As a front-line sales manager, distinguishing leadership from management responsibilities is critical to a sales team’s culture and success. Distinguishing between the two helps managers be more intentional about developing these very different skill sets.

Sales leadership focuses on inspiring and developing people, while sales management concentrates on processes and immediate results. Effective sales professionals must balance both roles.

As author and speaker Simon Sinek said, “Managers work to make numbers grow. Leaders work to make people grow.” In reality, many mid-sized companies and CEOs need the same person to have two personas. They need be both a “respected boss” and a “trusted coach.”

Respected Boss and Trusted Coach

A “respected boss” will manage reps in a constructive manner on a daily/weekly basis and hold reps accountable to clear activity expectations to grow their numbers and achieve sales targets. An effective one-on-one meeting should be dedicated to this management function on a regular basis.

A “trusted coach” will inspire sales representatives to work on improving their sales skills, which will help them achieve their sales and ongoing professional goals. This coaching “investment” should be dedicated and intentional time.

In short, coaching fosters long-term growth and career advancement. This involves regular, dedicated coaching sessions that should be separate from performance reviews. Sales teams should also see this time as an investment in their career development.

Manager Functions

Many of our sales tools, processes, dashboards, playbooks and guidelines have been developed to help us effectively “manage” our sales performance and “grow the numbers.” As a result, typical sales manager functions include:

• Giving Direction
• Reviewing Performance
• Exchanging Information
• Decision Making

An effective one-on-one is the perfect time and place to wear the manager hat. Set aside time to be deliberate and intentional about applying these management activities to “make numbers grow.” This is not the time or place to wear the coach hat.

Leader Functions

Leadership activities are equally important and typically include the following leader functions:

• Building Trust
• Inspiring Others
• Coaching to Goals
• Handling Conflict Constructively

Improving our leadership skills and finding ways to incorporate these leadership behaviors with greater precision into our work routines are critical to a high performing sales culture and organization.

The Importance of Coaching

In the near term, sales coaching is the single most effective way to improve the performance of a sales team. Many senior sales leaders are caught up in a quagmire of the administrative functions and neglect to focus on the key activities that deliver the highest results and most stability to their organizations.

Unfortunately, sales managers – for a variety of reasons – generally fail to apply this essential coaching model to their interaction with salespeople. The result is sub-optimal performance and underdeveloped teams. The five key behaviors to an effective coaching plan include:

• Goal Setting
• Uncovering Gaps
• Identifying Root Cause
• Defining Corrective Action
• Evaluating Performance

Sales leaders should focus on becoming both a “respected boss” and a “trusted coach” to get the most out of their sales teams. This will improve immediate performance and build a more skilled, adaptable, and loyal sales team, leading to sustained success in a rapidly changing market. Dedicating time to both functions will yield both short-term and long-term results. 

Key Training and Development Offerings:

• Leadership vs Management best practices
• “Trusted Coach” Development Plan
• “Respected Boss” Development Plan
• Effective 1:1 Plan