In our ongoing Blueprint to Scale series, we’ve laid the groundwork by emphasizing rigorous sales analysis, strategic planning, and the meticulous setup of best-practice sales processes and KPIs. These foundational elements are crucial, but a sales machine, however well-designed, requires a skilled operator.
This brings us to Step 5 of our Strategic Sales System: Developing Effective Sales Managers. The quality of your sales leadership is perhaps the single most impactful factor in moving from inconsistent results to predictable, profitable growth.
The Critical Shortage in Sales Leadership
Sales has a recognized problem: a shortage of truly effective leaders. Research indicates that a significant 18% of all sales managers should not even be in their role.
This leadership gap is a primary cause of missed targets and stagnating growth within organizations. Conversely, “implementing good leadership and focusing on culture can double your business,” says SalesStar Founder and CEO, Paul O’Donohue.
Strong leadership can lead to phenomenal market share growth, even in slow-growing markets.
Understanding the Dual Role: Leader vs. Manager
To develop effective sales managers, it’s essential to distinguish between leadership and management:
- Management: Is about tasks – ensuring the right processes are in place, setting appropriate KPIs, providing tools, and resolving issues. It’s “about doing things right”.
- Leadership: Is about people – influencing a group towards a goal, inspiring, motivating, leading by example, and fostering confidence. It’s “about doing the right things”.
The most successful sales leaders excel at both. They understand how to conduct effective sales meetings and hold people accountable, while simultaneously embodying qualities like listening, asking (not just telling), and coaching.
Why Sales Managers Often Fall Short
Recognizing the common pitfalls is the first step to improvement:
1. They Don’t Coach Enough: This is the primary reason why sales managers fail to get results from themselves and their teams. Managers should ideally spend 50% of their time coaching their salespeople; however, a staggering 97% do not, and only 7% have the necessary skills to be effective coaches.
Paul O’Donohue stresses, “A sales manager’s job is to grow people to grow sales. If you’re not growing people, you’re not growing sales and you’ll never reach your growth targets“.
2. They Continue to Sell Instead of Manage: An elite salesperson doesn’t automatically translate into an elite sales manager. Many struggle to transition from being a “hero closer” to a developer who generates revenue through others.
3. Their Role is Undefined: Businesses often set their sales managers up for failure by not defining clear roles or setting precise expectations. This is particularly evident when foundational steps like sales analysis, planning, and KPI establishment are overlooked.
Becoming a More Effective Sales Leader
Transforming your sales management begins with actionable steps:
1. Start Coaching Actively: Implement regular pre-call strategizing and post-call debriefing meetings. Dedicate time to weekly one-on-one catch-ups to discuss pipeline opportunities and help reps work through challenges. Applying consultative selling skills to coaching – asking good questions instead of simply telling – encourages salespeople to self-discover learnings.
2. Hold Salespeople Accountable: Review KPIs regularly in weekly sales meetings to set clear goals and focus activities. Follow up in one-on-ones to track progress and provide targeted coaching. This “strict” approach actually leads to a more harmonious work environment by reducing confusion and blame.
3. Lead by Example: Share your own experiences – both successes and failures – to provide real-world knowledge and demonstrate humility.
4. Recognize Individual Differences: Understand that not every salesperson operates the same way. Allow for two-way communication and tailor your support to individual strengths and weaknesses.
Conclusion
Developing effective sales managers is a cornerstone of scaling your sales organization. By empowering your managers with the skills, clarity, and tools to lead and coach, you directly impact sales performance, team morale, and overall business growth.
Moving away from outdated management practices and investing in leadership development is not just beneficial – it’s imperative for sustained success in today’s competitive landscape.
