Glenn Slobodzian 🌈’s Post

You're the head of Sales & Marketing at a small manufacturing company with high growth ambitions and a salary budget of €1,5m. Who would you select for your team to grow sales? That's one of the question we give sales leaders when doing Teams That Sell work-sessions with the leadership team, with some additional information on the company's solutions, customer types, avg. deal value and sales process. The point of the exercise isn't to "get to the right answer". The point is that no-one (so far) has decided to hire 5 sales executives and a sales manager as the best way to spend their budget, when doing the exercise. Everyone selects some combination of different specialist roles for their team, as the optimal way to get the most out of the limited resources the have available to drive growth in sales. (... even if their own sales teams today are often made up of only sales executives and sales managers...) #sales #salesexcellence #TeamsThatSell #commercialexcellence #leadership

👥When I join a client’s team as their Fractional VP of Sales, I immediately become a part of the leadership team, responsible for developing and executing the sales strategy and holding the sales team accountable for getting the desired results. This includes: ➡️Attending leadership meetings. ➡️Holding 1:1s with sales team members. ➡️Creating and achieving quarterly rocks, or objectives. ➡️Creating individual sales plans with each team member. ➡️Ensuring there is a reporting mechanism to track results and create sales pipeline visibility. ➡️Instilling a culture of accountability. These responsibilities are the same as a full-time sales manager; I just do them part-time.  Although I may have three clients at a time, all of them get my “full-time” attention. I’m on site with each client for at least eight hours a week. I respond to emails and calls 24/7. I coach and mentor salespeople in real time as situations develop. #businessstrategy #businesscoach #businessmindset #success #growyourbusiness #businessdevelopment #businessgoals #businessowners

👥When I join a client’s team as their Fractional VP of Sales, I immediately become a part of the leadership team, responsible for developing and executing the sales strategy and holding the sales team accountable for getting the desired results. This includes: ➡️Attending leadership meetings. ➡️Holding 1:1s with sales team members. ➡️Creating and achieving quarterly rocks, or objectives. ➡️Creating individual sales plans with each team member. ➡️Ensuring there is a reporting mechanism to track results and create sales pipeline visibility. ➡️Instilling a culture of accountability. These responsibilities are the same as a full-time sales manager; I just do them part-time.  Although I may have three clients at a time, all of them get my “full-time” attention. I’m on site with each client for at least eight hours a week. I respond to emails and calls 24/7. I coach and mentor salespeople in real time as situations develop. #businessstrategy #businesscoach #businessmindset #success #growyourbusiness #businessdevelopment #businessgoals #businessowners

💡 Did you know that nearly 13% of all jobs in the U.S. (1 in 8) are full-time sales positions? The competition to become a leader in this field is vast. Companies look for specific skills when hiring and promoting sales professionals into leadership positions. Traits like decisiveness, visionary thinking, intuition, strategic acumen, and a curious nature are just a few that distinguish leaders in the field and help you get ahead. Do you have the mindset of a sales leader? Discover how our team can guide you through your journey to your next sales leadership role: https://lnkd.in/gdUyd_nE #Sales #SalesJobs #salesleadership #careergoals

Just a teacher thought: I DON'T want top reps to be managers (typically, of course there's always exceptions). I taught for 9 years -- almost every kindergarten math teacher I met who had a PhD in math would quit after a year because 1) the teacher skills were tough to learn 2) because they were so gifted in their craft, and always have been, it was hard for them to break it down for someone struggling. They'd say, "This is so easy!!! Why can't they get it?" EASY. FOR. YOU. I'd rather a manager who can tell me, "I f*&#ing sucked at the beginning but these are the things that helped me to become a consistent performer" than learning from a hot shot who just seemed born for this role and never struggled. I think attitude, resilience, patience, creativity > talent when it comes to being a manager. What has your experience been like? Follow Ryan Walsh for more leadership posts! #leadership #management #skills #manager

What kind of sales leader are you? My first two jobs out of college had me selling. I'm still selling today, but my offering is ideas, not products and services. I've been thinking about "sales leadership." There are two common kinds. The first means you lead your organization in making sales. You're number one, and that makes you the sales leader. The second is a position. You're the V.P. of Sales, or a sales manager for a team of sales professionals. I'd like to suggest a third kind of sales leader I define as: "A sales professional who sells well, is always trying to get better and helps others get better." In my book You Don't Need a Title to be a Leader, I explain that the irreducible minimum of leadership is making things better, whether people, processes or results. You don't have to be #1 in your sales team to exert a positive influence, to help others improve, or to suggest ideas to improve processes or results. The doesn't make you THE sales leader, but it does make you A sales leader. And it is something anyone can do through choice and commitment. I've met all three types of sales leaders in my career, but I have a special appreciation for the third type. What kind of sales leaders are you? #sales #salesleaders #salesleadership #leadershipspeaker #marksanborn

Reflecting on my decade-long journey in sales, I've decided to share my experiences of "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" in sales leadership.   👍 The Good: Alignment of company goals from top to bottom. In sales, if it matters to the company, it should be in the comp package. Make it stupid simple. If it's in the comp package, your sales force will make it happen.   👎 The Bad: Inexperienced leadership can often resort to a trial-and-error approach. It may not be the most streamlined method, but it can be a catalyst for salespeople to shoulder more responsibility and foster a problem-solving mindset. It's not all gloom though - with the right team on the sales floor, this can turn into an opportunity.   🤢 The Ugly: False promises, lack of motivation, high pressure without transparency, and misplaced focus. Surprisingly, I've seen these traits in some of the most experienced sales leaders. Tenure doesn't always equate to success.   Remember, "It's not what you say, it's how you say it!" This ideology from a mentor has stuck with me for years. It's true not just in sales, but in managing people too. After all, aren't we always selling something to someone?   I'd love to hear your thoughts on what makes a Good to Great Sales Leader. Drop your comments below! #SalesLeadership #PersonalBranding #ThoughtLeadership

Sales leaders have such a large impact on individual contributors and I don’t think many of those leaders truly understand that. Believing in your team is half the battle and they can tell when you don’t. It’s time to make sure sales leaders have the right personality to get the most out of their team and help each individual grow. Just because you are an “A” player as an individual contributor, does not mean that will translate into a good leader.