Five things to consider before stepping up to a sales management role
For many salespeople, their obvious career goal is to advance into sales management. Unfortunately, this can turn into a frustrating move. Here’s what aspiring sales managers need to consider:
- Do you REALLY want to manage? For someone who has had a long and successful career as a salesperson, the move into management can bring its own frustrations. Are you really sure that you want and need the responsibility?
- Do you have the potential to be a great sales manager? Nobody enjoys working for an ineffective sales manager. Are you really sure that you have the qualities to be an exceptional manager: the sort of person who lifts everybody’s performance?
- Are you prepared to let go? It’s all too easy from new managers to step in and take over when they see one of their salespeople struggling. But they will never learn – and you will never succeed in the long term – if you are not prepared to let them retain the responsibility.
- Do you understand their motivation? A disturbingly large percentage of managers report that they don’t believe they need to understand what motivates each of their salespeople. Nothing could be further from the truth. You will never enable anyone to achieve their potential if you don’t know what motivates them.
- Are you prepared to earn less money? Many sales managers earn less that their top-performing salespeople. Are you prepared to accept that sacrifice (at least in the short-term), in order to build your long-term career potential?
