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When I became the leader of a sales team for the first time in the mid 90\u2019s, I did not have the luxury of selling for many years and being mentored by someone who could teach me the ropes. Instead, I was a company founder who filled a need that we had at the time to build our sales team, and I kind of made things up as I went along. As I think back to those days, I realize how much I struggled to achieve my goals, and while I was successful, I can\u2019t deny that it probably had as much to do with luck and timing as it did with my will and effort.<\/p>\n
It was a time of great learning but there are a few lessons that would have served me well if I had known them in advance.<\/p>\n
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Mike Weinberg<\/a> \u2013 Principal of The New Business Sales Coach<\/a> and bestselling author of Sales Management. Simplified<\/i>.<\/a> and New Sales. Simplified.<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI wish I knew how little most senior executives understand the true job of a Sales Manager and how much crap companies throw on the sales leader\u2019s desk that has nothing to do with leading the sales team. I wish I knew that much of what makes people great as individual producers in sales does not translate to success as a manager. The jobs could not be more different. As a producer, you win on your own, but great leaders win through their people. Night and day difference. I wish I knew that it is almost impossible to be a player-coach selling-manager. To do that, well you have to be schizophrenic. The reason sports teams abandoned the player-coach model is because it\u2019s stupid and produces sub-optimal results while creating a mess.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow Mike on <\/i>Twitter<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>Facebook<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>YouTube<\/i><\/a>, and <\/i>Instagram<\/i><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Jill Konrath<\/a> \u2013 Sales Keynote Speaker<\/a> and bestselling author of More Sales Less Time<\/i><\/a> and SNAP Selling<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI wish I knew that not everyone thought as much about how to be successful as I did. After meetings\/conversations with prospective buyers, very few sales reps took time to self assess. To help them develop, I needed to teach them how to think differently. I constantly asked:\u00a0What do you think went well? Why did it work? How can you use it again?\u00a0Where did you get stuck or run into trouble? What was your role in creating this situation? How could you do things differently next time? What else could you try?\u00a0Doing this creates an upward spiral. Everyone gets better, driving increased revenue.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow Jill on <\/i>Twitter<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>Google+<\/i><\/a>, and <\/i>YouTube<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Mark Hunter<\/a> \u201cThe Sales Hunter\u201d \u2013 Principal of The Sales Hunter<\/a> and author of High Profit Prospecting<\/i><\/a> and High Profit Selling<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAs a sales leader, you likely want to jump in and make every sale happen. It is vital you have wise discernment, though. \u00a0You must recognize you\u2019re playing a long-game, and as such you should focus on the development of the people you\u2019re leading, not just on chasing short-term customer opportunities. \u00a0As tempting as it is to close the sale, the bigger benefit is in coaching the salesperson to know how to close the sale when you\u2019re not around. \u00a0The mark of a sales leader is not what occurs when they\u2019re present, but rather the success their team has when the leader is away.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow Mark on <\/i>Twitter<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>Facebook<\/i><\/a>, and <\/i>YouTube<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Kelly Riggs<\/a> \u2013 Founder and CSO of The Business LockerRoom<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI think a lot of sales leaders wish they knew how difficult it was going to be to transition from salesperson to sales leader. The skills that made them successful as an individual performer turn out to be only a small part of the toolbox they need to build a successful team. As a salesperson, they could easily and quickly respond to adversity, but as a sales leader, they often find it quite frustrating that people don\u2019t do things the way they do.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow Kelly on <\/i>Twitter<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>Google+<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>YouTube<\/i><\/a>, and <\/i>Facebook<\/i><\/a>. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Eliot Burdett<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 CEO of\u00a0Peak Sales Recruiting<\/a>, Co-author of\u00a0Sales Recruiting 2.0: How to Find Top Performing Salespeople, Fast<\/a>, and Founder of\u00a0Helping Heroes<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWithout many years in sales myself and having to take over leadership of a sales group, I didn\u2019t appreciate the value of a structured selling process. I told my sales reps to call-qualify-develop and close and left them to their own devices beyond this, which meant that each rep sold in their own unique way. Beyond ensuring that customers received different experiences from my sales team, it made it very difficult for me to coach and develop my reps. In short, without a structured process in place, some of the characteristics of a\u00a0dysfunctional sales team<\/a>\u00a0were beginning to reveal themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Brent Thomson<\/a> \u2013 CSO of\u00a0Peak Sales Recruiting<\/a>\u00a0and Co-author of Sales Recruiting 2.0: How to Find Top Performing Salespeople, Fast<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI wish I had known that what people say and what they actually do are two different things. While your salespeople may tell you something that has transpired, they may not be telling you the whole story. It\u2019s important to have full transparency as it helps them in their sales cycle.\u00a0It\u2019s important to understand that not everyone lives in the CRM and you need to look for that when recruiting, as that data\u2019s so important. I also wish I had spent more time on the hiring process versus the selection process. It\u2019s much easier to hire than it is to fire someone. Relying on the experts to find you the right people is much more beneficial than selecting someone and having to fire them later due to poor performance.\u201d<\/p>\n Tom Hopkins<\/a> \u2013 Chairman at Tom Hopkins International Inc.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWhen I first moved from sales into a sales management position, I was fortunate that my company sent me for some training. The most important lesson taught was about understanding the different personality types of people in sales. Previous to this, I thought everyone would handle their business the way I did. Upon taking over, I quickly learned that you cannot manage everyone the same way. Each person on the team had a different temperament, a different attitude, and was motivated by different things. Once I got a handle on each person\u2019s wants, needs, and desires, I was able to take an office that was on the bottom of the revenue-generation pile and turn it into the first place office in the company.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow Tom on <\/i>Twitter<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>Facebook<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>Google+<\/i><\/a>, and <\/i>YouTube<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Colleen Francis<\/a> \u2013 Owner of Engage Selling Solutions<\/a> and author of Nonstop Sales Boom<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI wish I knew before becoming a sales leader\/manager that 1+1 = 3. When I became a sales leader I thought it was my job to be the best seller on the team. I would swoop in to save deals, and ride along with sellers to close deals. Always being the hero. We did well, but not exceptionally well. \u00a0It was only after I learned that my job was to coach each individual to be better than me that our sales really accelerated! A sales manager\u2019s job is not to be the best seller on the team. It\u2019s to curate excellence and leverage it amongst the team members.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow Colleen on <\/i>Facebook<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>Twitter<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>Google+<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>YouTube<\/i><\/a>, and <\/i>iTunes<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Shari Levitin<\/a> \u2013 CEO and Professional Speaker at Levitin Group<\/a> and Author of Heart and Sell<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThree Rules for Giving Feedback:<\/p>\n Tell your salespeople what they did right. A Harvard Business review study confirms that individuals who receive at least a 6-1 ratio of positive-to-negative advice outperform those more often criticized. Focus on a maximum of three improvements at a time. The brain can\u2019t possibly remember 36 new techniques to incorporate into a sales presentation. Like golf, a good swing coach offers just one suggestion that triggers all the other actions. Feedback must be specific. Avoid generic suggestions like, build more trust or tell better stories. Instead share the four components of building trust or five keys to a powerful story. \u201c<\/p>\n Follow Shari on <\/i>Facebook<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>Twitter<\/i><\/a>, and <\/i>YouTube<\/i><\/a>. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Kelvin Shaw<\/a> \u2013 Executive Sales recruiter at Peak Sales Recruiting<\/a> and former President of Stimulus Strategies Networking<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIf there is one thing that I know now that I didn\u2019t know then, it\u2019s the importance of time management and prioritizing tasks. As a young business owner or professional, you will have many moving parts and daily tasks which can easily keep you busy. However, there is a major difference between being busy and being productive! In my opinion, the \u201cEisenhower Principle\u201d is a must have time management principle that should be learnt and adopted by every business owner and professional. In essence, it is understanding the difference between urgent and important activities to help you think and structure your business priorities correctly.\u201d<\/p>\n Aaron Ross \u2013 Author of From Impossible to Inevitable<\/a> and Predictable Revenue<\/a>, and Co-Founder of Predictable University<\/a> and Predictable Revenue<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI wish I knew the value of really getting to know each person on the team well, especially personally. \u00a0When I did, it made it much easier to help that person overcome a problem or set better goals \u2013 whether personal and professional \u2013 to keep them motivated. \u00a0Especially once they \u2018got good\u2019 at their jobs, it\u2019s easy to get comfortable and go on \u2018autopilot\u2019 as a manager.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow Aaron on <\/i>Twitter<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Janice Mars<\/a> \u2013 President and Founder of SalesLatitude<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cMany salespeople spend their precious time on the wrong things. Sales Managers and leaders play a crucial role in helping their reps focus on high-value sales activities. Here are three tips:\u00a0Guide them towards activities that benefit customers the most. The bigger the problems reps can solve, the more resources, time and money customers will commit.\u00a0Ask reps what they need to do their jobs better. Knock down any obstacles that make it difficult for reps to sell and customers to buy.\u00a0Limit business hours to high-value sales activities. Train reps to save travel and administrative work for \u201cnon-working\u201d hours.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow Janice on <\/i>Twitter<\/i><\/a> and <\/i>Google+<\/i><\/a>. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Paul Howard<\/a> \u2013 Chief Revenue Officer at Nectar Desk<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThis is easy for me \u2026. firstly COACHING 2.0. As a 2.0 manager, learning that there is a big difference between demanding results and putting the right people in the right roles and conditions for success is crucial. Lastly DOGS versus STARS. If you spend 50% of your time with your \u2018stars\u2019 \u2013 who are often independent by nature \u2013 instead of the \u2018dogs\u2019, you will double your results. Apologies to \u2018dogs\u2019 but they always have an excuse, lots of personal issues, etc. Once they are past a reasonable training time they will vacuum up all your time and energy. Go with the stars who are building a joint path for their career development and success!