What Makes a Top Sales Manager?
If you or one of your employees is running a sales team it is important to understand the qualities required to ensure that you are making the most of your sales opportunities.
Surprisingly, rarely do the best Salespeople make the best Sales Managers. Yes, they can certainly sell and can point to personal sales success, but the process of managing a sales team and getting the most from them takes much more than a personal skill in selling.
Here are the key qualities that you or your Sales Management need to possess and demonstrate to make your sales the best they possibly can be:
1.Showing Real Management Quality
- Demonstrates a high degree of integrity and honesty at all times with the team – this is demonstrated across all aspects of work.
- Can always be relied upon to provide support to the team as and when required.
- Is keen to recognise and praise the efforts of others – resists the temptation to claim successes for themselves.
- Has the ability to build and control / manage effective teams.
2.Demonstrating Personal Selling Skill
- Has the personal capability to offer and teach the customer new insights and can persuade them to adopt these.
- Tailors the proposal to the customer specifically.
- Is comfortable in discussing pricing and money with customers.
- Has the ability to initiate and maintain productive customer relationships.
- Is a skilled negotiator.
3.Training the Team Effectively
- Tailors training programmes to the specific needs of the individual.
- Prepares fully and well for all interactions with individuals and the team.
- Communicates expectations very clearly.
- Shares commercial, industry and product knowledge with the team.
- Follows through on progress and manages the process well.
4.Leading the Team to Success
- Optimises business potential in their area of responsibility.
- Analyses data in pipeline in relation to prospects.
- Delegates effectively to the team as and when necessary.
- Drives the culture and nature of the sales offer.
- Shares best practice with the team and customers.
- Makes effective trade offs that create win/win situations.
- Innovates by finding new ways to position offers.
Action
If you are serious about selling at the optimum level for your business assess yourself (if you are the sales leader) or your Sales Management against the above qualities. If you (or they) are coming up short you are almost certainly missing out on a considerable number of profitable sales opportunities. It is well worth training these qualities in because they will definitely provide you with a great payback.
We specialise in optimising sales and growing businesses profitably and significantly – for a free/ no obligation chat just get in touch with us at ignite@tinderboxbusinessdevelopment.co.uk or call us on 0116 232 5231.
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The Tinderbox Team
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