5 exceptional habits of effective sales leaders

As a sales leader, you are no different from a chess player. 

Like a chess player, even you have pieces (sales reps) with different capabilities. 

They all play an integral role in your victory. 

However, the victory depends on how strategically you move these pieces. 

Effective sales leaders are in full control of the sales game. They know how to formulate a plan to win the game and accordingly move the pieces to accomplish the plan. 

Such winners aren’t successful by coincidence; there are certain good habits that help them excel. 

Success is the sum of small efforts – repeated day in and day out. 

5 habits that successful sales leaders possess 

Remember the adage “with power comes responsibilities”. The role of a leader is very enticing, but very few can do justice to this role. Those few become great sales leaders. They know how to guide their reps in the right direction to create a win-win situation. 

Leadership is not a position or a title, it is action and example.
– Donald McGannon

Leading a team is indeed a great responsibility and there are certain things that need to be done right to succeed. The difficulty level in sales is increasing at a great pace, so the sales team needs a leader who can keep them on the right track. 

61% of salespeople say selling is harder or much harder today than it was 5 years ago.

Effective sales leader’s Habit 1 – Provide feedback

Effective sales leaders aim to grow. Not alone, but with their team. So, they invest time in providing regular feedback to bring the necessary improvements in their teams. 

Successful sales leader refers to sales reports for evaluating their reps. After gathering necessary insights, they provide honest feedback to the sales reps. 

Feedback helps reps in seeing the gaps in their performance. As a leader, you need to make the reps aware of the gaps so that they can fill them to achieve the team’s sales goals. 

Think about this, didn’t you try to improve when someone gave you feedback? At times we need someone to point out flaws that are obstructing our growth. When the hurdles are visible, we can find out ways to overcome them or else we’ll keep facing failures. 

It isn’t wrong to give constructive criticism. However, it needs to be done in the right way. Feedback contributes to increased productivity and better results. So, spare some time for sharing honest feedback with your sales reps. 

Effective sales leader’s habit 2 – Building team spirit 

Achieving sales goals becomes more challenging when the team’s morale is low. Effective sales leaders understand this, and so they create a positive environment to keep the sales reps motivated. 

Often failure, internal team conflict, and customer criticism demotivate the sales reps. Successful sales leaders give equal attention to each sales rep in the team. If some external factor is affecting an individual’s work, then they try to find out the root cause and provide necessary guidance.

Like these successful leaders, you need to be available for your sales reps and boost their confidence when things go wrong. 

Having experience in the field, you know that sales is unpredictable. Anything might happen at any moment.

There is pressure.

Prospects don’t reply. 

Targets are missed. 

Lucrative deals fall at the final stage. 

Such situations negatively impact sales rep’s morale. As a sales leader, you need to implement a strategy to improve your sales reps’ morale. 

Besides, do little things to make your sales rep happier, more enthusiastic, and productive. 

Like,

• Have team outings to cheer up the sales rep. 
• Acquaint them with the best CRM software and project management tool that makes their work easier. 
• Reward the best performers.
• Give your team occasional surprises. 
• Introduce a deal closure bell, that sales reps can ring when they win a deal and share their achievement with others.

It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.
– Napoleon Hill 

Effective sales leader’s habit 3 – Coaching regularly 

Effective sales leaders don’t just stop after the initial training. For them, training is a continuous process. The customers are becoming smarter with the plethora of information as well as reviews available on the internet. The competitors are experimenting with different sales strategies to attract customers. Sales reps require continuous coaching to tackle rising competition. 

Companies that provide an optimal amount of coaching realize 16.7 % greater annual revenue growth.

Being the captain of the ship as a sales leader, you need to navigate your sales team in the right direction. 

Good training doesn’t only empower the sales reps but also cuts down unproductive hours. It helps in minimizing easily avoidable mistakes and boosts confidence. 

In sales, most of the reps often require training for handling difficult sales situations. So, conduct mock calls. Enact as a potential buyer and put your sales reps in challenging sales situations. After the mock call,  guide them on what they should do to tackle the prospect’s tricky questions and objections. 

Effective sales leader’s habit 4 – Listen to sales reps

Successful sales leaders focus on establishing and maintaining a good relationship with their sales reps. They pay close attention to what their team is saying. 

This skill of active listening helps in making the sales reps comfortable for sharing true concerns. 

Only when you know the true problem, you can provide a solution and guide your sales reps to perform better. So, listen to your sales reps when they share their concerns or ideas. 

Listening is often the only thing needed to help someone.
– Anonymous 

Yes, you might want to give some advice while your sales reps are sharing their thoughts or problems. But hold on, do not interrupt, as the sales reps might miss out on something. Once the sales reps finish, you can share your suggestions. 

Effective sales leader’s habit 5 – Being Adaptable 

Successful sales leaders are adaptable to the changes, and they have set processes so that their team can easily adapt to the changes. They aren’t only adaptable but even have the foresight to anticipate the changes.  

Companies aim to surpass their competitors, so they keep innovating and introducing new things.

As a sales leader, it is essential to adapt quickly and help the team do the same. Don’t get too comfortable with the routine. Today will be different from yesterday, so you need to be prepared for it. 

Be adaptable, flexible, and never stop learning. The rate of change will never stop, and neither should you.
– Brian Regan 

Be quick in planning and creating new strategies because the old ones might not support the new changes. Being an adaptable sales leader will help you in tackling all the changes that come your way while reaching your sales goals. 

Wrapping 

Being a sales leader is indeed a great responsibility. So, take every step carefully. You don’t only need to focus on hiring the best sales reps but also in training them for handling the worst situation in sales.

Ensure you set SMART sales goals to give your sales reps a proper direction. With strategies and plans, you even need to have the right tools to reach the goals you’ve set. 

Salesmate CRM is one such tool that many sales teams have used to reach their goals. Using this advanced tool, you can not only manage sales but even track the performance of your team. It is a smart solution for handling modern teams’ sales challenges.