\u201d<\/p>\n Jane Gentry<\/a> \u2013 Principal of Jane Gentry & Company<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI wish I had known to trust myself. Many of the leaders I coach now have the same syndrome that I had \u2013 Imposter Syndrome \u2013 the fear that the world will find out that I really don\u2019t know anything. The truth is that I did\/do know a lot and you do too. It\u2019s those who think they know everything who are circumspect. It is OK to be authentic and a little vulnerable; it engenders trust. And, a team who trusts you will follow you into the unknown where you\u2019ll likely create great things together.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow Jane on <\/i>Twitter<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Steven Rosen<\/a> \u2013 Executive Coach at STAR Results<\/a> and Author of 52 Sales Management Tips<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe one thing I wish I knew before becoming a Sales Manager was that when it comes to managing people, people don\u2019t care what you know until they know you care. I have coached many new sales leaders to get to know their salespeople before they begin talking business or trying to tell them what they would do.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow Steven on Twitter<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, Google+<\/a>, and YouTube<\/a>.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Jason Jordan<\/a> \u2013 Partner at Vantage Point Performance<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI perceived that sales leadership was a very complex task, so I tried to explore and navigate every possible course of action. \u00a0In reality, leading a sales force is all about finding simplicity. \u00a0Identify the few things that really drive sales performance, and then hammer those things hard from every possible angle. \u00a0If you wade into the complexities of sales leadership, you\u2019ll drown.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow Jason on Twitter<\/a> and YouTube<\/a>. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Morgan Ingram<\/a> \u2013 Manager of Sales Development at Terminus<\/a> and Host of The SDR Chronicles<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI wish I knew that I had to understand that the separation between the ideology of church and state is a real thing as a manager. When I was an SDR, I developed friendships with people on the SDR team and when I became a manager everything had to change. You have to realize as a manager that once you come into work, it\u2019s like you putting on your jersey during a game and your reps cannot be seen as your friends when you have to put your manager hat on.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow Morgan on <\/i>Twitter<\/i><\/a>. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n George Bront\u00e9n<\/a> \u2013 Founder and CEO of Membrain<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe first time I built a sales team I made 3 faulty assumptions that almost cost me my company: 1) I assumed that salespeople knew how to sell because they had sold something for someone else. 2) I assumed that salespeople have discipline and are disciplined. 3) I assumed that a CRM system would help us sell better as a team. My conclusion and advice: design an informative and actionable sales process that is easy for salespeople to learn and execute. Make it the vehicle for sales methodology, enablement content, performance tracking and coaching. Then improve it!\u201d<\/p>\n Follow George on <\/i>Facebook<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>Google+<\/i><\/a>, and <\/i>Twitter<\/i><\/a>. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Steven Benson<\/a> \u2013 Founder and CEO of Badger Maps Inc.<\/a> and former Regional Sales Manager at Google<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cMany Sales Managers make a mistake in assuming sales reps are coin operated, and that therefore the most important parts of motivating a sales team are the compensation plan\u2019s size and structure. Although those are important, salespeople are much more complex, and there are things you can do to motivate them on a deeper and more sustainable level. Help your team understand the big picture. A sales rep should be able to connect the dollar they earn to the company\u2019s ability to produce a better version of the product they\u2019re selling. This can be more motivating than just the cash in their pocket alone.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow Steven on <\/i>Facebook<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>Twitter<\/i><\/a>, and <\/i>Google+<\/i><\/a>. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Kevin F. Davis<\/a> \u2013 President & Founder of TopLine Leadership Inc.<\/a> and author of The Sales Manager\u2019s Guide to Greatness: 10 Essential Strategies for Leading Your Team to the Top.<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was a sales rep, I once worked for a micro-manager\u2014and hated it! I resolved never to be that way myself if became a sales manager. Years later, as a Sales Manager, I got confidential feedback from my sales team about my management style. Sure enough, the overwhelming perception was \u201cHey, Kevin\u2019s not involved enough in our opportunities and our coaching. I realized then that I had over-corrected. And because I did little coaching, I wasn\u2019t helping my team develop. Though I\u2019d had the job title \u201cSales Manager\u201d for over three years at that point, that was the moment I truly became a Sales Manager.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow Kevin on <\/i>Twitter<\/i><\/a> and <\/i>YouTube<\/i><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Bridget Gleason<\/a> \u2013 Vice President of Sales at Logz.io<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cYour time is not your own! I\u2019m not sure what I was expecting when I first moved from an individual contributor to a Sales Manager, but I was surprised at how much time was required to manage and lead a team. My calendar was suddenly full of meetings, 1:1\u2019s, customer calls and coaching sessions. And for a while I felt a bit out of control. One skill I had to work on was time management and prioritization. Sometimes I miss the days when my time was truly my own, but I wouldn\u2019t trade the privilege of working with a team for any amount of hours back in my day.