10 Steps to Becoming an Engaged Sales Leader

By: Bryan Jeppsen

4 min read

With a tight job market and great opportunities everywhere for great salespeople to enjoy an amazing career in sales, it is more important than ever to provide a positive coaching culture.

Employee engagement should be top-of-mind for sales leaders, especially those running a modern selling program. This strategy thrives when reps are collaborating, sharing knowledge, and continually focused on learning.

According to Gallup, “We have seen rapid improvement in the effectiveness of sales organizations in which managers are trained to do a better job at setting expectations, allocating resources, creating productive relationships with their salespeople, offering praise, and listening to opinions. Too many managers are unaware of how attention to these issues actually drives results.”

Sales has a notoriously high level of turnover. In fact, in any given year, a full one-third of salespeople will change jobs. Creating a high-growth coaching culture is not just something that will make your sales reps happier and want to stay with you, but it will also impact your bottom line in a way that will make you smile.

In fact, a recent Gallup analysis of 50,000 companies showed that high-engagement organizations have more than a 20% increase in profitability and higher levels of productivity than their low-engagement counterparts. Simply put, employee engagement leads to higher profits.

One of the five building blocks to having a positive high growth sales culture is executive engagement. Great sales leaders engage differently. They don’t rely on spreadsheets or “armchair quarterbacking.” The most effective sales leaders are actively involved.

Here are six ways engaged leaders differentiate themselves from their colleagues:

1. They know each member of their team and more importantly, they know what drives each individual.
2. They understand the individual aspirations of each team member and help build individual plans to get there.
3. They know how to do the job and won’t ask anyone on the team to do something they can’t…and won’t do themselves.
4. They prioritize their time to continue to build a personal relationship with the individuals on the team…rather than just when it is convenient.
5. They believe in the mission of the company and lead by example. They are first in and last out…and their work ethic sets the tone for the entire organization.
6. They are people the team is willing to fight for. That level of engagement is earned…never asked for.

The great leaders don’t demand that kind of loyalty. This is given by each team member because the leader is so authentic in their commitment to the mission, the team, and the individuals. These leaders understand the balance of the now and the future. They don’t trade their future for the necessity of the moment. This is perhaps one of the greatest challenges…and greatest hallmarks of the great leaders. Great leaders aren’t hiding behind dashboards and call reports. Great leaders are in the game playing a role that helps the members of the team execute with confidence. “Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm.”

Four things stand out about how great leaders are engaged:

1. Belief in the Mission: If you believe…you have a good chance of your team believing…and that passion is contagious…that passion is irresistible.
2. Servant Leaders: Are you talking about the rep’s world…and only their world? Make it your business to know every single rep personally. This is a point you can’t afford to miss: you can’t serve them if you don’t know them. Period.
3. Innovate. Engaged leaders don’t stand pat. You don’t want to be the last to change. Don’t adapt only when you’re behind. What are you doing to make sure your reps stay in front?
4. Leading by Example: Great leaders set the example for work ethic, culture, and every part of what’s expected for the rep. Don’t forget just how powerful an example really is.

Your sales team is the face of your company to your customers.  Since your sales team is also a reflection of the executive leadership at the company, making sure that your executives are engaged and singing from the same hymnbook as the reps will ensure that your sales teams will have the encouragement, motivation, and determination to reach their ambitious goals of 2020.

________________________

Bryan Jeppsen is the Producer of the Sales Management Podcast for Xvoyant