5 Personality Traits of Top Sales Leaders

Do you think top sales leaders are just good sales reps who got promoted? Not so fast, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

While a successful track record driving sales can be a qualifier, being a high-performing sales rep does not necessarily equate to being an effective sales leader. If you’re looking to upgrade your development plan and have your eyes set on becoming an impactful sales leader, you’re in luck. We’re breaking down what traits make a top sales leader, and are telling you exactly how to acquire them.

根据HubSpot销售总监的说法丹·特里（Dan Tire），在过去的十年中，销售领导风格的发展很大。

“发生了很多变化的时间我一直在工作ith sales leaders. When I first started my career, sales leaders were very authoritative and activity-based. I noticed things really started to shift around 2007, and success in sales required a different set of leadership skills," he says.

Read on to see what it takes to be a top sales leader.

1.战略

Gone are the days when success in sales equated to who could perform the most activity. In 2020 and beyond when competition is stiff across industries, sales leaders must be able to provide strategic direction to help their teams find success.

丹说：“销售领导者必须具有战略意义。需要使用策略和数据来解决客户的问题，而不是假设活动会带来特定的结果。”

有影响力的销售负责人必须能够制定和实施销售策略，以使其组织能够在其最高水平上工作。对于销售代表和领导者，目标都应该相同：帮助客户解决他们的问题。

2.周到

销售人员并不总是受到其潜在客户的欢迎或受到良好的欢迎 - 实际上，50％的前景将销售人员描述为挑剔。这部分源于前几代销售负责人，他们专注于不断推动销售。在2020年，销售领导者需要采取更加周到的方法来指导员工导航销售流程。

最高的销售领导者是大型思想家，他们不断寻找帮助他人的方法，无论他们是在帮助自己的前景克服障碍还是帮助向他们报告的代表以道德方式推动销售的代表。这些领导者彻底了解其组织的绩效如何影响整个公司，并能够在各个层面上管理期望，同时仍关注结果。bob全站app

3. Analytical

Influential sales leaders must be able to interpret and draw conclusions from the data available to them.

Tire说：“很长一段时间以来，销售人员可以整日拨打销售电话，而无需跟踪其活动。今天，销售组织更加驱动指标。了解他们的公司数据对销售负责人来说非常重要。”bob全站app

If you want to manage an effective sales team, taking a data-driven approach is a must. Sales leaders should use the data collected from their sales team to inform their business decisions.

不确定如何开始实施数据驱动的方法？

首先，您需要确定团队应收集和跟踪的数据。与您的团队合作以了解什么销售指标are most meaningful to track for your business. Identify where your team can source this data, and put processes in place to empower your team to collect the information you need.

Once you know what information you need to track and have a process in place for tracking it, review your data on a regular basis (we recommend monthly, at minimum), to assess whether your organization is on track to meet its goals.

4.善解人意

当发展为领导者时，可能会很容易专注于成功完成工作所需的艰难技能。毕竟，到目前为止，我们已经讨论了成为销售领导者战略和分析的重要性。但是，由于销售是一个以人为中心的领域，因此重要的是要关注软技能也是如此。

In a position of leadership, the ability to be empathetic can be a key driver of success. Empathy is the ability to understand and relate to the feelings of others, which is a must-have trait for effective sales leaders.

在管理团队的同时，销售负责人应寻求了解员工在现场时所面临的挑战，并在发展和实施销售目标和策略时牢记这些因素。

5.仆人领袖

The most effective leaders aim to serve, not dictate. According to Tyre, this quality is called servant leadership.

他说：“作为领导者，您最终为您的团队工作。您的工作是消除障碍，以防止您的销售团队尽力而为。”

仆人领导者的素质包括在您的员工表达需求或提供反馈，优先考虑团队的发展时积极倾听他们的意见，以及在传达影响他们的重要决策时，致力于使员工通知您的员工。

How to Improve Sales Leadership Skills

Ready to take your leadership skills to the next level? Use these tips to become a stronger sales leader.

1.要求反馈。

反馈是各级专业人员的宝贵工具。如果您想提高领导能力，首先必须知道自己的优势和机会是什么。找出答案的最佳方法之一是向经理，直接报告和同行寻求反馈。

寻求将向您的表演提供诚实，周到的见解的政党的反馈。如果您不确定如何寻求反馈，则可以尝试以下提示：

• "I would like to set up some time to discuss my performance on [project name]. I would appreciate hearing your thoughts on what I did well, and what opportunities I have for improvement."

• "How did I do? What could I have done differently?"

• "Thank you for attending today’s meeting. What is one thing that went well, and one thing that could be improved for next time?"

2.寻求指导。

Have a leader in your organization or network who you really admire? Seeking a formal or informal mentorship with them can be beneficial for your development.

如果他们愿意直接指导您，请确定您打算频率见面并交流您想从他们那里学到的东西以获得他们的买入。如上所述，在您的专业发展方面，反馈是一种令人难以置信的工具。敬业的导师可以成为有用反馈的绝妙来源。

如果他们无法直接指导您，您仍然可以从远处寻求指导。如您所见，请考虑您对他们的钦佩。您钦佩他们有什么素质？您如何将他们的方法应用于自己的领导风格？将您的发现纳入自己的工作中，并将您的努力记录在您的工作中绩效管理计划。

3. Mentor and coach members of your team.

您有多少经验管理团队？如果您没有的话，那没关系 - 所有领导者都从某个地方开始。就像您可以从接受指导和指导中受益一样，团队中更年轻的成员可以从接受指导和指导中受益你。

Practice your people management skills by offering to mentor or support members of your own team (who are open to receiving it). Whether you volunteer to help onboard a new team member or serve as a sounding board for your peers, micro leadership opportunities can be available to you where you are.

Leadership development is an ongoing process. To continue building your skills, check out this post breaking down the26个习惯难以置信的成功销售人员。