Two questions related to this topic were recently asked in a discussion group I monitor. The questions struck a chord and I felt compelled to respond. Here are the two questions and my responses:

1. What are the characteristics of a sales producer who is effective in leadership?

For some sales producers, their success is all about them. They like being the hero. They like being in the spotlight.

This type of top sales producer is unlikely to be effective as a leader except when a salesperson needs help with closing a deal or removing a roadblock that is preventing a sale. In these cases the "self-focused" sales manager gets to ride in on their white horse and save the day. Because they get to be the hero they are motivated to act.

Effective sales leaders have talents beyond those required to prospect, qualify opportunities, manage sales cycles, and close sales. Here are some of the most critical talents:

• They have a clear vision of what they want to accomplish and how they intend to accomplish it.
• They excel at repetitively communicating their vision to their teams so the teams understand where they are being led.
• They enjoy helping others achieve success and are happy basking in the (reflected) glow of the others' success.
• They care about people as people and have a sincere interest in helping them achieve their goals and desires.
• They enjoy sharing information and excel at coaching and training.
• They communicate with great clarity.
• They understand why the things they are teaching work, which makes them more effective as teachers.
• In many cases they are process-oriented and strive to create a sales culture that is predictable, repeatable and scalable.
• They recognize that one end result of effective management is making yourself replaceable (which usually means promotable).

2. Why do some top sales producers fail in leadership positions?

Top producers fail in leadership positions for a variety of reasons that include the following:

• Many of them lack key talents and skills required to be effective leaders. Examples include vision, communication skills, training/coaching/mentoring skills, sales activity inspection skills, sales pipeline inspection skills, motivational skills, sincere interest in others, etc.
• Many new sales leaders are not trained in how to lead effectively. When they are promoted to management, their training consists of a handshake and a "Go get 'em, tiger!" Yet, the day-to-day activities of a full-time sales manager are significantly different than those of a full-time salesperson. The knowledge required to effectively lead a sales team will not come to new sales managers by osmosis. They need to be trained in how to effectively lead their teams!
• Many sales leaders have never been taught the value of creating consistency in how the members of their sales teams go about their work. If all of the members of a sales team follow the same predictable, repeatable sales processes (with certain allowances for individual selling styles, of course), it is much easier to scale the sales team.

Conclusion

Just because a salesperson is a top producer does not mean he or she will be effective as a sales manager/leader. To maximize the chances of an effective transition, invest some money and effort in:

1. Determining whether the salesperson has the talents and skills required to succeed as a sales leader.
2. Training the new sales leader in how to perform critical sales management/leadership functions effectively.

The larger the number of salespeople on your sales team, the larger the return you will earn on your investment in providing them with a truly qualified and properly trained sales leader!

©2008-2009 Alan Rigg

About the Author

Sales performance expert Alan Rigg is the author of How to Beat the 80/20 Rule in Sales Team Performance, and the companion book, How to Beat the 80/20 Rule in Selling. His 80/20 Selling System™ helps business owners, executives and managers end the frustration of 80/20 sales team performance, where 20% of salespeople produce 80% of sales. For more information and more FREE sales and sales management tips, visit http://www.8020sales.com.