, this specialist simply cannot be not proactive, not communicative, irresponsible and not purposeful. Responsibility for the finances and economics of a trading company In many organizations, the responsibilities of the commercial director of an enterprise overlap with the functions of the financial director.

Commercial Director

Requirements for a commercial director Since it is necessary to manage almost the entire enterprise, the requirements for a commercial director are serious:

  • higher economic, financial (less often technical) education;
  • Experience in management positions - from 3 years;
  • HR management experience - from 3 years;
  • Experience in building and managing a sales department;
  • solid knowledge of advertising and marketing;
  • strong leadership and communication skills;
  • experience in negotiations and sales;

Also often welcomed:

  • experience in the chosen field (for example, a construction company encourages experience in construction);
  • knowledge of English;
  • experience in automating business processes (most often sales);

Sample resume for commercial director Sample resume.

Commercial director: responsibilities, requirements and personal qualities

The commercial director is guided in his activities by: - ​​legislative acts of the Russian Federation; - the organization's Charter, internal labor regulations, other regulations of the company; - orders and directives of management; - this job description. 2. Job responsibilities of the commercial director The commercial director performs the following job responsibilities: 2.1. Organizes management of the material and technical supply of the enterprise, activities for storage, transportation and marketing of products (sale of goods, provision of services).2.2.
Coordinates the development and preparation of long-term and current plans for logistics and sales of products (sale of goods, provision of services), financial plans.2.3.

Job description of commercial director

Info

Protecting the business from having only 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. For a sales channel to be effective, it is necessary to determine the business processes through which sales occur in the channel.

Write down these algorithms and consolidate them in the instructions. And the most important thing: make sure that these algorithms work and are not a pile of documentation that interferes with business. 5. Operational control of sales managers. Even with a perfectly designed strategy, victory depends on the actions of each soldier.

A tactical task that determines the success of the entire strategy: how to ensure that outsiders do not interfere with the leaders’ ability to pick stars. And the solution, or rather not the solution to this problem, is the scourge of most companies in Russia. 6.
Typically, the following requirements are imposed on a candidate for the position of commercial director: the ability for three-dimensional, spatial thinking, a logical and analytical mind, adequacy, rationality, the ability to identify and identify problems and prioritize their solutions, consistency and focus, high efficiency and communication skills, the presence of a higher economic education and at least three years of work experience in management positions. INSTRUCTIONS OF THE COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR I. General provisions 1. The commercial director belongs to the category of managers.
2. A person with a higher professional (economics, legal) education and at least 3 years of experience in management positions is appointed to the position of commercial director. 3. The commercial director must know: 3.1.

Profession commercial director

At the same time, a significant addition to it is the compensation package: payment for a company car (or gasoline), communications, medical insurance, payment for recreation, sports, etc. Where to get training In addition to higher education, there are a number of short-term training on the market, usually lasting from a week to a year. Interregional Academy of Construction and Industrial Complex and its courses in the direction of “Entrepreneurship and innovative business development”.

Important

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Responsibilities of the commercial director, his role in the organization and main tasks

Represent the interests of the enterprise in relations with government agencies, third-party organizations and institutions on commercial issues. 2. Establish job responsibilities for subordinate employees. 3. Request from the structural divisions of the enterprise information and documents necessary to fulfill his official duties.


4. Participate in the preparation of draft orders, instructions, directions, as well as estimates, contracts and other documents related to resolving commercial issues. 5. Interact with the heads of all structural divisions on issues of financial and economic activity of the enterprise. 6. Endorse all documents related to the financial and economic activities of the enterprise (plans, forecast balances, reports, etc.).
7.

Responsibilities of a commercial director of a trading company

The main task of this employee in this case is to promote the brand and products of the enterprise on the market in order to make a profit. To achieve these goals, work is organized in several directions:

  • determination and construction of marketing policy;
  • control over accounts receivable;
  • formation of procurement and sales plans, supervision of their implementation;
  • selection and training of a sales team;
  • creation of a motivation system and certification of managers;
  • sales process inspection;
  • monitoring customer requests.

