Your sales managers are the most important pieces of your sales organization. Not your reps, not your “visionary” VP, it’s the sales managers. Don’t believe me?
Who is in the trenches day in and day out? Who has their hands in every deal? Who talks to your reps more often than anyone else? Who is watching every customer interaction?
Your managers are the ones running the coaching sessions, pipeline reviews, and making sure your sales process is running smoothly.
Pivotal Role of Sales Managers
Managers aren’t a piece of your revenue operations, they’re the whole damn engine.
In the Trenches
Your sales managers are basically joined at the hip with your sales reps. They get more face time than anyone else in the company. Coaching sessions, pipeline review, personal development plans, account plans, quota management, deal strategies, territory disputes? All a part of the sales manager’s job description.
Idea to Result
The sales manager is the one absorbing the VP of Sales or CRO’s next strategy, digesting it, and then formulating a plan to execute on the plan with the reps. Try rolling out a new process without them. Sales managers are the ones who:
- Create buy-in with the sales team for new initiatives
- Reinforce goals, culture, and objectives coming from the top
- Are the link between the executive suite and the boots on the ground
- Are responsible for implementing the boardroom’s plans
They’re the ones getting shit done. Think of your sales managers are the broadband connection between the leadership team and your sellers. If that connection is weak, nothing gets through clearly.
Human Element
Sales managers are pivotal to the success of your sales organization because of 1 key factor: the human element. They get to know every rep to a level no executive can match.
Think about it:
- They understand each rep’s motivation
- They know who is struggling and who is on fire
- They can spot a problem brewing before anyone else
- They can feel morale slipping and know which levers to pull to turn things around.
Execution
Tasked with translating strategic plans into action, sales managers ensure that every initiative is carried out effectively. They are the driving force when it comes time to execute.
What I mean by that is:
- They’re responsible for training, coaching, and follow up with new processes
- When territories are reassigned or realigned, the managers keep reps moving forward rather than harboring resentment
- When prices change hard conversations need to be had and your managers are there to help reps with those tricky conversations
Sales managers can act as your early warning system, providing critical feedback on how strategy is working in practice. They gather and analyze insight from the front line, often offering valuable information that the boardroom requires.
Key Traits of Effective Sales Managers
There’s 3 traits that every great manager possesses: influence, buy-in, and thick skin. Here’s why they matter in a sales manager role:
Influence
Effective sales managers have both formal and informal influence.
- They shape the team’s attitude and approach
- Their words carry weight up and down the chain
- The sales team sees them as a valuable resource and not just a boss
Buy-In
Sales managers must be 100% bought in to the company’s vision, strategy, and culture. They must:
- Believe in the company’s direction
- Champion new initiatives with authentic excitement and enthusiasm
- Ensure that their commitment is contagious
A sales manager who doesn’t believe in the mission is the same thing as a coach who doesn’t believe in the game plan. It’s impossible to gain a following without a committed leader.
Thick Skin
Sales management is tough. It’s a high-pressure role that requires resilience. Managers must be able to:
- Withstand pressure from the boardroom and from the reps
- Deliver tough messages
- Navigate conflicts and make difficult decisions on a daily basis.
Invest in your Sales Managers
Empower those who empower your revenue engines.
Recognize their Impact
Acknowledge your sales manager’s role in the company’s success.
- Highlight their wins to the company
- Give credit where it’s due.
- Make it clear that the whole organization understands the importance of their role
Provide Resources
If you want your manager to succeed then you need to invest in them first and foremost.
- Train them often and give them the tools they need to succeed
- Allow them to make decisions that they believe are most beneficial to their teams
- Trust their judgement. Sales managers are the closest to your reps, don’t micromanage them. Trust them to do the job you hired them to do
Invest in their Future
Most people don’t dream of being middle management. It’s a stepping stone to a spot on your leadership team. Help them reach that goal.
- Provide leadership development opportunities
- Encourage them to stay up to date with current trends
- Create a clear path for career advancement and stick to it.
Conclusion
Your sales managers have the most important role in your sales organization. They’re the frontline leaders, coaches, and strategists. Great sales managers have influence, buy-in from their teams, and thick skin. Investing in them is an investment in the entire team.
As mentioned earlier, sales managers are the broadband connection, don’t let that connection turn to dial up.
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