ventox35 profile picture
ventox35 profile picture

ventox35

Sales Leader

Politicker
Catalyst
Valued Contributor
+7

Transition to Leadership

How do you make the jump to sales leadership? Is it by becoming a rockstar salesperson? Is it by displaying leadership qualities? Is it luck?


Can a bad salesperson make a good manager? Good salesperson bad manager?


What's your philosophy?


How do you elevate yourself to leadership role?

Attached poll
*Voting in this poll no longer yields commission.
🏋️‍♀️ Leadership
14

16 comments

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CoorsKing
WR Officer
8
Retired King of the Coors Knights
Take a genuine interest in mentoring people and perform well as an IC. People will notice and doors start to open. You can also speak with current leadership and express your desire to be a leader. 
BmajoR
Arsonist
1
Account Executive
Spoken like a true leader. 
SaaSam
Politicker
4
Account Executive
Some of the best sales folk are shitty leaders and vice versa. Personally I would say if you have an innate ability to bring out the best in people both in performance and personality you're set to be a good leader.
jefe
Arsonist
0
🍁
Definitely this. Although it's hard to get noticed at most companies for a management role without impressive sales success.
c4miller
Opinionated
2
Sales Manager
I was just recently promoted into sales leadership and by no means was I a killer sales person compared to others on the floor (still a top performer over quota but no where close to top of the stack rankings). Biggest thing that helped me was being blunt and honest with my VP and asking what my red flags would be in my interview then working on building my case around that (mentoring new hires, coaching deals, supporting sales ops training, etc). Had to interview twice but my hiring VP is also the first VP to ever put me on PIP and said that seeing me go from that to a top performer was a huge story he wanted to show new hires on my team. 
SADNES5
Politicker
0
down voters are marketing spies
You the bomb C4, same methods here. Except for leaderboard champ on top.
UrAssIsSaaS
Arsonist
1
SaaS Eater
I would say shitty sales people are going to  struggle to make good managers because at some point, they need to be able to coach and develop the right behaviors. On the flip side, great ICs often struggle to make great leaders because the qualities that make them great ICs (ruthless drive, standard of absolute perfection etc) will frustrate them as a manager when dealing with AE's that don't meet those standards. They also often struggle to communicate their process.

That being said many great leaders come from a solid sales background. They also thrive in developing others and are master motivators. If you consistently bring the best out of your peers and enjoy coaching/development then leadership would be a strong avenue. 

Vocalize your desire to your leadership team, ask what you need to work on to get there, and make yourself the obvious choice (via high performance) when the opportunity arises. 
GetAHobby
Arsonist
1
RVP Sales
Give and receive mentorship. I latched onto a leader that I found had very similar personality traits as myself, he wasn't part of a the mentorship program, but I made sure to always schedule office time, include him in meetings where I could or make sure we were covering similar conferences. 
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
1
☕️
Most sales leaders are not meant to be leaders at all. They are ICs that were top of their team/company, leading HR and other leaders to decide they were "ready" to manage.

"Bad" salespeople can make fantastic managers, but most folks get into management under preconceived notions that "this is the way". Oh, and being a manager does not make you a leader...that's a longer, more controversial topic to break into another day.

Do you want to be a sales leader because you think that's the next logical step, or because you WANT to be a manager of people and deal with all of the trials and challenges that come along with that?
Sheriff
Politicker
1
Sales Trainer
At a lot of early stage companies they will often confuse Success as an IC as good leadership material, if you combine that with stated interest in the role it's a pretty direct route. This doesn't mean you'll be a good manager just that you'll get the role. Later stage companies you'll need to actually take interest in mentoring people, perform decently (hit your quota, be dependable), reach out to existing leaders, and make it clears that's the path you want.
beerisforclosers
Politicker
1
Account Manager
I would argue some of the best sellers make the worst leaders because the autonomy and drive as an individual tends to translate to a hard ass manager who doesn't give reps space.

It's a different skillset, but I think the sweet spot is a decent relational seller who has more of the transferables to management. Just my opinion.
CaneWolf
Politicker
0
Call me what you want, just sign the damn contract
I don't think these are mutually exclusive answers. And I don't know that an outright bad person can make a good manager. But a decent salesperson can certainly make a great manager.
Upper_Class_SaaS
Politicker
0
Account Executive
Has to be a mixed bag. You won't be considered for leadership if you aren't killing it as a rep, but you have to possess certain qualities to be a leader 
LanceDollarz
Opinionated
0
CEO
I was an outstanding sales person first. I actually developed my leadership skills after I got the promotion. Your team is a direct reflection of you. Give credit and take the blame. No excuses. I've never met a sales manager who was not also a killer sales person at least at some point. I assume they might exist though.. ?
SADNES5
Politicker
0
down voters are marketing spies
My growth, has been just letting it be known that I want to grow. 

I find someone I like in a senior position, and tell them, I want to grow. Then work out things you can do to improve before a job posting happens. Keep them posted in your growth, and what your plans are. 

If you're open and honest, basically you're asking for the close early. Set yourself up for success, find the old job posting, or just ask - see what you are lacking and focus on those areas. Do not do that in private, this is an alpha type world, and can actually work in your benefit by restricting other internal folk who want to shoot their shot. Let your boss know you're working on those key skills you need, and when an opening happens you'll appreciate if they can write you a letter of reference. 


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