Becoming a great sales leader determines the success of your sales team. ??It seems natural for the best performing salespeople to become promoted to positions of team leaders and sales managers. However, many sales managers struggle in that role because they lack the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities to fully support their sales teams as they should. A great salesperson does not equal a great sales leader.
Your sales team is looking to you for guidance, direction, and yes, leadership. There is one thing you absolutely must do to become a great sales leader for your team. Become a visionary. What is your vision for the department or organization? What are your objectives as far as sales volume, sales revenue, profitability, return-on-investment, market penetration, and market share? Be specific. Set deadlines. ??Share your vision with your sales team and encourage them to contribute so they can take ownership of the organizational vision.
As a great sales leader you focus on the “what” (vision and objectives) and leave the “how” (tactics and implementation) to your sales team. Great sales leaders are great team supporters providing their teams with the resources necessary to realize the vision. Coaching your sales team includes rewarding them for achieving the objectives and helping them come up with solutions to their challenges. Your sales team performance should always be measured against clearly defined (and clearly understood) objectives. Remember that becoming a great sales leaders depends on your ability to craft a shared vision and will ultimately determine the success of your sales team.
