One of the primary reasons new sales managers fail when they transition to a supervisory role is the misconception that, as a sales leader, they should have all the answers and spend the majority of their time talking and telling, versus listening and understanding. In her recent Selling Power Management Digest article, How to Sell Like a Human Being, author Amy Volas outlined three sales behaviors that cultivate relationships and drive sales success:
- Be a great listener
- Give before (and more than) you take
- Help everyone you cross paths with
Modeling Leadership Behaviors
Her insights are spot on‚ for sales professionals and sales leaders alike. Trust, credibility and rapport are the foundation for a productive, long-term customer relationship and prerequisite for sales success. The exact same can be said for the dynamic between sales team members and their sales leaders. For new sales leaders in particular, a good starting point for success in their leadership role is to model the very behavior they want to see in the sales professionals on their team:
- Listen to understand and identify needs and motivations
- Focus first on helping (removing barriers, facilitating success) before making demands
- Make emotional investments in your sales and support team part of your daily life. The dividends are handsome!
Using these foundational elements, individuals can then focus on honing their sales leadership skills relative to performance assessment, providing prescriptive and actionable feedback, managing conflict, problem solving and motivating each team member for maximum performance. But in leadership as in sales, it all begins and ends with the quality of your relationships!
