| Although every organization is different, hiring a sales | | | | team and to work with the other departments. |
| manager is not as simple as it looks. In fact, the | | | | 5. Relationship skills- This is the ability to create long |
| wrong sales manager can quickly damage morale, if | | | | term relationships with internal and external |
| not scare away the sales reps and potentially injure | | | | customers. Sales managers must be likeable. |
| the firm. | | | | 6. Analytical skills- The best sales managers must be |
| A common mistake is to promote a high achieving | | | | able to decide the strategic options in complex sales |
| sales rep who wants to move up in management. | | | | situations. They have to make the tough calls. |
| Unfortunately, a highly successful sales rep may be | | | | 7. Wins through the victories of the team- Gets |
| exactly the wrong candidate for sales management. | | | | satisfaction by helping sales reps win; this is knocks |
| Often aggressive sales reps are impatient, lack | | | | out a lot of reps who want to be managers. |
| team-player characteristics, and tend to have huge | | | | 8. Ability to handle pressure- On a day to day basis, |
| egos; these can be exactly the wrong characteristics | | | | the sales manager is "under the gun" more than any |
| for a sales manager. | | | | employee in a typical firm. |
| In my opinion, the following general characteristics or | | | | 9. Continuous learner- I find that the best sales |
| traits are needed for a good sales manager: | | | | managers are always looking for new ways to get |
| 1. Teaching skills- This includes the ability and interest | | | | things done. They are naturally curious. |
| to help others learn. | | | | 10. Sales manager experience- I always favor gray |
| 2. Empathy- A good sales manager needs to | | | | hair when it comes to hiring a sales manager. |
| understand how reps feel and how to react | | | | Conversely, rookies will likely make mistakes and |
| accordingly. Sales teams can be highly emotional and | | | | those mistakes could be costly. |
| fragile. Insensitive sales managers fail. | | | | Remember to do an extensive background check on |
| 3. Ego in check- A strong ego is required, but the | | | | external candidates. Look for a history of strong |
| needs of the team are greater than the manager's. | | | | performances with good references. Life is short, so |
| 4. Communication skills- This skill is an obvious | | | | hire winners. |
| requirement that includes the ability to lead the sales | | | | |