What Does It Mean to Be a
World-Class Sales Leader?
'World-Class' is a term that has been used in many different settings to communicate many different things. It is most powerful when supported by data, which can be done easily in endeavors like athletics where the rules are clearly defined, the competition is apparent, and the playing field is level. But what about sales?
Well, we are fortunate enough through our research partners to have a vast amount of data from thousands of companies, salespeople, and customers. No matter which data you examine or how you look at it, the best companies and the best salespeople consistently have sales leadership that demonstrates the following characteristics:
- They manage with rigor
World-Class
Sales Leaders do not view management as an art - they know it as a
science. There are formal processes, meaningful metrics, and clear
expectations that what should get done will not only get done... It will get done well.
- They innovate constantly
World-Class Sales Leaders are innovators who not only 'think outside of the box' - they do not acknowledge that a box exists. They think creatively, generate good ideas, and implement desired changes regardless of the barriers.
- The invest in their people
World-Class Sales Leaders view training and other sales enablers as ongoing investments, not one-time expenses. Their training agendas are long and intense, yet they are highly focused on the behaviors they want from their salespeople.
- They obsess over improvement
World-Class Sales Leaders celebrate their successes, but they are even more obsessed with their failures. They embody continuous improvement and constantly seek to eliminate their weaknesses, always moving forward.
In sum, World-Class Sales Leaders are professionals who run their sales forces like the sophisticated businesses they are. There is long-range vision, deliberate planning, consistent execution, critical examination, and constant change. Our goal is to promote such leadership by sharing the strategies, tactics, and tools that we have uncovered in our studies of world-class sales leaders.
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