Sales leadership paints a big-picture vision for a company’s success, and then rallies sales teams behind that vision. As a sales leader, your job is to coach your team to success and generate revenue for your company. To accomplish this, you need to provide consistent support to your reps by setting clear expectations and providing regular feedback. Engaged sales leaders can coach sales teams through new challenges and empower them to meet goals.
6 traits of successful sales leadership
Let’s take a deeper look at the traits you should cultivate in sales leadership:
1. Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to understand and america phone number list manage your emotions, as well as see and influence the emotions of others. Emotionally intelligent leaders are great at recognizing the emotional dynamics at play on their teams, they strive to understand the perspectives and feelings of individuals through active listening, and they know how to regulate their own emotions under pressure.
Let’s look at one of the more stressful times in a sales organization: the end of the quarter when you’re lagging behind your sales targets. You need to know when to hold your team accountable, when to step in for teaching moments, and when to get the job done. If you’re in an emotionally charged state, it’s easy to respond negatively. Deep breathing, routine walks, and talking things out with a trusted friend or colleague can help you refocus on what’s productive.