Average Sales Director Salary in South Africa for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Sales Director salary for 2024 in South Africa and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the South African rand. To keep things simple, we are using the ZAR currency code instead of the currency symbol R.

How Much Does a Sales Director Make in South Africa?

A Sales Director working in South Africa will typically earn around 663,100 ZAR per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 344,600 ZAR to the highest average salary of 1,014,700 ZAR.

Average Annual Salary
663,100 ZAR
Average Monthly Salary
55,258 ZAR

Lowest Annual Salary
344,600 ZAR
Lowest Monthly Salary
28,716 ZAR

Highest Annual Salary
1,014,700 ZAR
Highest Monthly Salary
84,558 ZAR

These are average salaries for a Sales Director in South Africa and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Sales Director to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Sales Director salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Sales Director Salaries in South Africa

So we've looked at the average salaries a Sales Director will earn in South Africa. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Sales Director can earn between 344,600 ZAR and 1,014,700 ZAR on average in South Africa. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Sales Director in South Africa is 638,700 ZAR. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 638,700 ZAR, and 50% of the population earn more than 638,700 ZAR.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Sales Director salary in South Africa, 25% of the population are earning less than 442,300 ZAR while 75% of the population earn more than 442,300 ZAR.

75% of the population earn less than 791,600 ZAR, and 25% of the population earn more than 791,600 ZAR.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Sales Director Salary by Experience Level in South Africa

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average sales director salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Sales Director in South Africa that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 392,300 ZAR.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Sales Director salary would increase to 525,700 ZAR.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Sales Director, the average salary would be 684,900 ZAR.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 828,400 ZAR.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Sales Director with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 904,700 ZAR.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Sales Director with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 953,200 ZAR.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
392,300 ZAR
2-5 Years +34%
525,700 ZAR
5-10 Years +30%
684,900 ZAR
10-15 Years +21%
828,400 ZAR
15-20 Years +9%
904,700 ZAR
20+ Years +5%
953,200 ZAR

Sales Director Salary by Education Level in South Africa

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Sales Director in South Africa based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Sales Director in South Africa with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 464,900 ZAR.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Sales Director in South Africa with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 707,700 ZAR.

  • Master's Degree. A Sales Director in South Africa with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 1,003,800 ZAR.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Certificate or Diploma
464,900 ZAR
Bachelor's Degree +52%
707,700 ZAR
Master's Degree +42%
1,003,800 ZAR

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in South Africa is around 156,000 to 467,000 ZAR and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Sales Director Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In South Africa, a male sales director will earn an average of 695,200 ZAR, while a female sales director will earn around 642,800 ZAR.

This means that a male sales director earns approximately 8% more than a female sales director for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in South Africa

Male
695,200 ZAR
Female -8%
642,800 ZAR

Sales Director Average Pay Raise in South Africa

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Sales Director in South Africa is around 13% every 19 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in South Africa is around 8% every 18 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 13 ÷ 19 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a Sales Director in South Africa can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in South Africa for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in South Africa.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
3%
Energy
6%
Information Technology
9%
Healthcare
3%
Travel
6%
Construction
9%
Education
3%

Sales Director Bonus and Incentive Rates in South Africa

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Sales Director is a high bonus based job, with 79% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

21% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 6% to 8%.

Received Bonus
79%
No Bonus
21%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in South Africa earn approximately 7% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
386,400 ZAR
Private Sector -7%
361,500 ZAR

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Sales Director

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Sales Director in South Africa.

