in short
According to Apec, a sales director in France earns a median of €85,000 gross a year, base and bonus included, and 80% of sales directors earn between €55,000 and €138,000. Age drives this figure the most: €61,000 under 35, against €90,000 over 45.
what is the median salary for a sales director in France?
Apec gives the role its own family, sales director roles, whose only listed role is sales director. Median pay there is €85,000 gross a year, base and bonus included, against €55,000 for all executives. Regional sales directors, by contrast, are grouped with sales managers in a separate, lower-paid family.
€85,000
median gross annual pay (base and bonus); 80% of sales directors earn between €55,000 and €138,000
77%
have a bonus, with a median of €15,000 a year (50% for all executives)
does pay rise with experience?
Yes, sharply: €29,000 of median pay separates a sales director under 35 from one over 45. The biggest jump comes between the first two age brackets, from €61,000 to €81,000.
| age | 1st decile | median | 9th decile |
|---|---|---|---|
| under 35 | €42,000 | €61,000 | €85,000 |
| 35 to 45 | €57,000 | €81,000 | €138,000 |
| over 45 | €57,000 | €90,000 | €139,000 |
does managing a team or a budget change the salary?
| responsibility | with | without |
|---|---|---|
| managing a team | €89,000 | €78,000 |
| managing a budget | €90,000 | €80,000 |
Managing a team adds €11,000 to the median, managing a budget €10,000. In the brief, put numbers on the real scope: how many managers, the revenue carried, the sales budget to allocate.
do location and company size change the salary?
Less than age or management scope. A large company pays a sales director €9,000 more than an SME in median terms; the gap between the Paris region and the rest of France is only €4,000, one of the smallest across our salary guides.
| category | median |
|---|---|
| Paris region (Île-de-France) | €87,000 |
| rest of France | €83,000 |
| under 250 staff | €81,000 |
| 250 staff or more | €90,000 |
sales director or sales manager: how big is the pay gap?
Around €21,000 in median pay. According to Apec, sales management executives (sales manager, regional sales manager or director, profit centre director) earn a median of €64,000 gross a year, with 80% between €42,000 and €100,000, against €85,000 for sales directors. Their bonus is smaller too: a median of €10,000, against €15,000.
To hire your sales director, see our sales director recruitment agency page. To hire someone to run a team already in place, see our sales manager recruitment page; to build a sales function after a funding round, our head of sales recruitment page.
what does a sales director do, and what profile is expected?
A sales director sets the company's sales strategy, sets targets by team or region, hires and manages the sales managers, and reports to the executive team. It is a role running an already-structured organisation, distinct from a head of sales, who often builds the sales function for the first time after a funding round.
- proven experience managing managers, not just a team of sales reps
- the ability to build a reliable forecast and defend it to the executive team
- a good command of sales management tools (CRM, forecasting, account segmentation)
- depending on the company, a regional or international scope to run
what drives a sales director's salary the most?
- Experience: the biggest gap, from a €61,000 median under 35 to €90,000 over 45.
- Managing a team: €89,000 with line-management responsibility, against €78,000 without.
- Company size: €90,000 at 250 staff or more, against €81,000 below that threshold.
- Region: the smallest gap, €87,000 in the Paris region against €83,000 in the rest of France.
A senior sales leadership role is often filled through direct approach rather than open applications: our guide headhunter or recruitment agency explains why.
frequently asked questions
Sales director, sales manager, head of sales: who does what?
A sales director sets the sales strategy of an established company and leads other managers. A sales manager runs a team within a defined scope. A head of sales builds the function from scratch, often at a start-up that has just raised funds.
What salary for a sales director under 35?
According to Apec, sales directors under 35 earn a median of €61,000 gross a year, and 80% of them between €42,000 and €85,000 (2025 edition).
Does a sales director earn more at a large company?
Yes. According to Apec, the median reaches €90,000 at a company with 250 staff or more, against €81,000 below that threshold (2025 edition).
What is a sales director's bonus?
According to Apec, 77% of sales directors have a bonus, with a median of €15,000 a year (2025 edition), against 50% of all executives.
How much does hiring a sales director with Muzzo cost?
You set the fee yourself, between 5 and 30% of annual pay, paid only when you hire. The detail is in our guide [how much does a recruitment agency cost](/guides/combien-coute-un-cabinet-de-recrutement).