\u201d<\/p>\n Sam Capra<\/a> \u2013 VP Sales at flexReceipts<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cOne Size Does NOT Fit All. You need to understand the uniqueness of each individual on your team. It sounds obvious, but as a young leader you try and apply a one size fits all approach. \u00a0The key is to take the time to know what motivates each member of your sales team and what demotivates them. Having this understanding means you can play to their strengths. This allows you to adapt your coaching, training and feedback in a manner that gets results.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow Sam on <\/i>Twitter<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Alice Kemper<\/a> \u2013 President of Sales Training Werks<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt was one thing to be 100% responsible for achieving my numbers as a rep and totally foreign to achieve my new numbers through 20 people as the manager. \u00a0My first biggest \u201cah-ha\u201d was they didn\u2019t sell how I did, think like I did, have the same goals or methodologies and they were certainly not interested in hearing how I did it. \u00a0Because of my teaching background I immediately realized I needed to coach each person to be the best that they could be in the way they learn, process, speak and execute actions. \u00a0A few months of building a great team could have been shaved off if I had known coaching was the key before day one.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow Alice in <\/i>Facebook<\/i><\/a> and <\/i>Twitter<\/i><\/a>. <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Nancy Bleeke<\/a> \u2013 President and CSO at Sales Pro Insider<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cTo lead your sales team to perform, treat them like you treat your customers! For customers \u2013 you make the time when they need it, lead them to the best outcome, explain everything relevant to them, offer information, solutions, tools, and resources relevant for THEM, and make it easy for them to work with you. It\u2019s the same for your team. Get them what they need to succeed (it\u2019s not just leads and software), make the time to coach, and make everything you say, do, ask, and expect focused on what makes it important to them. You\u2019ll be an effective leader with a performing team.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow Nancy on <\/i>Twitter<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>2. To teach my sales team to think differently<\/h3>\n
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3. To recognize that I\u2019m playing a long game<\/h3>\n
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4. The skills that made me a top performer are a small part of what would make me a great sales leader<\/h3>\n
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5. It\u2019s very difficult to coach and develop sales reps without a structured process in place<\/h3>\n
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6. To spend more time on the hiring than the selecting<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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7. How to understand the different personality types of people in sales<\/h3>\n
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8. A sales manager\u2019s job is not to be the best seller on the team<\/h3>\n
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9. To offer one specific suggestion that would trigger all the other actions<\/h3>\n
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10. That there is a difference between being busy and being productive<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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11. The value of really getting to know each person on the team well<\/h3>\n
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12. To take the time to help my sales reps focus on high-value sales activities<\/h3>\n
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13. That there is a big difference between demanding results and putting the right people in the right roles<\/h3>\n
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14. To trust myself and not suffer from \u201cImpostor Syndrome\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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15. People don\u2019t care what you know until they know you care<\/h3>\n
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16. How to find simplicity in leading a sales force<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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17. To understand that the separation between the ideology of church and state is a real thing as a manager<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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18. To design an informative and actionable sales process<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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19. How to motivate salespeople on a deeper and more sustainable level<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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20. How to be involved with my sales team without the fear of becoming a micro-manager \u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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21. How to manage my time and prioritize my tasks<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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22. To understand the uniqueness of each person on my team<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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23. To coach each salesperson in the way they learn, process, speak and execute actions<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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24. To treat my sales team like I treat my customers\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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