Comments on: 7 Things to Look for in a Sales Manager

By: Shemara Henderson

Shemara Henderson — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:38:00 +0000

Thanks for the informative article Lee. I found it to be very comprehensive and educational- I have an interest in the fundamentals of sales management and I think that your article mentioned many areas that sales managers should constantly monitor in order to be top performers in their current roles. Too often managers look for results from top performers and ignore the fostering of growth for their lower ranking talent, often those that are still in ramp up mode, but offer long term value.

By: Melanie Villapando

Melanie Villapando — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 17:17:51 +0000

Thank you for your article, Lee, it’s great to hear more comments regarding recruitment reviews of talent that truly assess based on the needs of the business application for future success vs. buzzwords we know and group thinking.

One other critical quality that I might add for success when seeking a sales leader is the ability to collaborate across functions and build relationships within the business. A top candidate who can easily establish him/herself with others and become nimble within an organization to execute sales plans and get the work done will be successful in any industry in a short amount of time.

Thanks again for the article,
Melanie Villapando

By: Bob Gately

Bob Gately — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:59:50 +0000

The talent required for success as a sales person is not the same as the talent required for success as a sales manager.

The sticking point seems to be the word talent–it means different things to different people.

How do we define talent?

How do we measure talent?

How do we know a candidate’s talent?

How do we know what talent is required by each job?

How do we match a candidate’s talent to the talent demanded by the job to be filled?

Employers that hire for talent know the answer to each question so they avoid making bad hires and are left with more good hires.

Talent is not found in resumes or uncovered during face-to-face interviews. Future employees don’t know if their talent will lead to job success but the hiring managers know if they hire for talent.

Bob Gately
gately@csi.com

By: Kelly Magowan

Kelly Magowan — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 06:53:36 +0000

Great article and one that I am always looking to learn more about- sales and sales staff are a complex area of any business and just so crucial to get right.

I also agree with you 100% about past experience does not equal future success. Too many businesses take the safe option and follow the box ticking process when hiring of which I have written about recently on the Six Figures blog. http://blog.sixfigures.com.au/2008/10/16/how-much-is-too-much-box-ticking/

Until businesses learn to evolve the hiring process to reflect today’s workers, they will find they struggle when it comes to attracting and retaining the best.

By: Jim Cargill

Jim Cargill — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 19:34:41 +0000

Lee,

Great article!!! This should be required reading AND understanding for every CEO who wants to hire a Sales Manager. I am so tired of HA’s setting hiring requirements based on what they, themselves, had in their backgrounds. Do they want a Sales Manager, or a clone of themselves?

I would have included one more item in your list, though I think it was not in there because it is so elementary. That is “proven sales management success”, with the emphasis on “proven”. The candidate cannot, themselves, prove their success. One must go to outside sources, not the candidate-supplied references, to validate claims of success. If available, former subordinates who reported directly to the candidate are a good source. In niche industries, a competing Sales Managercan be helpful. Industry Trade Show organizers might also give insight into the candidates drive for success.

“Experience” does not equal “Success”, and neither does industry knowledge.

Thanks for the great article, Lee.