The responsibilities of the commercial director of a trading company additionally include planning and managing assortment policy, knowledge of logistics and the basics of product distribution, interaction with key clients that are important for the enterprise, and participation in negotiations that are important for the organization.

Manages the development of measures to save resources, improve inventory rationing, improve economic indicators, increase the efficiency of the enterprise, and strengthen financial discipline. 6. Coordinates the development of a marketing strategy. 7. Provides recommendations and advice to managers and specialists in financial planning, marketing, sales; controls their work.

Ensures the timely preparation of financial estimates and other documents, calculations, reports on the implementation of logistics plans, sales of finished products (sale of goods), and financial activities. 9. Endorses the enterprise budget for the operating year and manages it. 10. Organizes a system for recording all financial transactions and preparing financial reporting documentation.

11.
Let us dwell on those functions that are most often prescribed in job descriptions for the commercial director of a company. 1. Development of a commercial strategy for the enterprise. The company's positioning, price segment, long-term and short-term goals, plans and ways to implement sales plans are determined. 2. Organization of interaction between commercial and other units in the company.


All employees are involved in sales in the company. Even the actions of the secretary and technical support specialist will influence the success of sales. The task of the commercial director is to ensure the actions of non-selling departments so that they help, and do not hinder, sellers and sales managers. 3. Determination of sales channels. Select the most promising channels.
Define performance criteria.

A commercial director may have different areas of activity depending on the company’s industry, 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 sales and logistics channels, controls budgeting in this area, and also 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, since he plays one of the key roles in the management of the company. In organizing training for salespeople, the commercial director collaborates with the HR director. In determining the sales strategy, pricing policy and other issues, the commercial director collaborates with the financial director.

Functionality of the profession

1. Together with the general director and shareholders - long-term and current planning of the company’s work, ensuring the effective 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. Determining the company’s trade policy, taking into account market research and past sales indicators, 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 fulfilling the sales plan;

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

8. Together with the marketing department - development of assortment and pricing policies, various programs to increase sales (trade marketing: special promotions, including 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 future needs, creating the necessary structure for the delivery of goods, as well as finding new suppliers of transport and warehouse 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 of their implementation;

11. The commercial director is also responsible for commercial procurement, 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 the functional responsibilities of the commercial director partially include marketing. Thus, in a small company of any profile, the functions of sales, purchasing and marketing can be the responsibility of one specialist. The number of departments subordinate 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 publication Executive.ru. In a large company, the three above areas are supervised by line directors who report to the commercial director.

Candidate requirements: competencies

Experience working effectively in the industry. Experience in effective sales work. Higher education, preference in economics or business. Advantages include knowledge of quantitative methods and fluent English. An MBA is also an added advantage.

A commercial director must constantly work to improve his skills. Regularly attending various types of training and seminars in your field will be a definite plus.

Candidate requirements: personal qualities

Responsibility and result orientation, excellent negotiation skills, communication skills, ability to manage a team, thoroughness, structure and consistency in work, leadership qualities, ability to make decisions in non-standard situations, ability to generate new ideas, strategic thinking, entrepreneurship, stress resistance, high performance .

Compensation level

Range from $5 thousand to $15 thousand per month depending on the size of the company and its location. The bonus for 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 implementation of the sales plan. Additional conditions may be included in the bonus calculator: expansion or updating of the product line, sales growth in a certain segment or region, return on sales indicators.

  • How the concept of “commercial director” has evolved.
  • Job responsibilities and functions of the commercial director.
  • Which companies do not need a commercial director?
  • In what cases is it advisable to rename a commercial director to sales director?
  • At what enterprises can the commercial director be responsible for purchasing?

Commercial Director deals with areas of activity related to supply issues, economic and financial activities and sales of the company.

