I describe sales as not a solo activity, but as a team sport. A person asked me if I felt the same way about sales leadership being a team sport, and the answer is yes. It certainly is!
Leadership in any form is about influencing and raising up others. This applies significantly to the essence of what sales leadership is about. Sales leadership is about influencing customers and others, and it’s about raising them up to allow them to see and achieve opportunities they would never see on their own.
Read the last sentence again and ask yourself what it means to you. To me it means creating incremental opportunities.
If all we do is focus on base business and opportunities everyone else sees, then where is our leadership? Yes, leadership is needed in everything, but what I want you to aspire to be is someone who doesn’t just see opportunities, but also creates opportunities from which others can benefit.
Last week a client asked me to dig deep into a particular department of their business and assess why the output from the department isn’t what it should be. It didn’t take long for me to see it was a lack of leadership in the team in being able to create focus toward achieving the objectives. Each person was working, and in the end it was activity, but not the kind that was producing great results.
Think about this with regard to your customers and your sales process. Are you doing nothing more than going through the motions and taking care of the basics? This is what far too many salespeople and, for that matter, employees in general, are doing each day — simply going through the motions. You can’t afford to be one of those people. Not only is it not satisfying, but it also isn’t going to get you anywhere in your career or your income.
Sales leadership is a team sport. Make it your objective to engage others, bring them along, and help them see what they didn’t think was possible. When you do this, you’ll find yourself having a totally different perspective on your job and your life.
You know I believe sales is fun. I hope you do, too! What’s even more fun is sales leadership!
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Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results
