Leadership, Not Management

The Top 6 Reasons Why You Want a Leader, Not a Manager

“I am great and bold

Never quitting

I have the heart of gold

I lead by example

I show what to do

I empower people to be a TEAM

And make them realize

To follow their dream.”

from I Am A Leader by Clifford Villaflores

Much has been written about the difference between a Manager and a Leader, or Management and Leadership. In the course of a career, many have the experience of being in Management: People report to me, I bear responsibility for my teams’ goals, I set those targets and evaluate the performance of those reporting to me, I establish work rules, etc. Management responsibility is first assigned and then announced by HR or someone senior in the organization.

Leadership cannot be assigned!

It is earned over time and through actions. Leadership is about getting people to understand and believe in your vision and to work with you to achieve your goals. Equally much has been written about how to motivate salespeople.

Everything else aside for a moment, it does start with the opportunity to earn money. In a competitive job market, no great salesperson is going to settle for poor financial opportunities. With a solid compensation plan in place, a Leader will now set himself apart from a Manager.

1.     Leaders are followed: because leadership is earned, not assigned, salespeople follow their Sales Leader, especially when there are bumps in the road. This has an extreme impact on retention, avoiding the cost and losses associated with the involuntary departure of a performing sales rep.

2.     Leaders are trusted: in a world of remote teams, with a large number of salespeople around the world working from home, it is very easy for them to feel isolated, left out, ignored, ... A Leader instills trust and forms a cohesive team that believes in the vision, despite the physical distance.

3.     Leaders provide a vision: in mature markets and interchangeable products, in disruptive businesses and first-to-market situations, …when you need salespeople to do incredibly hard things, when they need to overcome rejection every day, they need to be bought into the vision. That is the fuel that keeps them going.

4.     Leaders provide focus: salespeople, like most of the workforce today, are asked to do more: sell more products, farm, and hunt, increase prices, service customers, report to management, … A Leader provides focus, better, they provide the right focus at the right time.

5.     Leaders motivate: getting people to want to do what you need them to do; this goes beyond setting goals and reward schemes. A Sales Leader wants a salesperson to be motivated; they have the ability to influence, to appeal. They key in to the person’s needs, emotions, and goals.

6.     Leaders are positive: positiveness is the condition of being without doubt. Because doubt kills sales, a Leader is a chief evangelist for the business. Not only is he positive, but they are also able to transfer this positiveness to their team.

Ask yourself if the head of your sales team is a Leader. Is he followed, trusted, visionary, focused, positive, and a motivator?

Contact us to find out how a fractional or interim sales executive can provide leadership to your sales team.