Duties and Responsibilities Characteristics of a Successful Sales Team Leader

Duties and Responsibilities Characteristics of a Successful Sales Team Leader. The work environment is typically fast-paced, and the team leader is often moving from one task to another, answering questions, holding meetings, delegating responsibilities, and acting as a voice of encouragement. If you are a results-driven and sales-oriented people person, a job as a sales team leader might be perfect for you.

Sales Team Leader Duties and Responsibilities

1. Assist Managers in Sales Strategy Development. Although sales team leaders primary oversee the sales team, they often assist the sales manager with sales strategy development and implementation. This includes developing strategic sales plans that expand the customer base and ensure the company maintains a strong presence in the industry.
2. Keep Informed of New Products and Services. To hit sales targets and achieve growth, sales team leaders must continue to develop knowledge of the products and services being offered. They also need a working knowledge of their industry’s climate and competition to effectively implement the sales strategy.
3. Recruit, Train, and Coach the Sales Team. Sales team leaders often help define sales job requirements, assisting in the search for the best candidates and taking part in the interview process. A large part of the job is providing sales team members with tips and training to achieve a competitive edge in their industry. Sales team leaders orient the new sales staff and focus on improving the job performance and sales of existing staff.
4. Delegate Tasks and Set Deadlines. Sales team leaders delegate tasks to sales staff. They know how to assign tasks to the team members with the best skills for the job and guide staff members to ensure the work is done well.
5. Set Sales Targets and Motivate Sales Team. Sales team leaders often set daily, weekly, or monthly sales goals. They motivate employees to reach individual sales goals and encourage the staff to work better, rather than harder. They understand the importance of praising and rewarding team members who do a stellar job and implement bonus and prize programs or “employee of the month” achievements.
6. Prepare Sales Reports. Sales team leaders are often responsible for preparing and delivering sales reports to management. They also report on team member performance and mission-related objectives.
7. Read about the characteristics we’have included below, and see how you can incorporate them to become a more successful sales team leader.

Characteristics of a Successful Sales Team Leader

Commitment

Sales leadership is nothing without commitment. When you create a vision for your team, you have to understand that there are going to bumps along the way.

Even when you or your team have been in a long slump, you have to stay committed to the long-term goals you’re striving for, as well as to the members of the team. If they know you’ll stick with them through the bad times, they’ll work that much harder to create success for you and the team.

High Expectations

If you don’t expect greatness from your team, you won’t get it. As the leader of a sales team, you need to set the bar high because your organization’s sales are your responsibility.

There are a few ways to incorporate this into your leadership style:

1. Have your sales reps agree to your clear expectations. When they know exactly what their job entails, it’s harder for them to stray from that promise.
2. Provide them with resources to attain success. Sales coaching, sales training, and access to your best salespeople and resources are all possible ways to give them the help they need.

Another great Peter Drucker quote says it perfectly: “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.” If you can set high expectations and help your reps meet those standards, they’ll respect you even more as their leader.

Vision

A well-oiled sales process is only possible with a clear vision from the leader. Your team will be more likely to succeed when your goals – and the reasons for those goals – are vivid.

But you also need to turn those big ideas into executable plans. As leadership expert Peter Drucker says, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” It’s your job to know what the right things are so you can effectively guide your team.

The best way to improve your sales strategy with a clear vision is to answer two questions:

1. What does success look like? In other words, how will you and your team members know whether you’re accomplishing your vision?
2. What does it take to get there? For example, what actionable steps can people take to move in the right direction?

If you use these questions to create a clear and worthy goal, and your sales team understands how to achieve it, they will get behind you and fight for it.

Accountability

The best sales managers know that they are responsible for their team’s sales success. When a new hire messes up, it’s not a big deal because they’re gaining valuable sales experience and it’s a great learning opportunity. But when more experienced sales professionals screw up, you need to take responsibility.

1. Are they making the mistake because you haven’t made your expectations clear? If so, take responsibility and train your employees better.
2. Are they making the same mistake over and over again? If so, you need to take responsibility that you’ve kept an employee who may not be a good fit for your team.

Regardless of the situation, always look for the cause of your problems and determine what you can do to resolve them. By understanding that it’s your responsibility, you’ll blame others less, gain more respect, and become a better sales leader.

Empathy

You need to push and challenge your reps if you want hard work from them, but you also need to understand their situation.

Sometimes people make mistakes. You need to expect greatness, but to also try to be understanding when you don’t receive it. Instead of berating your employees when they falter, help them find solutions to improve and avoid future mistakes.

Additionally, make sure you have their back, even if they’re in a sales slump. Let them know that bad streaks happen to everyone. Encourage and motivate them to keep moving forward while letting them know you still expect hard work.

Stop making quick judgments, dishing out empty advice, and searching for blame. Listen to your team members and really try to understand their situation. When they realize you’re an empathetic leader, they’ll be more willing to do whatever they can to help you accomplish the greater mission.

source

https://www.phoneburner.com/blog/successful-sales-team-leader/