Top Sales Leadership Skills Make a Difference
It usually takes a massive and concerted effort across an entire organization to create and sustain high growth. But did you know that much of your sales success depends on the sales leadership skills of your sales leaders? Almost three quarters of sales reps who exceed their annual quota rate their sales leaders as excellent or above average.
What Distinguishes Top Quality Sales Leaders from The Pack?
While each sales strategy and each sales organization have their own unique set of challenges, our sales leadership simulation assessment found that some sales leadership skills matter more than others. Here are some sales leadership skills that separate the great from the not-so-great sales leaders:
- Creating Strategic Focus
Our organizational alignment research found that strategic sales clarity accounts for 31% of the difference between high and low performing sales leaders. The best sales leaders are laser-focused on finding and serving ideal target clients who appreciate their unique value proposition to meet and exceed meaningful, fair, and clear sales targets in a way that makes sense to their team and to their customers.
Is your sales strategy clear, believable, and implementable enough to get you where you want to go? - Modeling and Creating High Levels of Accountability
In high performing sales teams, everyone knows where they stand. Top sales leaders hold themselves and their teams to high levels of accountability in terms of being (how they behave) and doing (the results that they produce.) They consistently and transparently track and communicate progress to goals and create an environment where everyone strives for continuous improvement. Overachievers are disproportionately rewarded, and underachievers are held to account to improve with high levels of support or to move on so as not to lower the bar.
Are your sales leaders creating the high performance sales culture required to drive high growth? - Attracting and Retaining Top Sales Talent
Unsurprisingly, high performing sales teams have high performing sales reps. Top sales leaders spend up to 75% of their time recruiting and retaining A+ sales talent that fits their unique situation.
Can your sales leaders inspire and engage sales reps in a way that increases their sales motivation and intent to stay and perform? - Coaching to Create the Desire for Change
An often neglected but critical skill for sales leaders’ success is the ability to coach to individual sales rep needs. Sales reps who receive consistent and effective sales coaching outperform their peers 4-to-1 in terms of quota attainment. High performing sales leaders can diagnose performance gaps and follow a proven coaching model to close the gaps in a way that creates the desire for change.
Can your sales leaders consistently coach their team members to reach their full potential?
The Bottom Line
High performing sales leaders can lead, manage, and coach their teams to higher performance. If you are missing targets or not keeping pace with the market, look first at your sales leaders. Do they have what it takes to win?
To learn more about top sales leadership skills, download 15 Sales Warning Signs Your Sales Team is Headed in the Wrong Direction