A salesperson struggles with a deal.
The manager steps in.
A difficult customer pushes back.
The manager takes over.
A rep struggles with an objection.
The manager provides the answer.
The immediate problem is solved.
But something else happens.
The salesperson learns that when things become difficult, the manager will take control.
That is not development.
Effective Sales Leadership requires a different approach.
Instead of taking over, the manager can ask:
- What are you trying to achieve?
- What do you think is blocking the deal?
- What have you already tried?
- What would you do differently next time?
The objective is not to make the manager indispensable.
It is to make the salesperson more capable.
This is one of the reasons Sales Coaching and Leadership Coaching need to be connected.
A sales manager who can coach effectively does not just manage today’s pipeline.
They build tomorrow’s sales capability.
For sales leaders, that creates a much more valuable question than:
“How do I fix this deal?”
Ask:
“How do I help this salesperson become better at solving the next one?”
That shift from solving problems to developing capability is at the heart of effective Sales Leadership.
What do you see more often in sales organisations: managers coaching their people, or managers stepping in to rescue them?
If developing sales managers and their teams is a priority, let’s talk.
#SalesLeadership #SalesCoaching #LeadershipCoaching #SalesManagement #SalesPerformance #CommercialLeadership
