Advice- AE for 3 years promoted to EAE Manager

I am beyond excited to get this promotion, and my VP is super supportive. that said, managaement seems daunting.

I'll be managing 4-6 reps, some of which were my colleagues. My team would be responsible for 50% of the company number. SaaS company, 18M ARR, 80K ASP, 5mo sales cycle.

Personally I hit 250% of quota in Q1, but the rest of the team struggled a bit.

What advice would you give a new manager, and any books that you recommend reading?

Also, am I getting ripped off? what is average salary for this role?

🧠 Advice
🎯 Career Development
🏋️‍♀️ Leadership
6
CuriousFox
WR Officer
3
🦊
@UrAssIsSaaS You got any advice?
UrAssIsSaaS
Arsonist
2
SaaS Eater
Massive question that probably cant be answered in a WR post but ill give a couple initial thoughts based on mistakes I made and what has worked well for me to get to this point 

1) Its way more important to be respected than liked by your team. You dont need to be best friends with everyone, but you do need to be able to deliver feedback, and have that feedback acted on. 

2) Teach your team to fish. I have seen so many new managers get frustrated with their AEs abilities because the AE isnt as good as the manager and end up just taking over deals and closing for their AEs. In the short term this works but long term you're doing 2 jobs and no one underneath you is developing. Spend time coaching them on the right way to do things and in the long run you will be way better off. 

3) Remove emotions from your decision making process.  Back them by data when possible. 

Ive never been a big fan of management books, they are all corny and unrealistic to me so I would instead recommend working with other strong leaders at your company to grow your leadership skillset. Ask them what they do, how they operate and be open to their feedback. 

Congrats tho, this is an awesome step for you! 
RumRum
Good Citizen
1
Enterprise AE
Huge thank you! I’m still pretty new in the WR, so is it possible to find a mentor here? A way to connect outside of the platform? or is that a big no no…
UrAssIsSaaS
Arsonist
2
SaaS Eater
If youre a good prospector you can probably find me on LI, others on here have and im happy to chat with you here and there on it. Im not the end all be all but ive seen a decent amount over the last 7 years and would be happy to connect. 
Pachacuti
Politicker
2
They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy
You won't end up being the manager you envisioned yourself being ages ago.  Things will happen, your mngt will make demands of you, you will have a-hole reps who resent you, etc.  

I wouldn't worry too much about your own salary right now (also, I have no idea what industry you're in, where you are located, etc. - so I can't say.  Check out Glassdoor).  Get the experience of managing people. Your VP obviously wants you to rub off on the other reps, hence the promo.  
RumRum
Good Citizen
0
Enterprise AE
What do you mean I won’t end up being the manager I envisioned before?

My OTE currently is 300K as a rep, still working out the details of the new role.

I agree, that this is a good opportunity to get experience in managing people.
Pachacuti
Politicker
1
They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy
Everyone has a vision of what the ideal sales manager looks like.  Then they get the job and suddenly realize that many of things they didn't like in sales manager were things inherent to the job.
TheNegotiator
Arsonist
2
VP of Sales
You were promoted because you did well. That’s not the same as helping others do well.

but you’ll do fine.

You succeeded because you are result oriented. Your new compass needs to be to (accurately) determine what your colleagues do worse than you, and skill then up. And it’s much, much harder than it sounds, but it’s not rocket science.

The other reps are people, with egos. People who don’t like being told what to do, and even if they’re receptive, they’re not as good as you, or they’d be you. They will struggle to apply exactly what worked for you, or they wouldn’t need help. They will need you to adapt instruction and methodology to the way they sell.

Get after it, and make it happen. Congratulations, this is potentially a huge step up.
RumRum
Good Citizen
1
Enterprise AE
Thank you!
CRAG112
Valued Contributor
1
Account Executive
Be supportive of everyone. Be helpful. Be there for them in all things. Do whatever they need to be successful, and you are likely to be the next board member.

It's only daunting if you let it be. Management is easy. Being an actual leader and having the respect of others, now that actually takes some effort. Too many people out there want you to believe they are one and the same. 

Which do you actually want to be?

I would recommend Anthony Iannarino; All of his books, his blogs, etc. I would say the exact same thing for Skip Miller; Check out Proactive Sales Management that he wrote. Amazingly simple stuff you won't find many managers doing....ever.
RumRum
Good Citizen
0
Enterprise AE
I appreciate it!