Sales managers bridge a crucial gap between sales leadership and front-line salespeople. They execute strategies, support teams, and enable sales organizations success.
Yet, many companies fail to give sales managers the recognition they deserve, and that failure rest on the company.
Too often, businesses make the same mistake. They hire or promote the wrong people into these roles. They promote their best salesperson, prioritize industry knowledge, or rely entirely on years of experience.
This approach doesn’t work.
Role of sales managers
Sales managers form the backbone of every sales organization. Their leadership and support directly impact the team’s performance. As the link between leadership and front-line sellers, sales managers translate strategies and processes into actionable plans and ensure flawless execution.
Unlike individual contributors, sales managers drive results through their team. They guide, motivate, and develop salespeople, using their leadership skills to adapt to challenges and foster success across the team.
Choosing the right sales manager is critical when building a team. Companies must prioritize traits that matter most—leadership, sales expertise, and execution skills. Unfortunately, many organizations make the mistake of hiring managers based on their success as a seller or their extensive industry knowledge, overlooking the skills needed to lead effectively.
Common Hiring Mistakes
The wrong hire can significantly impact the company’s bottom line. Many companies fall into the same traps when evaluating candidates, focusing on traits that seem appealing but don’t translate into management success. Three frequent mistakes to avoid when hiring a sales manager:
Promoting the best salesperson
Many organizations assume their top seller will excel as a manager. However, the skills that drive individual success, such as consistently hitting quota, rarely translate into effective team management. Sales management demands leadership, coaching, and strategic thinking—skills that differ entirely from those needed for personal sales performance.
Overvaluing industry knowledge
Industry knowledge adds value, but it shouldn’t dominate hiring decisions. You can teach industry knowledge, but prioritizing it often results in poor hires. Strong leadership and coaching skills consistently outperform industry expertise in driving team success.
Hiring based on experience alone
Experience is often mistaken as a shortcut to competency, but years in a role don’t always translate to relevant skills. Focus on what a candidate has accomplished during their tenure, rather than the time they’ve spent in the position. A candidate who consistently demonstrates leadership, develops effective processes, and achieves measurable results is far more valuable than someone with decades of uninspired tenure.
Key Traits to Prioritize when hiring
Hiring the right sales manager requires a focus on the traits that drive success. Leadership, sales expertise, and execution skills stand out as the most critical qualities. These traits equip sales managers to lead effectively, support their teams, and achieve organizational goals.
Leadership
Sales managers must lead through others. They inspire, coach, and hold team members accountable. Leadership drives team alignment and ensures everyone works towards shared objectives. Assess leadership skills by examining how candidates guide teams, resolve conflicts, and deliver results through collaboration.
Sales expertise
Sales managers rely on deep sales expertise to support their teams. They understand the sales process and use that knowledge to help identify opportunities, solve problems, and provide guidance. Unlike experience, which measures time in a role, expertise measures depth of understanding and application. Prioritize candidates who demonstrate mastery of the art and science of sales.
Execution Skills
Sales managers must turn strategies into results. They implement plans, create processes, and deliver outcomes. Evaluate candidates’ execution skills by reviewing examples of methods, templates, or system they have successfully developed and/or implemented in previous roles.
How to identify the right sales manager
To hire the best sales manager, you must evaluate the candidates effectively. Focus on identifying the 3 skills mentioned previously.
Assess leadership skills
Test candidates leadership abilities by asking about their experience guiding teams, resolving conflicts, and aligning team efforts with company goals. Use scenario-based question to evaluate how they would handle challenges, motivate teams members, and drive accountability.
Evaluate sales expertise
Ask candidates to share specific examples of their sales strategies and successes. Look for depth of understanding in the technical aspect of sales. Prioritize candidates who can clearly explain how they’ve used expertise to overcome challenges and develop others.
Measure execution abilities
Ask candidates for tangible examples of their execution skills. Review processes, templates, or methodologies they’ve created and successfully applied. Evaluate their ability to take plans from concept to completion and deliver measurable outcomes.
Use structured interviews and assessments
Incorporate structured interviews and performance-based assessments to evaluate candidates. Create scenarios or tasks that reflect real-world challenges sales managers face.
Avoid Common hiring mistakes
Hiring the wrong sales manager damages team performance and wastes opportunities.
Stop promoting based solely on sales performance
Evaluate candidates for leadership, coaching ability, and team management skills. Don’t assume top performing salespeople will excel as managers. Assess how well they can guide and develop other, rather than relying on their personal sales achievements.
Focus on skills, not industry knowledge
Prioritize leadership, sales expertise, and execution over industry familiarity. Teach industry knowledge, if necessary, but hire for skills that directly impact team success. Avoid choosing managers solely for their background in your field.
Evaluate achievements over years of experience
Assess what candidates accomplished during their careers instead of counting their years of experience. Look for examples of impactful leadership, consistent execution, and measurable results. Avoid hiring someone who relies on tenure alone to demonstrate value.
Write clear job descriptions
Clarify the traits and skills you expect from a sales manager in the job description. Specify the need for leadership, sales expertise, and execution abilities to attract candidates who meet your requirements.
Hire with purpose
Lead your hiring process with intention. Focus on traits that align with effective sales management and sustainable growth.
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