We have all seen the different types of sales managers and probably even worked for a few. When we looked back over our own experience, we identified seven different types of sales managers, which we have affectionately named below. Which one are you?
- The Fire Marshall – This type of sales manager can trigger immediate results but they have no long-term sales plan, and focus on different deals and challenges from week to week.
- The Dreamer – This type can create exciting plans that upper management love, but sometimes lack a grasp on realities and risk the support of the reps.
- The Dealmaker – A sales person at heart, this type cherry picks the best incoming leads and drops into of the team’s accounts to personally close big opportunities. Can secure big wins, but usually can’t scale the sales function.
- The Dashboard Director – While they know all the metrics cold and can allocate resources efficiently, this type rarely spends time with customers, so doesn’t appreciate the hard work that goes on in the field and often fails in building true customer loyalty.
- The Dictator – This type doesn’t care for input from the team, but can drive direction and is very decisive (unfortunately they are often wrong).
- The Microprocessor – This type needs to review every detail of the sales team’s work, which prevents the reps from getting sufficient time for selling and, in turn, stifles growth.
- The Prodigy – Reasonable decisions, a good sense of reality, team support and strong sales results are the hallmark of this type, which is why they will likely get promoted to CEO at some point.
To your success!
close
Eliot Burdett
CEO at Peak Sales Recruiting
Before Peak, Eliot spent more than 20 years building and leading companies, where he took the lead in recruiting and managing high performance sales teams. He co-founded Ventrada Systems (mobile applications) and GlobalX (e-commerce software). He was also Vice President of Sales for PointShot Wireless.
Eliot received his B. Comm. from Carleton University and has been honored as a Top 40 Under 40 Award winner.
He co-authored Sales Recruiting 2.0, How to Find Top Performing Sales People, Fast and provides regular insights on sales team management and hiring on the Peak Sales Recruiting Blog.
Latest posts by Eliot Burdett (see all)
- 20 Of Our Favorite Books About Sales Management and Sales Leadership – October 20, 2023
- How To Make Progress On Your Sales Goal Without A Sales Leader – September 15, 2021
- Augment Your Recruiting Strategy During “The Great Resignation” – July 26, 2021
