Not every sales rep has ambitions of leading a team. But the ones that do need to go beyond being an excellent salesperson. Leading teams to achieve their monthly quota while keeping everyone happy and fostering a positive culture isn’t easy and requires good sales leadership skills. With that in mind, we’re looking at what good sales leadership looks like with this guide. Read on and find out what it takes to lead a sales team.
A snapshot of good sales leadership
- Good motivation skills
- Transparent and able to provide feedback
- A team builder
- Offers stability through process
Motivation
Good sales leadership skills aren’t solely about being motivated; you also need to be a motivator. Long gone are the days of the carrot and stick approach where you offer rewards for high-level performances. In today’s climate, displaying trust in your team is one of the primary ways to motivate them.
What does that look like? Leaving them to maintain important accounts, allowing them to cross-communicate with other teams and providing a clear pathway to progression. Your team will feel inspired when they have your trust and are motivated to perform to their maximum capabilities.
Transparency
The best sales leaders have a habit of coaching with immediate and effective feedback. Not only does this approach help improve the team, but it also shows that you’re willing to be transparent and open with them.
Coach on all aspects of a team member’s performance, from how they approach a sales pitch to the more minor details. That doesn’t mean you should micromanage, but pointing out specific behaviours, their impact, and how to change them for the better means that everyone in the team benefits in the long run.
Building team spirit
A happy and progressive team spirit is needed for a high-performance culture. Managing a team with low morale is challenging – unhappy reps won’t meet their targets and may even begin to seek alternative employment.
The best way to build team spirit involves having a unique take on each situation. However, there are some aspects to consider, such as setting achievable goals and offering direction, dealing with problems head-on and not allowing situations to fester, and investing in sales training so that reps continue to improve and see a clear way to progress their skills.
Have a process
There’s one key takeaway that you should pay attention to if you’re a sales leader: the process. Put a unified strategy in place to ensure everyone is on the same page.
Repetition breeds consistency and removes much of the ‘what ifs?’ from practices. With the proper structure in place, the focus shifts to the team rather than one or two stellar sales reps. Plus, it helps with team spirit, especially when your team trusts in the process to reach their targets.
Being a good sales leader
A sales leader has a lot of responsibility on their shoulders. But with the right approach, you can build a culture at your company and get your team performing above expectations while also exceeding sales targets.