By: Michelle Richardson – Vice President of Sales Performance Research
January 2025
Being a sales manager can be an “all guts, no glory” situation. You’ve got to meet aggressive sales targets, lead a diverse team of individuals, keep an eye on customer demands, and answer to leadership.
It’s a demanding role with high expectations and significant pressure to deliver results.
The past few years have seen these challenges intensify as the business environment becomes more complex and dynamic. It’s not that sales managers don’t want to lead effectively. But many simply haven’t gotten the sales training, support, or knowledge they need to help their team succeed.
To hit sales goals, successful sales managers must be strategic, adaptable, and skillful. This post offers the five most important sales manager skills you need to overcome obstacles, lead a team effectively, and thrive in any selling environment.
Sales Manager Skill 1: People Management
Effective sales managers know leadership isn’t a one-way street. The biggest misconception many sales managers have, especially if they’re new to their role, is that there’s only one right way to sell.
Since most sales managers were successful sales professionals, they often believe that the things that worked for them will help everyone. As a result, instead of collaborating with each team member, they focus on directing their sales professionals—telling them what to do instead of training them. They may emphasize what the sellers are doing wrong, instead of recognizing the sellers’ strengths.