Spotting a Future Sales Manager

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As company president, I've managed the sales force for many years. Revenue has increased to the point where I feel comfortable creating a sales management position. My CEO group has cautioned me not to promote the sales superstar into that role. I agree. She would not like managing people. I'd like to hire internally. What signs should I look for? How do I identify the best candidate?

Good forethought and judgment on your part for avoiding the obvious - promoting your top salesperson. It rarely works. Consider these points when spotting a potential leader.

"B" Player

Perhaps surprisingly to readers, strong sales managers usually come from the "B" or "B+" ranks of salespeople, not the "A" ranks. These "B" players have solid sales skills and surpass quota regularly, but they are not the team superstar. They usually have had to work harder to build their skills.

Know this as a starting point. It guides your ultimate decision.

Assessments

Once you've identified the top internal candidates, talk to them about their interest level. Ask those showing interest to take a sales leadership assessment. If they score poorly for management aptitude, believe the results and move forward with other reps.

Next, consider these factors.

New Hire Orientation

When you on-board new salespeople, which rep(s) do you rely on to help train them? Which one(s) do the best job of:

  • conveying product knowledge: value proposition, link to customer's business issues, competitive differentiators, benefits, etc.

  • representing the company in a positive light

  • explaining company policies and procedures

If reps enjoy participating in training a new hire, that's a positive sign.

Aiming to Master

Who among those you're considering has spoken to peers, listened to podcasts, attended webinars, read books and downloaded whitepapers to become competent or stronger in one or more areas of sales?

Being observant about ones own weaknesses makes a manager better at understanding those of others.

Ideally, sales leaders spend over 50% of their time coaching. If every aspect of sales hasn't come easily to them, they have the ability to relate to and work with salespeople experiencing difficulties and / or trying to take their performance to the next level.

Showing Interest

Before this opportunity presented itself, have any of the reps ever asked you about:

  • managing salespeople and employees in other departments

  • books you've read on the subject

  • likes and dislikes of the job

Those interested in someday managing others, express a curiosity about the day-to-day responsibilities.

Maturity

When dealing with difficult clients, intra-company disagreements, or tough to close deals, do these reps seek out your assistance? At least consider what you have to say? How often do they take your advice? If they disagree with you, do they do so in a professional manner?

Will they be willing to accept that a rep might out-earn them due to the larger commission potential of most rep vs. manager compensation plan? This happens in high performing organizations.

Managing others takes a lot of emotional maturity. Do they exhibit this as reps?

Organization

Does the rep(s) have a repeatable, systematic approach to the job of being a salesperson? Do they schedule time for prospecting, keep their pipeline full and turn their forecasts in on time?

Success in the sales management position involves having a system. They must hold reps accountable when they don't reach targets and make deadlines. This proves difficult for reps who cannot do it for themselves.

Role Model

Which reps in the group tend to be the most professional representatives of the company? Who walks the line between doing right by their customers while at the same time upholding company pricing and policies? Will their former colleagues respect them as a manager after the promotion?

This counts, because salespeople work for the customer while sales leaders work for the company. Who would be able to make that transition and who would not?

Suggestions for Success

The average tenure of a sales leader now stands at about 18 months. Before they spend one minute in their new role do the following:

  • Sign them up for formal sales management training. This helps them learn how to structure the job.

  • Hire a sales management coach for at least one to two business quarters. The coach helps them maximize their strengths and address their weaknesses.

Taking into consideration some of the points I've made and questions I've raised, as well as acting on the suggestions for success, increase the likelihood of your newly appointed sales leader thriving in the role.