TOP SKILLS FOR SALES LEADERSHIP

 TOP SKILLS FOR SALES LEADERSHIP

Every salesperson knows the quality of their sales manager will have a profound impact on their own success. The quality of the sales organization is directly associated with the quality of sales leadership. To have the attributes of the high-performing sales leaders you’ll need to make sure you’ve got the right skills, experience, drive and track record at the helm in both selling and at managing others—in order to back yourself up. Successful sales leaders are competitive, energetic, driven, passionate, communicative, inspiring, etc. Sales and Marketing Executive Program in IIM Calcutta successfully strive to build great sales leaders who take these traits and combine them with their knowledge of the current sales scene as they integrate new technologies for modern selling. These leaders who are ready to take on this challenge are what high-growth startups need today. This list of skills for sales leaders below is by no means exhaustive, but it will expand your idea generation as you build out your sales organization.

AGILITY

Agility means rapid, continuous learning from experience.  Modern sellers grow and leverage agility to help the customers create a competitive advantage. By doing that, they become differentiators. How do you know if your teams are agile? Agile sales professionals and sales leaders seek continuous feedback, are always curious, easily navigate ambiguity, and aren’t afraid to try bold ideas. Consider agility an integral asset. This is not only a top skill for sales leaders but for leaders of all types.

RESILIENCE

It’s not about how many times you get knocked down. It’s about how many times you get back up again. In modern selling, we need to be able to take risks – knowing that even the best-laid plans need flexibility and room for mistakes. It takes an average of 18 calls to actually connect with a buyer and only 24 percent of sales emails are opened. Tenacity matters.

Those who view failure as data points are the most successful. They see success and failure on a continuum and not as absolutes – that helps them to bounce back from mistakes and to not rest on past successes. Take an inventory of what you’ve learned, and use that to improve on what’s next. Developing resilience is part of the holistic skill set of the modern seller.

 

SOCIAL CAPITAL 

To get significant things accomplished, nothing will help you more than a strong, deep network.

There are few places where that’s more apparent than in sales. When we focus on investing in strategic relationships, we forge a strong reputation, driving results personally and in our business. The people and organizations that understand the true value of social capital are among the highest performing. Social networks also bind us to one another in ways that elevate engagement and bring more satisfaction to our work than without them. A must for the sales leader of the future.

 “STRATACTICAL”  THINKING

In modern times, there is an inevitable need for thought leaders to be both strategic and tactical. All sales leaders are battlefield commanders who must devise the organization’s sales strategy to defeat the competition. This requires plotting the best course of action to maximize revenue using the most cost-effective sales model. Great sales leaders possess the knowledge to correctly deploy field or inside salespeople, segment the market into verticals, and specialize sales teams by product or customer types when necessary. 

 

·         Draw connections from those new ideas to strategies that align with your customers’ priorities.

·         Turn those ideas and connections into specific actions that could create demand for your product or service or help your customer create demand for their product or service.

·         Create fresh new ideas and insights that come with an outside perspective and deep knowledge of their industry.

 

Sales leadership is undoubtedly a challenging undertaking, especially in this ever-changing industry. High-growth companies need sales leaders who embody these qualities and care enough for their team and their company’s overall growth.