January 6, 2009
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Inspiring Sales Leaders
Tim Roberts
Once upon a time, a mentor asked me a question he couldn’t wait to answer: Do you know why judges become judges? Because they ain’t very good at lawyerin’.
I giggled at the time, yet now find myself a sales trainer. And, of course you know why people become sales trainers? Because… well, at least that’s the joke I imagine.
The same thing has been said about plenty of sales managers.
Sales managers come in a couple of forms and both seem to work. Form #1 are the sales managers who say, “It’s true, I am not as good at selling as I am getting the very best out of the sales people I lead.” And Form #2 are the ones who say - with equal pride, mind you - “I was proven in the field and find it important for my peeps to know that I’ve been there, done that.”
Great sales leaders have to possess a deep bag of wisdom. Like the Wizard of Oz they must know with certainty what each sales player needs. True enough, some need brains, some need heart and some need courage.
I must say, though, it’s unfortunate that there remain more bad managers out there than good ones. You might be thinking of one right now. You might even refer to that person as “boss.” Ouch, Babe.
These alleged sales managers are not necessarily bad by design. More often than not, they are simply misplaced by well-intentioned company ownership. If I had a nickel for every owner that said, “He deserved it, he’s our best guy,” I’d be rich.
I am incredibly fortunate to work with many great sales leaders. Providing a forum as we do at Trustpointe for sales leaders to engage with like-minded, like-challenged people has been nothing short of rewarding. The very best are committed to the success of their charges, both in terms of personal development and bank account development.
Managing salespeople is not for everyone. It is a career, and a challenging one at that. When a team succeeds, though, it can be richly fulfilling. I know first hand that it can be inspiring to hear a great sales leader boast of his/her team. I get to hear often, “I’ll put my sales team against yours any day of the week!
Trustpointe, Inc.
6666 East 75th Street, Suite 150
Indianapolis, IN 46250
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