Head of Sales
The Head of Sales in high-risk verticals owns revenue and partner sales. They build the sales function, set targets, establish channels for acquiring B2B clients, and manage their growth.
What a Head of Sales does
The Head of Sales is the leader accountable for commercial results: how much money the company earns from selling its products, licenses, platforms, advertising placements, or partnership terms. In high-risk verticals such as betting and gambling, sales often means B2B: deals with affiliates, media buyers, white-label partners, game content suppliers, payment partners, and large operators that need an integration rather than a one-off purchase.
The role becomes necessary when sales can no longer depend on the founder or a few strong managers. The Head of Sales designs the funnel, sets quotas and compensation plans, hires and retains managers, agrees deal terms (revenue share, CPA, hybrid models) with finance and risk, and owns the forecast. They typically report to the CEO or Chief Commercial Officer and manage sales managers, KAMs, and SDRs, sometimes working directly with team leads.
Within the company, the Head of Sales sits at the intersection of sales, product, finance, and compliance. Deal terms must be checked for permissibility in each jurisdiction, and the product must meet regulatory requirements for advertising and partners.
Responsibilities
- Set the sales strategy and quarterly revenue plan, breaking it down into quotas by team and channel
- Build and maintain the B2B deal pipeline, from lead generation and first contact through contract signing and integration launch
- Hire, onboard, and develop sales managers, KAMs, and SDRs; run performance reviews and regular one-on-ones
- Agree commercial deal terms (revenue share, CPA, hybrid models, minimum guarantees) with finance and legal
- Manage large and strategic accounts personally or distribute them among KAMs and monitor their health
- Build the sales forecast and take responsibility for its accuracy in front of the CEO and board
- Work with product and partner management, passing client feedback into the roadmap
- Coordinate partner and client due diligence with risk and compliance: KYC, AML, and geo and vertical eligibility
- Configure CRM processes and deal reporting, and close gaps between marketing and sales
- Lead negotiations with key partners and represent the company at industry events
Skills
- Building and scaling B2B sales in regulated or high-risk niches
- Running complex multi-stage negotiations with financial modeling of deals
- Understanding unit economics: revenue share, CPA, LTV, deal margin
- Managing a multi-level team, including hiring and dismissals
- Forecasting revenue and managing deviations from plan
- Aligning with legal, finance, risk, and compliance without losing momentum
- Building CRM processes and maintaining reporting discipline
- Presenting strategy and results to leadership and investors
- Understanding industry context: licenses, regulatory restrictions, payment risks
Tools
- CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive)
- BI and dashboards (Looker, Power BI, Google Looker Studio)
- Spreadsheets for deal modeling and forecasting (Google Sheets, Excel)
- Partner tracking and reporting systems (Everflow, Income Access, internal dashboards)
- Communication and task management tools (Slack, Jira, Notion)
- Contract management and e-signature systems
- Funnel and call analytics (Gong, Chorus, or similar call recording tools)
How performance is measured
- Achievement of the annual and quarterly revenue plan
- Conversion rate at each stage of the B2B deal pipeline
- Average sales cycle length and average contract size
- Share of revenue from key accounts and revenue concentration risk
- Partner retention and repeat deal rate
- Accuracy of the sales forecast against actuals
- Sales team turnover and time to fill open positions
By vertical
Betting
In betting, sales typically target media outlets, sports portals, league partners, and data and odds feed providers. The Head of Sales agrees terms on markets and in-play betting, margin share, and guarantees, and makes sure contracts comply with regulatory requirements for sports partnerships.
Gambling
In gambling, the main focus is on game content providers, payment providers, white-label operators, and affiliate networks. The Head of Sales works with revenue share and hybrid models and coordinates closely with risk and compliance on geo eligibility, KYC, and AML requirements for partners.
Levels
Head of / Director
The Head of Sales (Director) is responsible for the entire commercial function: strategy, plan, team, and results. Pricing decisions for large deals and entry into new markets are made at this level, and the role reports to the CEO or board of directors.
How to get there
Most people move into the Head of Sales role from positions such as Account Executive, Sales Manager, or Key Account Manager, where they already handled complex deals and closed their quota. Experience in long-cycle B2B sales is essential, not only retail or mass-traffic sales. Experience in high-risk verticals or regulated industries, such as fintech, can speed up entry, since understanding compliance and licensing in this area is particularly valued.
To prepare, focus on building a funnel and forecast, working with CRM, and understanding the unit economics of partnership models: revenue share, CPA, hybrid terms, and margin. It helps to understand contracts, how the payment and partner stack works, and how to read tracking reports. Experience hiring and managing a team of several managers is required for a move into a leadership position.
Growth usually comes from moving from personal results to team results: first as a group lead or Sales Team Lead, then as Head of Sales or Director of Sales. To become a Head of Sales, you need to show that you can build a process rather than only closing deals yourself, and prove revenue predictability across several quarters.
Next steps: Commercial Director, Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), VP of Sales, Head of Partnerships, General Manager
FAQ
How is a Head of Sales different from a sales manager?
A sales manager runs their own deals and is responsible for a personal quota. The Head of Sales is responsible for the results of the entire sales function: strategy, quotas, hiring, processes, and forecasting. The work is more managerial and strategic.
What background do you need to become a Head of Sales in gambling or betting?
You usually need experience in long-cycle B2B sales and experience managing a team. Knowledge of high-risk verticals or regulated industries speeds up the transition, since understanding restrictions on geo, licenses, and partners is important in this field.
What determines a Head of Sales' income?
Income usually consists of a base salary and a bonus tied to achieving the revenue plan and team results. The amount depends on company size, deal model, market complexity, and the share of long-term partnerships. Specific figures depend on the market and the company.
Which tools should a Head of Sales know?
The most common tools are CRM systems, spreadsheets for deal modeling and forecasting, BI dashboards, partner tracking systems, and call recording tools. The specific stack depends on the company, but understanding how data connects to revenue matters more than knowing one particular service.
What does a Head of Sales do at a company that works with affiliates?
They set commercial terms with partners, agree on revenue share and CPA models, are responsible for retaining large partners, and work with affiliate management and risk on traffic quality and geo eligibility.
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