The 3 Biggest Differences Between a Sales Leader and a Sales Manager

Effective sales management can be the difference between a company that thrives and a mediocre one that barely stays afloat. Yet, many of the best sales managers still mistake the description in their job title for something that is even more crucial to sales success - leadership. If anyone thinks for even one second that just because someone is given the job title of sales manager that they naturally become a leader, you need to think again. Sales Managers manager things, Sales Leaders lead people.

Leadership may seem like a simple concept, but it is in fact so complicated that it perplexes many of us. After all, leadership is so much more than just endless positivity, pick me up speeches and a charming disposition, just as sales management is more than simply assigning tasks, overseeing those tasks and reviewing performance reports.

One of the best definitions of leadership, as applied to sales, comes from former president Dwight D. Eisenhower. Eisenhower described leadership specifically as “the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because HE wants to do it.” Another famous definition comes from Peter Drucker, considered by many to be the foremost authority of modern management. Drucker was quoted saying that “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results, not attributes.”

Let’s tackle the first definition. Any sales manager worth his or her weight in water can simply use their authority to get their reps and underlings to perform their required tasks. I think we would all agree on that, but do we really want to lead a group of professional adults through the use of fear? I would say No.

What that would do is create a sense of obligation, rather than ambition. Constantly asking reps to do things can create a culture of resentment. Additionally, it is unlikely that tasks performed in such a negative setting will be executed at a maximum level of quality. Therefore, true leadership must entail getting your followers to buy-in and fully commit. They must believe in you, respect you, and in the best cases they feel a desire to impress you.

On the second point, sales success is mainly a function of results - how much product did you sell? Was it more than predicted? Are your book of business, the company and its revenue growing? All your sales leadership means little to nothing if the results aren’t there. That’s exactly why the best sales managers and sales leaders are also numbers-driven, relying on the end results as evidence of their effectiveness. Running their organizations analytically and by the numbers allows them to make stronger decisions based on real data, not assumptions or instinct.

Sales Leadership requires more of a long-term vision, while sales management largely occurs on the front lines, or the down-in-the-trenches level, sales leadership is more about setting a higher-level, big-picture vision and direction. Sales leadership is about being strategic as you lead your organization and comes about as a result of the sales leader setting their vision into motion while defining the culture of the sales organization. After all, they do author the sales plans, define, implement and communicate sales processes and sales effectiveness drivers, and author the sales playbook that communicates vision, strategy, processes and tactics.

Lastly, sales leaders must empower their sales managers and sales reps in order for them to succeed. Many times the GM - considered the upper tier of sales leadership in most organizations will often step on the toes of their sales managers, preventing them from properly executing tactics. As the great Ronald Reagan once said, “Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere as long as the policy you’ve decided upon is being carried out.”

Sales management is more about day-to-day execution and coaching teams to sell more effectively than actually leading the team. Sales leadership must be the one who extracts full buy-in and commitment from all members of the sales team below him or her, to the point where everyone sincerely wants to follow this leader and they have the utmost confidence in his or her vision.

Sales leadership is very critical to both the short term and long term success of your business. Without great sales leaders, businesses would suffer or even fail. The greatest thing a true leader can do is to produce more leaders. While the sales managers are not as powerful, or as important to the overall success of your business, according to the experts, developing your sales managers into great sales leaders should be your ultimate goal.

Thank you for reading. Feel free to comment or add anything to the story. I look forward to getting others feedback. 

Thank you,

Dennis Wagner

President & CEO
TheDennisWagner.com

www.thedenniswagner.com

https://about.me/dennis_wagner

5 Steps to Developing the Perfect Sales Pitch!

The 5 Steps to Developing the Perfect Sales Pitch

1. Describe

Describe the types of products you sell or the services you offer. Be short and sweet. Respect their time.

In fact, try to sum up your products and/or services in around two-three sentences.

I would say something like:

Businesses hire me to strategize or consult with them about their sales process & online marketing needs. Companies also hire me/our team to manage their social media campaigns on their behalf.

That’s the cornerstone of what we do.

Yes, we do a lot more but that's the long and short of it for someone who’s given you only a minute or two of their valuable time.

2. Add Your Benefit Statements

Take the two-three sentences you created and add benefit statements to them.

Mine would look like this:

Businesses hire me to strategize or consult with them about their sales process & online marketing needs. One of the best compliments I’ve been given was when a client with aggressive deadlines and little to no experience told me that working with me was like working with a close member of their own team and that my personalized attention is everything they hoped to get when hiring a consultant.

Be enthusiastic and sincere. The client can tell the difference. It is your job to help them succeed.

Companies also hire me/our team to manage their social media campaigns on their behalf. I often find that too many businesses spend large amounts of time and money on social media without any true sense of direction. It’s not your job to dibble-dabble and see what works; it’s mine. My clients love that they can spend precious time elsewhere while we figure out the most efficient strategies for performance.

Depending on how interested the person with whom I’m speaking seems, I can cut those sentences down by using only keywords.

You can see quite clearly how they add value and state the most obvious benefits our services provide.

Helpful TIP: Not exactly sure what the benefits of your products or service are? Ask your current clients! Happy clients are always more than willing to share. Pay close attention to your reviews.

3. Be Helpful

Because it’s all about THEM, not YOU.

Create one sentence that sums up how your company/products/services help people.

Again, be brief. Try to use ten-twenty words or less.

Mine might look something like this:

Our every communication with customers counts, the quality of those communications is paramount.

My mantra: Think Social, not Social Media. It's okay to have fun and make online friends.

Obviously you can’t lead in with this statement. It’s only clear once you’ve described your products or services and added the benefits.

4. Qualify

Now you’re entering the part where your companion is either interested or not. You’ll be able to tell by body language and their level of enthusiasm.

If they’re still interested you can move to qualification and you should communicate with complete confidence when it comes to the kind of client you’re interested in working with.


Give an example of referrals and testimonials. Use keywords from the conversation to be more specific.


My example:


Business owners who are finding Facebook irrelevant, hard, or not seeing a return on investment are a perfect fit for our social media management program.


Then give an example of a referral that wouldn't benefit the most; my example:


We have worked with small startups all the way up to million-dollar brands! We’d love to help anyone and everyone, but ideally our happiest clients have a healthy monthly budget somewhere in the neighborhood of $1000.


Now you’ve set boundaries confidently. The person you’re presenting or pitching to knows:

If they’re interested
If they’re a qualified lead
If they know of others who may possibly be interested in your business

5. Ask for Referrals & Follow-Up

By now the conversation is flowing back and forth and you probably have a good idea of the interest level of the person you’re speaking to.

If all signs point to “I would be your perfect client” you should take this time to ask questions that will help you custom tailor the end of your pitch.

Ask them about their:

1. Likes
2. Dislikes
3. Interests
4. Responsibilities

From here you can really get a feel for follow-up. Meaning you need to make a plan for what’s next!

Send a follow-up thank you, ask for a phone chat or meeting, jump on a Google Hangout/Skype session and demo your product. Ask for the sale after all completed demo's. They can only say Yes or No/Not Yet.

Don't forget the often missed or forgotten step of Asking for Referrals & FOLLOW UP!.. FOLLOW UP!.. FOLLOW UP!

Use this 5 step process to create as many mini pitches as you can. The more you pitch the more you sell.

Communicating with confidence should be easy once you’ve given your plan a little insight. Now put these 5 steps to work. You'll be glad you did!