The motto of a great Sales Manager

Great sales managers take it personally. "Nobody is left behind. Everybody makes President's Club." This is their motto. Sure these phrases can be bantered around in meetings and interviews, but truly great managers live it, breathe it and believe in it. Their core values drive them to make each and every one of their reps successful, and to have their team stand out in the organization. Their values push them to be successful managers.

President's Club is the sales force's celebration of their achievements. These are the reps and managers with outstanding performances, and who exceeded their yearly targets. The rewards are often lavish. Many Club destinations include Hawaii, Cancun or even Beijing. The trips are filled with incredible activities, networking with other sales performers, and special training from inspirational speakers. These trips are memorable. It is a real accomplishment for a sales rep to achieve President's Club.

Reaching President's Club is daunting, as it should be. Typically sales reps have to achieve 125% of their annual quota to qualify, and in most organizations a well-tuned compensation system will only send 20% of the sales force to Club. "All my reps go to Club" is a stretch goal to say the least. A great manager may only send 40% of their team, which is one hell of an accomplishment. The important part here is the manager's commitment, passion and expertise to constantly inspire their team to shoot for the goal.

Where does this commitment come from? It's deeply ingrained in people, and resides in special sales people and managers. Many consultants and HR professionals claim that top sales people don't make great managers. I absolutely disagree. This view is too simplistic and flies in the face of decades of sales culture and history. The trick is finding those few people with the core values that believe, "Every member of my team will reach Club."

It is more than just one core value that makes a great sales manager. If that were the case it would be very easy to spot them early on in their career. Rather it is a combination of values coupled with refined skills that make up a great manager.

#1, They get the right people on the bus

Jim Collins wrote in his seminal book Good To Great, good-to-great leaders "first got the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats." The same is true for top sales managers. They know that not everyone has what it takes to achieve Club – so they get the people who will. Recruiting is a key skill for managers who focus on sending all their reps to Club. They invest the time to constantly upgrade the talent pool on their team. Obviously, the poor performers are managed off of the team. But the more challenging task is replacing the stars. As their top reps are promoted on to bigger and better things, the manager seizes the opportunity to find another diamond in the rough: a person with the potential to exceed quota.

Recruiting on its own is not the core value. The truly great managers have an ability to attract people "better than themselves." It takes a person very secure in himself to hire A's. The natural tendency for most people is to hire in their own image. This is not a sure-fire way to build a team with the talent to reach President's Club. Rather great managers hire for the needs of the team, the customer and the territory. They hire A's, and then work year-over-year to raise the bar to improve the definition of an A.

#2, They get in the muck

Great sales managers don't coach from the sidelines. They are in it with their reps. They are helping their reps identify the ripe prospects. They are making joint sales calls. They are all over their reps.

Selling requires interaction and participation with your customers. If the manager simply focuses on the metrics and the theory, the customer is lost in the analysis. By getting into the field with their reps, great managers are able to lead by example, transfer their expertise and coach to the situation. It is a very powerful learning environment.

To get into the muck day-after-day requires boundless energy. Again, this is a mark of a great manager. Not only do they do their own job, but they participate and support each member of their team. It is amazing to watch a top manager in action, because he looks like the Energizer Bunny. He just keeps going, and going, and going!

#3, They groom for futures

Holding onto an employee for life is unrealistic. Highly talented sales people are constantly pushing themselves to bigger and better things. Trying to hold onto a sales person in order to achieve the team's goals is a travesty. Great sales managers capitalize on the time they have with their reps, and let them go when the time is right.

You will hear the pride from a great sales manager when they claim two more of their reps were promoted. This is a great accomplishment for the manager. They helped their reps hit Club, they helped them grow personally and professionally, and now it is time for them to graduate. The manager did their job.

Great managers are educators, mentors and motivators. It takes time, talent, skills and commitment for a sales person to exceed their quota. It is a long road, even when you break it out over twelve months. The manager uses this time to focus the reps on their goals, works with them individually to build skills and provides them a carrot – or a stick – to stay on track. It takes an ever-present manager to see the needs of her reps, and to give them the support they need to be successful. It also takes a secure manager to let top reps move on, even if it hurts the short-term team goals.

Putting it all together

Each trait on its own is not enough to achieve greatness. It is a combination of personal values, talents and skills that make up a great manager. But when they all come together it is a joy to see. You see it not only in the team's loyalty and commitment to their manager, but in their performance. Year-after-year the manager's team outperforms.

The most important job in any sales force is the frontline sales managers. These are the people hiring the reps, developing their skills and grooming the talent for the future. If each of your managers lives by the motto, "All of my reps go to Club," you will have one hell of a sales organization.