Selling a product and managing a team of professionals is quite different. Therefore, you can’t expect the best sales performer to be the next manager. The qualities required to allure a customer into buying differ from those needed to inspire and motivate the team.
You must effectively choose the sales manager, as, in the end, it’s the manager who can lead the team to success. Do you know that the maximum of sales reps who exceeded their annual quota credit their manager for being above average or excellent?
Great managers help exceed the limit and targets. While sales associates have to learn to generate leads and turn them into members, sales managers must simplify their tasks. Using tools such as Dynamics 365 map can help them with effective management, but it’s the qualities that make the difference.
Even if the manager has a Dynamics CRM mapping solution, they should know how to make the best use. For this, they must have these attributes.
- Strategic Thinking
The most important quality of a sales manager is to find ways to boost business sales. To plan the process and find out ways that can help achieve targets or generate more leads.
In reality, it’s about planning a strategy considering the buyer’s persona and the direction of the business/marketplace.
For example, sales reps may have a lot of prospective leads, but they might not be moving them ahead in the sales funnel. The reason can be that they have applied their strategies like emails, but nothing works. The customer engages with the email but might not be taking action.
So what a sales manager would do here?
A great manager would understand the customers’ expectations. They would instruct the team to make it easier for prospects to take action. They would equip the team with tools like Dynamics CRM Map to communicate with the marketing team and plan a way out.
- Ability to Train and Coach
When we say manager, it doesn’t simply mean managing and handling the operations.
A sales manager has to be an all-rounder. They should know when to coach and train the sales reps to make the best of their skills. The manager must be smart enough to identify the talent and train accordingly. For instance, a sales rep can be performing well in the top layer of the funnel. Another might have a knack for turning leads to members. So, the manager must identify these and sharpen their skills instead of organizing a general training for all.
For this, the sales manager can make use of the Dynamics CRM mapping solution. By identifying how much time reps take in accomplishing a task, they can plan their training suitably.
- Performance Management
Keeping a close eye on the team’s performance and driving sales is a trait of a good sales manager. They understand when a rep is struggling or underperforming. Instead of being bossy and forcing them to achieve targets, they help them with a solution.
Not only emotions, but they would also understand the pressure and set tasks accordingly so that the team gets a space to breathe.
They would then evaluate the work and define goals to enhance team performance.
- Effective Listener and Speaker
This quality goes in hand with a common saying, “You can’t be a good coach or a mentor if you’re not good at communication. Similarly, you can’t lead by example if you don’t possess great listening skills.”
Therefore, communication and listening are essential for a sales manager. If the manager is friendly, they would be able to foster relationships among the team. They can interact with the team on an individual level. The fun talks would help the team know one another and build a healthy relationship.
It would encourage exchanging thoughts, suggestions, ideas, and feedback, which would help everyone learn and grow.
A sales manager who gets on one-to-one communication and can understand the team’s challenges and the individuals is the perfect fit for the organization.
- Team Productivity
The ability to reduce the team’s work on non-productive hours is also an effective quality of a manager.
A good sales manager will ensure that the teams’ efforts and hours are spent on productive work, i.e., generating leads. They can do this by helping the team with route optimization, sharing location, and providing tools such as Dynamics CRM Map that can help them accomplish their tasks in a short time.
- Problem Solving Skills
To be an effective sales manager, you must have the skills to find a solution for every problem.
Your sales team might be stuck with challenges and require guidance to handle a situation or adapt to the latest tools and strategies.
A good sales manager would act as a wall between the challenges and the team. They would filter out the issues and be a bridge between the team and the solution.
They would identify the path their team must take and guide them in the direction.
This ability to balance the problem and solution is an important trait of a sales manager. You must work on it.
- Accountability
Do you take responsibility for your actions?
If not, then you must inhibit this quality, or your team members would feel they are the ones with a burden.
If you take accountability for yourselves and your actions, your team would be willing to take ownership of their work and responsibilities.
A high-performing sales manager considers himself accountable when sales perform less and credits the team when they double.
Also, they avoid micromanaging. It not only disturbs the team but also hampers productivity.