What makes a sales team manager “great”? According to Kylas, being a good leader is all about finding the right balance between both managerial skills and leadership skills.
Most people would agree that attitude isn’t everything, but a right attitude plays a very important role in effective team leadership. If you look closely, you will always seek out someone who’s naturally positive, confident, and a good communicator.
A sales leader holds herself to a high standard of behavior, consistently acting in a professional manner that respects customers, upper management, and the salespeople in your company.
While every leader has their own unique personality to drive their teams, these 5 qualities are essential to a good leader.
1) Experienced
A manager is battle-hardened and experienced, which is why they are followed and looked up to. Experience is what makes their teams and organizations trust them. This role is earned; you cannot hold this position without working their way up, having a fair share of past experiences, and then implementing them. Most importantly, they know how to keep the team focused on progressing and winning.
2) Leads by example
As easy as they may sound, the words- respect and trust are way harder to earn. Good leaders know that they are constantly being evaluated and looked to for direction, and they never take advantage of their power. Good leaders practice what they preach; they inspire those who matter to them and to whom they matter through example. Someone who is ready to sacrifice their time and spare efforts to help their teams make progress.
3) Able to understand and coach
70% time of managers should be spent in coaching and working on guiding their teams. There is no better feeling than helping your team and your business grow; and continuously find ways to take their company to new heights and greatness. A successful manager must look for different ways to build on the strengths of those under them and improve their weaknesses.
4) Confident
If a company is experiencing a major crisis, employees tend to ls look up to their leader for answers. In a stressful situation, a good leader will weigh the situation, stay focused and look for solutions, and hence, set the example for their sales team. Staying strong, calm, and collected during these times will not only lessen the stress, but will also solve the problem and at the same time, inspire others to act accordingly.
5) Motivating
Continuous encouragement and recognition- a sales manager should be approachable and have the right answers and motivation to steer the team members in the right direction. A great manager realizes that encouragement goes a long way, and isn’t afraid to constantly push the rest of his or her team to seek greatness as well. This is done by showing the value of hard work, educating the team to develop the skills necessary for growth, and offering constant feedback.