There is no denying that sales managers are instrumental to the success of a sales organisation. In fact, without a great sales manager, it is unlikely that a sales team will be able to achieve the results that they need.
The most successful sales people are flaunt in conversation, confident and have outgoing personalities as they spend most of their time talking to other people. Prestige Recruitment Group understand that to be a great sales manager, it’s not just about personality and so we have listed five other skills that every successful sales manager needs.
1) Thorough Knowledge and Deep Understanding of the Consumer
In order to be a successful sales manager, you must have thorough knowledge and understanding of the consumer. Understanding the customer develops the basic foundation for any sales and a sales manager that doesn’t completely understand their buyer is not as efficient as they could be when developing a selling strategy.
A great sales manager won’t just know who’s buying their products and services, they will also know why and how often their consumer will need them. You should be able to identify the experience that the consumer wants to have and make sure that your whole team are able to exceed these expectations.
2) Excellent Communication Skills & Leading by Example
As a sales manager, you will be responsible for managing a whole team of salespeople. You need to ensure that every single one of them understands their goals and targets and the best way to achieve them. Great sales managers ensure that they give their full attention to what their team is saying, and take time to understand their perspective. Sales teams work better when their needs are met, and they fully understand what is expected of them. A great method of communicating on what should be done is to lead by example. As a great sales manager, nothing else builds credibility like someone who is involved within the whole process. If you communicate with your team and they can see that you’re getting involved, it also sets the standard for what your team should be doing.
You will also be expected to communicate effectively with customers. Fully understanding and reacting to what your customer is saying and their market pressures are imperative. This customer-driven responsiveness is essential to a great sales team; therefore, all-around great communication skills are vital to being a successful sales manager.
3) Continuous Coaching & Mentoring
A great sales manager understands that the coaching and mentoring of your sales team doesn’t stop after the initial training. You should be helping all your sales people to improve their performance and reach their true potential.
If performance issues go unchecked, sales and the morale of the team can be seriously damaged. It is down to you to have planned checkpoints for the team to address performance issues and develop a plan of action to correct the problem. A great sales manager should have great coaching skills to ensure that they not only deal with staff underperforming, but also reward those who are achieving well. This way, you will always keep your staff constantly engaged.
4) Critical Business Strategy and Organisation Skills
To be a successful sales manager, you need to critically understand the business as a whole. The sales environment demands that the best managers thoroughly understand complex business issues and help their salespeople to view their business strategically. Sales managers should be able to help their team make wise decisions, plan better and grow.
Also, you should be able to stay organised within your role as a sales manager as you will receive a lot of data and so a strong sales manager needs to be able to keep on top of everything. The best sales managers will use organisation as part of their business strategy, and be able to assess potential problems and overcome them.
5) Understanding Your Staff
Everyone is different; we all have different motivations, goals and personalities. A truly great sales manager understands that there is no ‘one path’ to success when it comes to the coaching, mentoring and the motivation of their sales staff. It is important to understand their key factors for growth and then tailor each individual's training to them. Looking at your staff and evaluating who needs what and when is one of the most valuable assets a sales manager can have.
Being a sales manager, your job can be testing and difficult at times, as you have to achieve goals and targets as a team. It is however, a very social career in that you communicate with different people all of the time. If you need to recruit for a sales manager or would like to start a career within the sales industry, please get in touch with us.