Leadership is one of the most important roles we “wear.”
Leading a team of winning sales managers and sales people is the ultimate high. The wonder and beauty of people in sales is their energy. They are hardy, enthusiastic, dynamic, embrace challenge and love what they do and how what they sell changes things for their customers.
Nothing is more fun than participating in the high energy where your team is “hitting their numbers.” Finishing strong means awards, celebration, appreciation and acknowledgement for you and your team!
Inspiring your leadership team when things are doing well is easy. Because there are extreme highs in sales, the opposite also exists – those extreme lows when some contract doesn’t come through after months of hard effort, loss of a big account to a competitor or the challenge of aggressive goals for the coming year requires you to lead differently.
This is the stimulating and challenging part of leadership that gives you your moments to shine!
“What’s a leader to do?” Here are a few simple ways to keep growing!
Sales Leader Techniques:
- Prevention
By having a policy in place where you enforce the need to continually resell, service or connect to your existing customers, you can keep business and often prevent loss. Focus existing customers on the benefits of being with your company and prove that you value them. What were the reasons they chose you? Are the benefits increased satisfaction or greater effectiveness, an overall savings in intangibles, greater value to their customers, staff or patients? What kind of attention do they require or desire from your company? Connect with some of the customers yourself as a way to extend appreciation and value. Build loyalty!
2. Support
As the leader your availability to teach, coach and advance their skills is one of the best ways to build a high performing team that keeps growing each year. Build a promotion track with cross-training and mentor programs.
3. Listen!
When you work with your team ask questions about their needs, the needs of the customers, what they want from you as their leader. Highly effective leaders take the ideas, concerns, and suggestions and act on them. Your credibility increases exponentially when you act on one of those great ideas.
4. Relentless Effort
Demonstrate unwavering resolve. Encouraging your team to keep going in the face of adversity, or the big “no” brings rewards. This builds resilience and perseverance needed when it is their turn to lead.
“Resolve never to quit, never to give up, no matter the situation.” – Jack Nicklaus
5. Possibility
Engage in possibility thinking with other leaders in your company. Ask what values and policies they put in place in addition to the ones from corporate that are giving them greater success. Utilize the knowledge that is available to you. Stimulate the innovative and creative side of yourself and others to come up with ways to grow the business that gives you an edge. Learn from others. Continually ask your team for solutions to the obstacles they face. By gathering their input and inviting them to share their innovative ideas helps advance your leadership edge. Do it!
And a last note from “Tribes” by Seth Godin – The secret of leadership is simple – do what you believe in, paint a picture of the future, go there…people will follow.”
So, these are just a few simple, straight forward ideas. I’d love to hear some of yours!
What are some of the ways you successfully lead year after year? How do you reduce the complexity of retaining business, gaining new business, and developing your next leaders? What is your greatest sales leader success story? What are the key characteristics you value on your team? We’d love to hear them and share so others can unleash their greatness too!
Kathy Holdaway – Mind of the Heart Coaching works with Sales Managers and their teams in Leadership skills, Team Development and Sales Growth – Medical Device Disposables, Wound Care and Infection Control
Connect with me @ kathy@mindoftheheartcoaching.com