Technological advances, societal changes… The world of commerce is evolving at lightning speed. In this dynamic environment, the role of the sales manager is essential. So, what are the key skills of the sales manager? How can he lead his team to success? Explanations with Clémence Rouart, expert in negotiation and development of business opportunities.
Guide your team towards success. This is the goal of every sales manager. But to be an effective leader, the manager must develop a set of skills in line with contemporary challenges. Here are the 10 keys to successful sales managers in 2023.
1. Demonstrate Agility
In a constantly changing world, the sales manager must be able to quickly adapt to new market trends and changing customer needs. Today, the latter are in fact more informed than the sellers. They have access to information before purchasing. They can compare, exchange with users, access consumer reviews. Agility thus allows the team to adjust to unforeseen events and seize opportunities quickly and efficiently.
2. Listen to your emotions and those of your colleagues
Understanding and managing emotions, both your own and those of your team... This is crucial to maintaining a positive and productive work climate. Emotional intelligence allows sales managers to create strong links with their colleagues, thus promoting better collaboration and motivation.
A manager's emotional intelligence refers to their ability to recognize, understand and effectively manage their own emotions as well as those of their team members in a professional environment. For example, an emotionally intelligent manager actively works to create a positive work climate. It encourages collaboration, trust and open communication, which promotes the overall well-being of the team.
There is no good or bad manager: trust yourself. Test, experiment, fix and test again. The error is constructive. Be the manager you wish you had when you were in sales (if your manager wasn't your ideal at the time).
Ask your colleagues for feedback, they will help you progress too.
Read also : The 13 essential soft skills for managers
3. Become familiar with the use of advanced technologies
In 2023, technology continues to play a leading role in the business world. To improve the efficiency of sales operations, the sales manager must be comfortable with digital tools, such as advanced customer relationship management (CRM) software, data analysis tools and intelligence. artificial (AI). Data is at the center of business strategies. Equipping employees with a CRM like HubSpot, Pipedrive or Salesforce allows them to have a more precise vision of commercial activity.
The manager can also explore the possibilities of automating commercial processes: sales monitoring, reports or administrative tasks. This can free up time for activities with higher added value. For example, Calendly makes it easier to make appointments. This tool allows the customer to book an appointment directly in the salesperson's calendar.
4. Set an example for your team
A successful sales manager must be an inspiring leader, capable of communicating a clear and motivating vision to his team. By encouraging professional development and promoting commitment, the manager creates a culture of excellence and collective success.
Your employees are waiting for a guide to manage their pipeline. You are there to show them and support them in managing their commercial activity. It is essential that your employees know how their activity is distributed, what milestones must be validated to seize an opportunity. You must master this vision of the processes… then share it.
5. “Customer” oriented actions
The customer is at the heart of any successful business. An effective sales manager therefore places the customer at the center of his decisions and actions. This involves understanding the customer's needs, providing personalized service and developing long-term relationships.
For example, the manager can share a case study where the team solved a complex problem for a customer, highlighting the team's commitment to customer satisfaction.
6. Guarantee skills development
Investing in developing your team's skills is essential to remaining competitive. In 2023, the sales manager must encourage continuous learning, by offering training adapted to individual and collective needs.
Your employees need you to develop their skills (negotiation, making contact, prospecting, etc.). After analyzing the strengths of your team members, your mission is to help each of your employees progress. To do this, you can use individual coaching actions and organize group training.
For example, you can ask an employee who has mastered telephone prospecting to coach one of their colleagues, pass them on best practices and advise them during their next calls.
The idea is to promote everyone's skills and put them to the benefit of the team with, for example, a reverse mentoring program.
Reverse mentoring is a concept where the traditional roles of mentor and protégé are reversed. In this context, it is generally younger employees, less experienced or from more recent generations, who act as mentors for older, more experienced employees or from previous generations. This approach aims to promote the exchange of knowledge, skills and experiences between different generations within an organization.
7. Encourage interdepartmental collaboration
Organizational silos no longer have their place in today's business world. The sales manager must encourage collaboration between the company's different teams (marketing, sales, customer service, etc.) to achieve common objectives.
Example of collaboration between the sales department and the marketing department
A software company is considering releasing a new version of its product. The sales manager works closely with the marketing team to maximize the impact of this new version on sales. Here is how he could encourage this collaboration:
- joint planning meetings: the sales manager and marketing team meet regularly to discuss key features of the new release and how they can be highlighted in sales and marketing efforts;
- information sharing: the manager provides detailed information on customer needs and market trends to the marketing team, to help them create effective campaigns and relevant content;
- development of sales materials: in collaboration with marketing, the sales manager ensures that sales materials such as brochures, presentations and case studies are aligned with the key messages of the new version;
- cross-training: the manager organizes training sessions to enable sales team members to deeply understand the benefits of the new version, so that they can communicate them effectively to customers;
- joint reflection on targets: together, the sales manager and the marketing team identify priority market segments for the new version, taking into account the appropriate sales forces and marketing strategies;
- monitoring and adjustments: the sales manager and marketing regularly evaluate the performance of the new version on the market, analyzing the sales results and adjusting the strategy if necessary.
Thus, by encouraging close collaboration between the sales and marketing teams, the manager fosters an environment where knowledge and resources are shared effectively, resulting in better customer understanding, a more targeted sales strategy and, ultimately better business performance.
8. Support employees in managing change
The ability to manage change is crucial to adapt to market developments. The sales manager must help his team overcome resistance to change by communicating effectively and providing appropriate support.
More than ever, your team needs you on the ground. There are three types of support for a sales manager:
- training support: you show the salesperson how to apply sales techniques and methods. We then speak of a transmission mission;
- development: you may be required to support your employee to help them progress. During this support, analyze the salesperson's methods in the situation and then debrief with them to enable them to progress;
- joining forces: finally, of course, do not neglect your support role during field support.
Combine your strengths as a manager and those of your salesperson to optimize the results of a sale.
9. Act responsibly and ethically
In 2023, consumers are increasingly aware of the impact of businesses on society and the environment. A successful sales manager must therefore act responsibly and ethically, ensuring the integrity of his actions and those of his team.
Example 1
The sales manager encourages his team to listen carefully to customer needs and concerns. It ensures that the solutions proposed truly meet customer needs rather than simply maximizing sales.
Example 2
The manager ensures that every client is treated fairly, regardless of their size or influence. It avoids practices of discrimination or favoritism.
10. Stimulate creativity and develop innovation in your teams
Finally, the sales manager must encourage innovation and creativity within his team. By coming up with new ideas and adopting innovative approaches, the sales team can stand out from the competition and meet emerging customer needs.
The manager can thus regularly organize brainstorming sessions where team members can generate ideas, discuss them and develop them together.
The manager can also create project groups so that his colleagues have time to devote to developing new offers to test.
In 2023, the successful sales manager must be an Agile, customer-focused leader with emotional intelligence and the ability to leverage advanced technologies. By putting these 10 keys into practice, the sales manager can lead his team to success in a constantly evolving sales environment.
