4 recurring patterns of great sales leaders

Being a sales leader can be a tough gig

You have internal stakeholders to satisfy. You have a sales team to lead, educate and motivate. You have clients to delight. And to be successful can mean spending a significant part of each day with clients, either in the field or in digital meetings or working on client-related issues.

Because of this, sales leaders can often be out of sight within the company network. While other executives are meeting internally with colleagues or other managers, sales leaders can be out of the office, and left out of the loop, because they are focused on happenings outside of the business premises.

4 recurring patterns of great sales leaders

So it’s encouraging to find research from a 10-year study written up on HBR.com that identifies four recurring patterns of great executives. I think these patterns apply equally to sales leaders. In fact they may be even more important for sales leaders to pursue given the external focus within the sales function.

Let’s have a look at these four patterns and what sales leaders can do to become ‘great’.

1. They know the whole business

From the research, great executives:

• Avoid leaning on instincts and cognitive biases from previous roles/business units
• Develop breadth by broadening their exposure to the full organization and taking assignments across disciplines

What can a sales leader do to be great?

To really provide value for clients, sellers must know about more than just their own services or products. The same goes for sales leaders. They need to know about more than just the sales function and what they do in their own role. To gain credibility sales leaders must be able to present a balanced view when discussing issues with other executives.

One way of learning about the whole business is to schedule time with senior players in other parts of the business such as research and development, logistics, finance, or technology. Don’t leave it to chance; make an appointment with them, or see if you can have lunch with them.

• Ask them what they do
• Discover the challenges they face
• Find out how they believe their function/department provides value for the organisation
• Ask them how they perceive the sales function
• Keep an open mind and learn from their viewpoint

And be sure to read any company information, newsletters or product updates. Make an effort to keep yourself up to date with what is happening across the organisation.

Make an effort to stay current

Yes, this will take some time. But maybe not as much as you might think. Especially if you take a strategic view and invest time getting to know the parts of the business that make the most impact on overall company performance.

2. They are great decision makers

From the research, great executives:

• Have the ability to declare their views, engage others’ ideas, analyze data for insights, weigh alternatives, own the final call, and communicate the decision clearly
• Are good prioritizers, since setting priorities is all about selectively choosing from among various tradeoffs
• Ensure accountability is crystal clear to the organization
• Function fluidly and confidently along the continuum between ‘trust your gut’ and ‘trust the numbers/analytics’

What can a sales leader do to be great?

Sales has always been heavily influenced by relationships. Even in the digital age (maybe even moreso) relationships are still very important.

Sales leaders have relationships with the sellers on their team. They also have relationships with clients. Often its tempting to simply go with your gut feel or instinct when making decisions. Too many sales leaders rely on a shoot-from-the-hip approach they developed during their own time as a seller when clients expected instant reactions to their requests.

However a better way is to understand which decisions would benefit from a more analytical approach (considering some data before making the decision), and which decisions will never have a hard-and-fast answer.

Sometimes you just don’t have time to get data before making the decision. And not all outcomes are measurable by percentages, dollars or other statistical answers. The last thing you want is to suffer from analysis by paralysis.

Make sure you keep yourself informed of what is happening around you – in the market and in your company (see items 1 and 3 in this list). That will help you to acknowledge the relevance of some information over others, and to prioritise your actions based on what is really important.

Embed accountability in your decision process

Remember, when making a decision you also need to consider the implications, or follow on from that decision. Plan for accountability (who is responsible for taking action?) so the decision actually creates the outcome you intended. It’s no good making a decision then letting it drift along because nobody is taking ownership of it.

3. They know the industry

From the research, great executives:

• Know how their organization uniquely competes and makes money, and what is most relevant to the customers they serve
• Have an innate curiosity and deep knowledge of their business context which they apply to wider economic, technological, and customer trends

What can a sales leader do to be great?

Simply, be curious. The more curious you are the better. Don’t ever settle for telling yourself “I don’t need to know about that”. Instead, ask yourself why? Then seek to discover the answer.

Being curious helps you identify key factors, or pain points, or opportunities, within any industry. Importantly it can take you beyond the sales function. It can drive you to learn more and in doing so helps you provide insights of greater value for your team, your colleagues, and your clients.

When you meet new people, or attend an industry event, ask “Why do they do that?”, or “Why does that matter?”, or “What else could they do in that situation?”

Involve others to activate their curiosity

Even better, ask your team the same questions. Get more people around you to activate their curiosity. That will stimulate even more probing questions, stimulating conversation and possibly controversial ideas.

4. They form deep trusting relationships

From the research, great executives:

• Form deep connections with superiors, peers, and direct reports, studying and meeting the needs of key stakeholders
• Reach beyond superficial transactions to form mutually beneficial, trusting relationships

What can a sales leader do to be great?

Apply the same focus on relationship building to your internal connections that is usually applied to client relationships.

Avoid getting trapped by email overload and short emotionally-void text messages. Create opportunities to learn more about the people you come into contact with.

People recognise when you slow down and pay attention to them; and when you remember things they have told you (especially personal or non-work things); and when you really seem to care about their situation.

Once again this requires you to make time – to focus effort – on getting to understand those peers, reports, colleagues and stakeholders whom you interact with.

Have the intent and the willingness to succeed

It comes down to intent. Do you have the intent to gain a better understanding of others? And are you willing to make it happen (rather than simply wait and see if it happens)?

There is no magic ‘instant success formula’. Trusted relationships are earned over time.

Do you have other suggestions on what sales leaders should do to become great? Leave a comment below to share your views.

Or contact us for a confidential and complimentary consultation on how you can develop the skills of a great sales leader.