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How to Become a Successful Sales Manager Who Gets Results

Sales

There’s an interesting proverb that says, "An army of sheep led by a lion will defeat an army of lions led by a sheep." Hopefully, your team of salespeople are more than just metaphorical sheep. Here’s what a "lion" sales manager leading a sales team will do to ensure a sales team’s success.

Successful sales managers develop the potential of their people

All the salespeople you’ve hired have potential. Isn’t that why you them? It's your job to develop that potential into performance.

Some salespeople don’t realize what their strengths are. To become a successful sales manager, you need to find those strengths, point them out, and then do what's necessary to remove any obstacles that may be in the way of executing them

A salesperson who is successful closing business with new prospects could get help from an inside salesperson who sets up sales appointments. Having another staff member set up appointments puts the salesperson in front of more prospects and potentially close more business. Instead of making telephone calls, selling to new prospects is a better use of the salesperson's time.

Successful sales managers know where they stand—even if it's hard to hear

Former New York City mayor Ed Koch was known for walking around the city and greeting everyone he met. His effusive greeting was, “How am I doing?” To become a successful sales manager, you also should be asking your salespeople regularly, “How am I doing?” in a sincere way to get honest feedback. Just remember, while you may find it hard to listen to criticism, it may also be difficult for people to tell you where you need improvement.

Make it easier for people to provide honest feedback. Be specific about what information you want to find out. For example, you could ask, “Am I sending too many, too few, or just about the right amount of emails?” Then gauge the nonverbal communication you might get with the answer. Any hesitation could mean the person is not feel comfortable telling you what they really think.

And if someone offers criticism, avoid getting defensive. Instead of trying to explain yourself, simply ask, “What specifically can I do better?”

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Successful sales managers enforce clarity to reduce stress on the team

Psychologists say that a lack of clear social norms now flies against our desire for certainty. You may doubt that need for certainty. Think about your comfort shaking hands in a post-vaccinated Covid world. Should you shake hands? Do you want to shake hands? Can you avoid shaking hands? Thinking about it might make you feel uneasy. We prefer certainty.

People want clarity to know where they stand with their manager. Politics in business can sometimes complicate this clarity. The lack of clarity is a problem for salespeople because so much of their work requires special approvals where favoritism could demotivate a team.

There are always price requests to management for discounted pricing with specific clients. Emergency deliveries often need special attention and management approval. What happens when a manager turns down requests from certain team members? Requests will stop coming in and sales will go down.

Your job as a manager is to be aware of who is easier to work with and who presents more challenges for you in your working relationship. To become a successful sales manager, you need to treat everyone the same so they perceive you as being a fair boss who does not show favoritism. Look over your recent business approvals. Would your decisions be perceived as being fair? That’s the clarity your sales team needs to see.

What is smart sales leadership?

There are many descriptions of what sales leadership is and what it should be. I think Peter Drucker had the right idea for both lions and sheep when he said, "Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”

RELATED: 9 Superstar Traits Every Salesperson Needs to Beat Fear and Rise Up

Profile: Maura Schreier-Fleming

Maura Schreier-Fleming is president of Best@Selling, a sales training and sales consulting company. She works with business and sales professionals to increase sales and earn larger profits. She is the author of Real-World Selling for Out-of-this-World Results and Monday Morning Sales Tips. Maura focuses on sales strategies and tactics that lead to better sales results. Maura is a sales expert for WomenSalesPros. She is part of their group of top sales experts who inspire, educate, and develop salespeople and sales teams.She speaks internationally on influence, selling skills, and strategic selling at trade association and sales meetings, demonstrating how her principles can be applied to get results. She successfully worked for over 20 years in the male-dominated oil industry with two major corporations, beginning at Mobil Oil and ending at Chevron Corp. She was Mobil Oil’s first female lubrication engineer in the U.S. and was one of Chevron’s top five salespeople in the U.S. having sold over $9 million annually. Maura writes several columns to share her sales philosophies. She's been quoted in the New York Times, Selling Power, and Entrepreneur.