The term “commerce” became fundamental for the people who were the first in Russia to work as commercial directors. After all, many areas of the domestic economy in the 90s were based on resales. Therefore, the entire business was based on commerce - to purchase on more favorable terms and then sell at a higher price. These tasks were assigned to both ordinary shuttle workers and entire companies that today managed to reach millions in turnover.

At that time, many companies did not even have the positions of sales director or purchasing director, and the term “marketing” was known only to a few. The commercial director was assigned a second role after the general director, who was usually a shareholder or owner of the business.

CEO speaks

Ilya Mazin, General Director of Office Premier CJSC, ErichKrause group of companies, Moscow

Often people in the position of commercial director grow into successful owners and managers of enterprises. Such career progression is much less common among financial or administrative directors. Commercial directors in 80% of cases are specialists with experience in sales departments, as managers or executives responsible for VIP areas. Sometimes specialists who leave purchasing departments also become commercial directors.

The commercial director is assigned job responsibilities in several areas of activity simultaneously. Therefore, he has sufficient skills to move to a higher position. Therefore, in the position of commercial director, a person gains quite valuable and important experience, mastering the necessary skills and forming useful connections for future work.

As all business and markets became more civilized, separate tasks began to be separated from commercial activities - including the functions of marketing, purchasing and sales. Therefore, the role of commercial directors in the work of companies has undergone certain changes.

KPI for commercial director: calculation examples

The editors of our magazine used examples to figure out for what indicators and in what amount the commander should be rewarded.

Job responsibilities and functions of the commercial director

The area of ​​responsibility of any commercial directors includes a number of basic functions:

  1. Determines distribution channels for goods and services.
  2. Strategic planning of the company.
  3. Work with providers.
  4. Regulating the work of the sales department.
  5. Control of budgeting in all components of the company.
  6. Coordination of company marketing.
  7. Reducing business costs.

Some companies' interpretation of the position of commercial director may differ. Let's look at this issue in more detail using practical examples.

Commercial Director = Head of Sales Department

In this case, on commercial director assigned a minimum set of functions. He will only be responsible for the sales of his company. A more appropriate job title in this situation would not be Commercial Director, and sales director. To prevent a person from feeling demoted, you can rename a position during a change in leadership in that position.

Expert opinion

Andrey Milyaev, commercial director of the Hosser group of companies, St. Petersburg

In our company, the commercial director will manage two sales departments - complex telecommunications projects and engineering equipment. We are currently engaged in the reorganization and restructuring of our company’s business processes. The purpose of such transformations is to increase the efficiency of our interaction with the market, and internal interaction within the company itself - between departments that are responsible for the areas of logistics, sales and production. It is important that management in the company is ensured from one point - for a unified policy of working with the market. In the future, when business processes have been formed, it is necessary to select workers from the existing sales department employees who will become the heads of these departments.

Commercial Director = Sales Director + Marketing Director

This option corresponds to the position of director of marketing and sales, which has become common in Western practice. The marketing director and commercial director in one person need the ability to perfectly navigate market trends, taking into account the specifics of the work of competing companies, customer preferences and expectations. But managing sales in the market often requires maximum efficiency, which is why marketing itself fades into the background. As a result Commercial Director may not have enough time for the marketing field. Consequently, there may be a lack of necessary marketing tools, as well as the skills to use them in practice, and a strategic view of the medium-term perspective of market development.

  • Material motivation of personnel. Advice from the General Director

Commercial Director = Director of Sales + Director of Marketing + Head of Purchasing

The combination of marketing, sales and purchasing in one hand provides a set of important advantages when choosing the most popular product at the moment, also with an understanding of the consumer qualities of the product (quite important when choosing products). This option becomes especially relevant, first of all, for intermediary and trading companies. But it should be used quite carefully if the company does not cooperate with regular suppliers, and therefore it is necessary to regularly analyze the competitive market to find the most suitable purchasing conditions. In such conditions, the likelihood increases that while striving to fulfill the sales plan, the manager will not have the opportunity to pay due attention to finding the best options for working with his supplier.