Job Title Category Salary
Account Handler Marketing 312,400 ZAR
Affiliate Manager Marketing 421,400 ZAR
Analytics Specialist Marketing 317,700 ZAR
Assistant Brand Manager Marketing 428,400 ZAR
Assistant Product Manager Marketing 476,600 ZAR
Associate Marketing Manager Marketing 498,000 ZAR
Associate Product Manager Marketing 502,200 ZAR
Brand Ambassador Marketing 558,300 ZAR
Brand Director Marketing 761,400 ZAR
Brand Executive Marketing 672,600 ZAR
Brand Manager Marketing 625,000 ZAR
Business Analytics Specialist Marketing 312,400 ZAR
Business Channel Manager Marketing 437,900 ZAR
Business Intelligence Team Leader Marketing 436,200 ZAR
Campaign Specialist Marketing 411,400 ZAR
Chief Marketing Officer Marketing 680,100 ZAR
Chief Product Officer Marketing 650,700 ZAR
Communications Officer Marketing 207,800 ZAR
Content Manager Marketing 353,600 ZAR
Content Marketing Strategist Marketing 413,900 ZAR
Copy Editer Marketing 258,400 ZAR
Copy Writer Marketing 258,400 ZAR
Creative Marketing Lead Marketing 424,900 ZAR
Creative Writer Marketing 263,900 ZAR
Digital Marketer Marketing 398,300 ZAR
Digital Marketing Manager Marketing 537,300 ZAR
Digital Marketing Strategist Marketing 504,300 ZAR
Digital Media Specialist Marketing 455,400 ZAR
Director of Marketing Marketing 705,500 ZAR
Director of Research Marketing 514,300 ZAR
eMarketing Manager Marketing 574,200 ZAR
Event Marketing Marketing 510,000 ZAR
Head of Executive Search Marketing 598,600 ZAR
Key Affiliate Manager Marketing 524,300 ZAR
Localization Manager Marketing 464,400 ZAR
Market Development Executive Marketing 563,300 ZAR
Market Development Manager Marketing 541,700 ZAR
Market Research Analyst Marketing 442,300 ZAR
Market Research Manager Marketing 483,400 ZAR
Market Segmentation Director Marketing 504,500 ZAR
Marketing Account Supervisor Marketing 417,200 ZAR
Marketing Administrator Marketing 351,900 ZAR
Marketing Advisor Marketing 392,300 ZAR
Marketing Analyst Marketing 404,600 ZAR
Marketing and Communications Officer Marketing 249,600 ZAR
Marketing and Sales Head Marketing 717,900 ZAR
Marketing Assistant Marketing 221,500 ZAR
Marketing Associate Marketing 214,000 ZAR
Marketing Communications Manager Marketing 455,400 ZAR
Marketing Consultant Marketing 510,200 ZAR
Marketing Coordinator Marketing 225,300 ZAR
Marketing Director Marketing 681,500 ZAR
Marketing Distribution Executive Marketing 562,600 ZAR
Marketing Executive Marketing 548,500 ZAR
Marketing Manager Marketing 689,900 ZAR
Marketing Officer Marketing 239,300 ZAR
Marketing Segment Manager Marketing 516,100 ZAR
Marketing Specialist Marketing 332,100 ZAR
Marketing Supervisor Marketing 424,900 ZAR
Marketing Vice President Marketing 572,200 ZAR
Marketing Writer Marketing 267,100 ZAR
Online Marketing Analyst Marketing 382,600 ZAR
Online Marketing Manager Marketing 478,000 ZAR
Optimization Manager Marketing 459,700 ZAR
Outbound Sales Marketing 301,600 ZAR
Outreach Coordinator Marketing 301,800 ZAR
Outreach Specialist Marketing 388,100 ZAR
Product Development Marketing 480,600 ZAR
Product Manager Marketing 566,900 ZAR
Product Marketing Engineer Marketing 301,700 ZAR
Product Marketing Executive Marketing 520,900 ZAR
Product Marketing Manager Marketing 519,300 ZAR
Product Researcher Marketing 271,300 ZAR
Product Strategist Marketing 398,300 ZAR
Product Strategy Researcher Marketing 376,800 ZAR
Product Training Specialist Marketing 349,300 ZAR
Project Manager Marketing 401,300 ZAR
Publications Coordinator Marketing 245,300 ZAR
Research Executive Marketing 489,600 ZAR
Sales and Marketing Assistant Marketing 207,800 ZAR
Sales and Marketing Coordinator Marketing 233,900 ZAR
Sales and Marketing Director Marketing 702,800 ZAR
Sales Management Support Marketing 246,500 ZAR
Sales Manager Marketing 650,700 ZAR
Search Marketing Strategist Marketing 581,300 ZAR
Social Media Administrator Marketing 378,300 ZAR
Social Media Specialist Marketing 378,300 ZAR
Spaceman Analyst Marketing 207,700 ZAR
Sponsorship Consultant Marketing 366,200 ZAR
Team Leader Marketing 403,100 ZAR
Telemarketer Marketing 194,600 ZAR
Trade Marketing Executive Marketing 539,700 ZAR
Trade Marketing Manager Marketing 541,700 ZAR
Trade Marketing Professional Marketing 437,300 ZAR
Trade Marketing Specialist Marketing 314,500 ZAR
Web Analytics Manager Marketing 424,900 ZAR
Web Content Manager Marketing 420,100 ZAR

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in South Africa, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Bloemfontein 623,100 ZAR
Cape Town 733,067 ZAR
Durban 717,900 ZAR
Johannesburg 684,867 ZAR
Port Elizabeth 648,200 ZAR
Pretoria 688,933 ZAR

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