{"id":12343,"date":"2019-07-03T06:09:09","date_gmt":"2019-07-02T20:09:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/recruitloop.com\/blog\/?p=12343"},"modified":"2023-05-10T07:43:06","modified_gmt":"2023-05-10T14:43:06","slug":"sales-recruitment-8-skills-to-look-out-for-in-a-sales-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/employer\/sales-recruitment-8-skills-to-look-out-for-in-a-sales-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"Sales Recruitment: 8 Skills to Look out for in a Sales Manager"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Editor’s Note: <\/em><\/strong>This is a guest post by <\/em>Charlotte Powell.<\/em> Her opinions are her own.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

The importance of sales to the success of an organization cannot be overstated. As quoted in Inc, \u201cSales are to business like oxygen is to humans.\u201d Without a capable sales team, your business will suffocate. You could have the best product or service imaginable, but without a dedicated, motivated, and talented team of sales professionals, your company won\u2019t have the opportunity to reach its true potential.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

Unfortunately, we live in a time of sales talent shortage. Baby Boomers are retiring every day, and fewer millennials are pursuing a career in sales. Sales jobs are among the hardest to fill, and this comes as no surprise \u2014 it takes a very particular person to thrive in sales. You need to be able to handle high levels of stress, demanding customers, and increasingly long sales cycles. But while it might be hard to find a great salesperson, finding a talented sales manager can sometimes feel like an impossible feat.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

So what should recruiting managers be looking for when hiring a Sales Manager? Although we believe that sales is a skill that you can learn, certain characteristics and personality traits make for successful Sales Managers. These are the people who will be leading a team of salespeople, setting goals, building a sales plan, analyzing data, and hiring the right people \u2014 you want to make sure you select just the right candidate to help lead your business to success.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

Below are eight qualities, abilities, and characteristics present in the best and most successful Sales Managers:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

1. They Know the Difference between Leadership and Micromanagement<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n

When hiring a Sales Manager, ask tailored questions to determine their leadership style.<\/a> You are looking for someone who can create and share a vision with their team while supporting them and providing the tools and equipment they need. The best Sales Managers are there for their team as a coach and a mentor, but they know when to take a step back \u2014 they refrain from micromanagement.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

We all know sales can be a numbers game, but at its heart, it\u2019s also about people. Refrain from hiring a Sales Manager who is overly driven by performance based on deadlines and metrics. These are the types of managers who often resort to micromanagement. These Sales Managers spend so much of their time doing the jobs of their team that they fall behind with their own responsibilities. On top of this, they will alienate and frustrate their team, who will inevitably end up handing in their notice.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

2. Effective Sales Managers Are Aware of the Value of Regular, Positive Feedback<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n

Great Sales Managers know two key things:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

  1. Regular feedback is important<\/li>
  2. Feedback is more effective when you focus on strengths, rather than negatives<\/li><\/ol>\r\n\r\n\r\n

    To keep your team motivated and dedicated to constant self-improvement, they need to know how they are doing. We\u2019re seeing a shift in performance management \u2014 companies are moving away from annual appraisals and towards a more agile system of regular feedback. This can only be a good thing because employees have made it clear they want more feedback discussions and want to develop trusting relationships with their leaders.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

    But the frequency of feedback isn\u2019t the only important factor \u2014 good Sales Managers know that positive feedback is particularly powerful. Managers who focus on strengths are 85% more likely to achieve above-average levels of performance. Refrain from hiring managers who focus on the negative. Instead, look for someone who can help employees perform to (and further develop) their strengths.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

    3. Sales Managers Are Good Communicators and Listeners<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Look for a Sales Manager who values authentic, transparent communication. Avoid someone who relies heavily upon \u201csales speak.\u201d You want a Sales Manager who can talk plainly, in straightforward English, to connect with their team. Your Sales Manager will be heading up a team who need to feel comfortable approaching him or her for feedback, input, and training and development needs. They also need to know when to stop talking and start listening. Sales managers should feel positive about taking employee feedback<\/a> and suggestions on board.\u00a0
    <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

    4. Good Managers Value Constant Self-Improvement and Training<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n

    The best leaders are constant learners. They want to improve continually \u2014 and they also understand the importance of sales training and development for their team. Great Sales Managers know that their sales team won\u2019t be able to meet and surpass their goals and quotas without a supportive leader who provides them with the opportunity for growth. It\u2019s been shown that sales teams with comprehensive and ongoing training have a 218% higher income per employee than those without. It\u2019s all about investment \u2014 the more Sales Managers put into their teams, the more they get out of them and the more the company profits.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

    5. Sales Managers Motivate<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n

    When hiring a Sales Manager, you want someone good at sales \u2014 but this isn\u2019t enough. As a manager, getting great personal results is no longer sufficient. Sales Managers need to be able to motivate and inspire great performance from their sales team members, encouraging them to maximize their full potential. Look for a Sales Manager who is passionate about helping others excel.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

    6. They Are Fair<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n

    We know that sales is a stressful vocation and that Sales Managers have a lot of pressure on their shoulders \u2014 but they should still be fair and treat their team with respect. You should look to recruit a Sales manager with empathy. You don\u2019t want to hire someone who will tank levels of employee morale with their turbulent, unpredictable nature and their unreasonable demands.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

    7. Sales Managers Are Ambitious \u2014 but Realistic<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n

    Sales Managers should constantly be helping their team to surpass expectations and excel. It\u2019s important to stretch yourself and have high aspirations \u2014 but good Sales Managers know the difference between ambition and impossibility. Unrealistic expectations do no good to anyone and only encourage employee burnout.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

    8. They Make Sales Fun<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n

    This is perhaps the most important characteristic \u2014 pure love and passion for sales. The best Sales Managers care about their profession. They care about the happiness of their team, and they want to cultivate a positive, fun atmosphere that will help close more sales.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    We all know the classic adage \u201csales are the lifeblood of any business,\u201d so when it comes to hiring a new sales manager, it\u2019s important to get the hire right! In this post, our guest author explains 8 competencies any business should look for in a potential hire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":286,"featured_media":12346,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[73,21],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nSales Recruitment: 8 Skills to Look out for in a Sales Manager - Zippia For Employers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/employer\/sales-recruitment-8-skills-to-look-out-for-in-a-sales-manager\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sales Recruitment: 8 Skills to Look out for in a Sales Manager - Zippia For Employers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We all know the classic adage \u201csales are the lifeblood of any business,\u201d so when it comes to hiring a new sales manager, it\u2019s important to get the hire right! 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