Mastering the World of Selling: The Ultimate Training Resource from the Biggest Names in Sales

Chapter 20. Five Traits of a Great Sales Leader

Barry Farber

Farber Training Systems

What makes a great sales leader? There is no one remarkable secret. In fact, great sales leaders play many roles, and they play them all well. At various times, a great sales leader is a time management supervisor, a meeting planner, a contest coordinator, a talent scout, a coach, a trainer, and a psychiatrist. All these roles together, well-executed, make for a great leader. However, there are five key areas in which the best sales leaders excel. A great leader:

1. Is passionate and enthusiastic. These traits are transferred to the entire sales team. If the leader is negative, everyone else will be pulled down. How do great leaders keep a realistically positive attitude going? Great leaders are great readers; they read everything they can find about their craft and industry. They seek out mentors whose wisdom and experience can help them achieve their goals, and they encourage their reps to do the same. They surround themselves with high-quality people. Which brings us to the fact that a great leader . . .

2. Recruits great salespeople. Many managers don't start recruiting until someone is leaving, which means they often settle for second best in order to fill a gap. Great leaders are always on the lookout for talented people. One way they do that is to carry two-sided business cards to give out to people they meet in other businesses who demonstrate great sales and service skills. One side of the card contains ...