Expert opinion

Yulia Koroleva, Commercial Director of CJSC National Distribution Company, Moscow

The main principle of our organizational structure is efficiency of decision-making and mobility. Therefore, the entire sales block (including purchasing, marketing and sales) is united, and these functions are assigned to the commercial department. The tasks of the commercial director include not only control, but also the work itself with clients, concluding agreements on the supply of goods with large manufacturers, and monitoring price trends in their market. This organization of work allows us to have reliable information without distortion. For example, it can be distorted within companies in which these areas of activity are assigned to different departments (inconsistency of actions is possible). Thanks to the organizational principle, our company ensures operational management of its business processes while reducing costs.

Commercial Director = General Director

A similar option is possible when the General Director is not formally ready to transfer his functions as the head of the company, but is not actually involved in operational management. Consequently, his tasks are assigned to his “right hand” - the first deputy, the executive director, and in companies in which priority is given to commercial activities, these functions are assigned to the commercial director. Personally, I am against such a combination of functions. The General Director needs to distribute resources across all areas of activity. And when conflicts arise (for example, between financial and commercial departments), the general director must become an independent arbitrator. When managerial functions are assigned to the commercial director, there is a danger that these processes will be transferred to the benefit of commercial departments.

Expert opinion

Dmitry Grishin, commercial director of the Aqua Star company, Moscow

I work as a commercial director, but in fact I am entrusted with the functions of a general director. Because the owner of our company, with his ambitious plans to conquer new directions (not related to our main field of activity), strives to achieve complete control of the company’s activities, but at the same time retain enough time to work on new projects. Consequently, some problems arise - important company decisions take too long to be made.

Through joint efforts, we managed to get away from total control (over every penny spent); certain issues were highlighted that could affect the company’s work - functional characteristics of equipment, logistics, financial factors related to loans and their repayment. I resolve these issues jointly with our general director. At the same time, all issues remain under the control of the General Director.

Consequently, the company really remains under the control of the CEO, but at the same time he has more free time.

Dmitry Kurov, commercial director of ISG, Moscow

From personal experience, I can say that a commercial director can achieve effective work provided that he is “balanced” by the financial director. Because otherwise, the commercial director's job responsibilities may be largely focused on commerce, thereby missing out on operational efficiency issues.

In most cases, the reason for misunderstanding between the general and commercial director is their solution of problems at different levels. I had to work when the general director set the vector of activity that impeded commercial development from the position of commercial director. In reality, what was more important was the company's share price, which was influenced by many factors.

What companies don't need a commercial director?

Companies in which selling services or products is not particularly difficult do not need a commercial director. Basically, these are companies that occupy a position in the market that is close to a monopoly (taking into account their location, the specifics of their products or other factors). The role of the commercial factor is low in companies that offer individual or exclusive developments. Such companies can work in any industry - from the development of highly specialized, professional software to complex engineering products. In this segment, greater importance is given to representatives of the creative or production department; their role is limited to the display and presentation of developed products. Often salespeople are managed by one of the top managers, so the commercial director is not particularly relevant.

CEO speaks

Ilya Mazin, General Director of the Office Premier holding, ErichKrause group of companies, Moscow

The need for a commercial director arises when a company has to connect two factors - obtaining favorable terms of supply and sales. If one of these functions is absent or decentralized, then there is no need to appoint a commercial director.

Also, very large or very small companies do not need a commercial director. After all, small companies simply cannot afford the costs of managers. As a rule, in this case the commercial director is replaced directly by the owner of the company.

If a company has several founders, then they usually distribute areas of management among themselves. One of them takes upon himself the block of earning money, the second is entrusted with the administrative and economic complex, etc.

In the case of large businesses, the tasks of the commercial director are often distributed among the heads of areas.

But in the work of medium-sized companies, the commercial director becomes a key figure - a top manager, on whom the profitable part of the business directly depends.