What Makes a Great Sales Leader? – The Ultimate Guide!

“the quality or state of being great (as in size, skill, achievement, or power)”

Definition of greatness from Merriam-Webster

Everyone strives for greatness! Whether as an athlete or a student, as a business leader or a parent, as a volunteer or an engineer. In every aspect of our life, we want to be great. 

It does not mean to be “the best”. The absolute title of “the best” is often a ridiculous goal. E.g., in the US alone there are 120 million parents of children under the age of 18. It is enough to be a great parent and “the best” for your children.

Greatness is a quality that comes from within us; it is the result of learning and practice; it expresses skill, achievement, or power; and it is often recognized by those around us.

As a CSO, CRO, SVP, VP, Director, or Sales Manager, you strive to be a great sales leader ! 

Leadership has some universal qualities. And so, the below list is not the first of its kind. Many authors have compiled their personal favorites. And while, with a lot of irony, I call this The Ultimate Guide, let me simply share my personal top 10 list relevant specifically to a sales leader (and not listed in any particular order).

1.     Empathy – Start with listening, and then respond with honest compassion and understanding.

2.     Integrity – To me, integrity is a sum of traits: honesty, sincerity, truthfulness, transparency, ethical, strong moral values.

3.     Passion – Passion is contagious. Your excitement will ignite the passion of the team. And in sales being passionate about the product or service you sell is key to success.

4.     Humility – Appreciate those around you, be grateful for your role, be gracious towards others, be open to feedback, and understand that you are not perfect.

5.     Accountability – Take responsibility for the results, and in the process take a little more than your share in the blame, and a little less in praise. Accept the blame for the team result, and do not play the blame game. 

6.     Inspiration – Provide those around you with the unconscious burst of creativity. It is not your brilliant idea that advances the team, rather your ability to inspire others.

7.     Decisiveness – I have found that my days as a leader were filled with quite literally hundreds of decisions. A few major ones (hiring, product innovation, M&A, …), and many, many small and micro-decisions. What they all have in common is the fact that not making a decision was holding up everything and everyone around me.

8.     Reliability – Do not be erratic. Those around you, especially those that rely on you, count on your consistency and dependability.

9.     Positivity – Positivity is contagious. Even negative Nancies will eventually become infected by your positivity.

10. TRUST – Trust is developed by those around the leader as the result of the above nine qualities! And this trust is what turns a Manager into a Leader. 

Why is communication not a top 10 skill? Display all 10 skills listed above, lead by example, and then your actions speak louder than words.

Vendux can place a great Sales Leader into your organization. Talk to us if you would like to find out more.