How to Sell More: Tools and Techniques from Harvard Business Review

To Build a Great Sales Team, You Need a Great Manager

By Andris A. Zoltners, PK Sinha, and Sally E. Lorimer 

Andris A. Zoltners is a professor emeritus of marketing at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He and PK Sinha are cofounders of ZS Associates. Together with Sally Lorimer, they are the authors of Building a Winning Sales Management Team: The Force Behind the Sales Force.

If you had to decide between having a team of excellent salespeople with an average manager, or having a team of average salespeople with an excellent manager, which would you choose?

Many will argue for the team of excellent salespeople:

• “It’s salespeople—not managers—who develop and nurture the customer relationships that drive ...