[Message to Management]: 14 Things Top Sales Managers Do

The Sales Hunter tells you what it takes to lead a winning sales team.

How often do sales managers generate opportunities and support their teams in customer conversations? Probably not as often as they should. Under constant pressure to deliver sales, they focus on reports and not on the critical sales activities that generate revenue.

Sales execs tell me they don’t have time to coach their teams. But by now everyone knows that coaching and training are what turn salespeople into top performers.

In this guest post, Mark Hunter (a.k.a. “The Sales Hunter”) outlines 14 tendencies that separate mediocre sales managers from extraordinary sales leaders. You might be reminded of something you forgot and should be doing to drive performance.

“What separates a great sales manager from the rest? Based on years of consulting with sales teams, I have identified 14 things the best of the best do differently:

1. Realize their job is not to be a sales manager, but to be a sales leader.
2. Hold constructive sales meetings where they share valuable information and tools, not status updates that could have been communicated in email.
3. Spend time with their top performers.
4. Leverage their position as sales manager to generate opportunities and discussions with customers while working with their salespeople.
5. Don’t let paperwork stand in the way of leadership.
6. Coach their people each day and hold them accountable on the skills they’re developing.
7. Provide an environment that allows salespeople to be motivated every day.
8. Never talk negatively about their people or anyone else.
9. Help each salesperson achieve his or her professional and personal goals.
10. Are open and accountable to others.
11. Impact everyone with whom they come into contact in a positive manner, regardless of who they are or the position they hold.
12. Demonstrate 100-percent respect to everyone.
13. Hold as a personal goal developing a team that everyone wants to be a part of.
14. Ensure that a majority (if not all) of the people on the team are recognized and promoted for their performance.

As you can see, these attributes are not out of reach for most sales managers—if they are willing to put the effort into becoming a leader! Want a free infographic I put together on sales leadership? Check out 10 Physical Signs You Are A Sales Leader.”

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About the Author

Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter,” is author of High-Profit Selling: Win the Sale Without Compromising on Price. He is a sales expert who speaks to thousands each year on how to increase sales profitability. He was named one of the Top 50 Influencers in Sales by Top Sales World. To receive a free weekly sales tip and read his Sales Motivation Blog, visit www.TheSalesHunter.com. You can also follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin.