Essential Sales Manager Skills: Mastering the Art of Leadership in 2024

Do you dream about getting promoted to a sales leadership position? If so, the question is: what sales manager skills should you double down on? 

In the past, sales management was more about building and maintaining a strong sales team. With the emergence of AI and the leap in sales forecasting capabilities, the emphasis for sales managers has moved to mastering sales metrics to drive revenue growth in strategic ways.

This article will zoom in on the important skills every aspiring sales manager should master as well as share some tips and resources on how to achieve them.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• The Evolving Role of Sales Managers
• Core Sales Manager Skills for 2024
• Expanding the Skill Set: Addressing Emerging Needs
• Developing Sales Manager Skills

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The Evolving Role of Sales Managers

First, it’s important to get on the same page about the key duties of sales managers:

• Setting sales goals
• Developing sales strategies
• Managing team performance
• Recruitment and training
• Customer relationship management
• Reporting and analysis
• Market research
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Performance monitoring

These days, sales managers should stay on top of the most recent AI sales tools designed to enhance their every single duty as well as that of their team members. 

These tools analyze historical sales data, market trends, and other factors to help sales managers set SMART sales goals.

Sales AI tools also help with automated report generation, which saves sales managers time and ensures data accuracy. While predictive analytics forecast future sales performance, facilitating more effective sales pipeline management.

Leveraging a tool like Yesware helps sales managers have full visibility into what is and isn’t working in their sales process. Yesware’s Reporting breaks down how well your team is doing, how their campaigns and templates are performing, and how recipients are engaging.

With AI transforming the sales field, some of the most important sales managers’ skills are those praised by the adaptive leadership framework, namely open-mindedness and willingness to learn.

Core Sales Manager Skills for 2024

1. Strategic Sales Planning

Sales managers should have a strong grasp of various sales strategies and identify which will be most effective for their company. 

Here are some of the most popular sales strategies that any individual in a sales leadership position should consider:

• Value-based selling: Focuses on how a product or service will benefit the customer or solve their specific problems.
• Consultative selling: Posing as subject matter experts, sales reps act as advisors, educating customers and presenting solutions to their problems. 
• SPIN selling: Uses strategic questioning around Situation, Problem, Implication, and Need-payoff to build relationships and close complex deals.
• Solution selling: Focuses on identifying customer pain points and positioning the product or service as the solution.
• Challenger selling: Sales reps challenge the customer’s thinking and business model, highlighting new opportunities.
• Outbound selling: Proactively reaching out to potential customers through cold calling, email outreach, etc.
• Account-based selling: Targeting and engaging specific high-value accounts.
• Partner selling: Selling through channel partners or resellers.
• Direct selling: One-on-one relationship building between rep and customer, often for complex or high-value sales.

Once sales managers identify the guiding sales strategies, they need to nail down sales enablement and sales training, as different sales strategies require different sets of competencies from sales reps.

2. Coaching and Talent Development

While old-school sales rep training, such as running mock calls, will perhaps be outsourced to AI in the future, sales managers will still be irreplaceable when it comes to empowering sales reps with career growth opportunities. 

For example, sales managers who go forward with a consultative selling strategy in their sales department may consider creating opportunities for reps to shadow technical experts as well as organizing regular knowledge-sharing sessions and presentations. 

Another example of how sales managers can provide nonfungible value to sales reps is by encouraging sales reps to contribute to company blogs, whitepapers, or case studies, as well as to participate in online forums and discussions.

Facilitating sales reps’ attendance at top sales conferences is the third example of how sales managers can boost sales representatives’ skills in ways that AI can’t yet. For example, a Sales Success Summit, which is coming up in Austin, TX, in October 2024, is designed for sales professionals to learn from top performers and industry leaders about top sales skills. 

3. Team Leadership and Motivation

One of the biggest strengths humans have over AI is our ability to formulate and understand the importance of ethical frameworks. For example, one of the most important sales manager skills is recognizing the importance of and facilitating diversity in the workplace.

According to research conducted in 2021, sales organizations that prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices demonstrate significant performance advantages across multiple key metrics. 

Compared to their counterparts lagging in DEI, these leading firms reported expected revenue increases of 9% versus 6% for lagging teams. They also achieve 43% higher sales attainment, compared to just 31% for lagging teams. 

The impact on lead conversion is particularly striking, with DEI leaders boasting a 54% lead-to-opportunity conversion rate, more than double the 26% rate of lagging teams. 

These numbers aren’t surprising because a diverse sales team has the following undisputable advantages:

• A diverse sales team can empathize with prospects and leads coming from diverse backgrounds.
• Encouraging multiple points of view drives innovative and creative ideas that break through barriers of “group thinking.”

Here are some tips on how sales managers can ensure a diverse sales team.

Removing Biases from Recruitment

• Use blind resume screening to focus on qualifications, not demographics
• Implement structured interviews with standardized questions
• Diversify hiring panels to include varied perspectives
• Identify and remove biased language from job postings

Ensuring Equal Payment

• Conduct regular pay equity audits
• Implement transparent sales compensation plans
• Base commissions and bonuses on objective performance metrics
• Offer equal access to high-value accounts and territories

Eliminating Biases from Performance Reviews and Promotions

• Use data-driven performance metrics
• Implement 360-degree feedback systems
• Use calibration sessions to ensure consistency across reviewers
• Set clear, objective criteria for promotions

Inclusive Sales Training

• Ensure training materials represent diverse perspectives and scenarios
• Offer cultural competency training to improve customer interactions
• Focus on sales coaching versus management to empower sales reps with greater autonomy

4. Data Analysis and Performance Tracking

While AI-powered tools have made data analysis a breeze, it is still important to have a firm grasp on key sales performance metrics to be able to prioritize which ones to track and act on for maximum impact.

Let’s take a closer look at why various sales metrics matter.

1. Sales Growth

Sales/revenue growth is a direct indicator of how well a sales team is performing over time. It shows whether the sales strategies are working and whether the team is on track to meet its targets.

2. Lead Conversion Rate

This metric gives insights into how effective the sales team is at turning leads into paying customers. A high conversion rate indicates that the sales process is well-aligned with the audience’s needs.

3. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

CAC helps understand how much it costs a company to acquire a new customer. This metric is vital for budgeting and ensuring that the sales strategies are cost-effective.

4. Average Deal Size

The average deal size gives an idea of the revenue generated per sale. Monitoring this metric helps forecast revenue and set realistic sales targets.

5. Sales Cycle Length

The sales cycle length indicates the average time it takes for a lead to move through the sales funnel and become a customer. A shorter sales cycle often means a more efficient sales process.

6. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

CLV measures the total revenue a customer is expected to generate during their relationship with a company. Understanding this metric helps determine the long-term value of each customer and how much you should invest in acquiring and retaining them.

7. Sales Activity Metrics

Activity metrics track the day-to-day actions of your sales team, such as the number of calls made, emails sent, or meetings scheduled. These activities directly influence the outcome of the sales process.

Pro Tip: Yesware provides sales managers with downloadable reports that contain data on the number of emails sent by sales reps with open and reply rates, as well as helping sales managers gauge the effectiveness of various email templates.

5. Effective Communication

Sales managers need to ensure that everyone, including sales reps and marketing professionals, is on the same page about what’s happening in the sales department. 

To illustrate the importance of communication, let’s read a tale of woes of an imaginary Joe Smith, who was recently promoted to a sales manager position. 

Because he isn’t proficient in the art of communications, a number of disasters unravel, setting the company’s sales department on fire. 

Misaligned Goals and Expectations

Joe Smith fails to clearly communicate quarterly targets and key performance indicators to his team. As a result, some reps focus solely on new customer acquisition, while others prioritize upselling to existing accounts. This misalignment leads to inconsistent results and failure to meet overall revenue goals.

Confusion around Product Messaging

The marketing team starts marketing a new product feature, but Joe Smith forgets to communicate the unique selling proposition and buyer persona to the sales team. Sales reps end up pitching the feature inconsistently or to the wrong prospects, resulting in lost opportunities and frustrated customers.

Pricing and Discount Miscommunication

Joe Smith verbally tells some reps about a temporary sales promotion but fails to document it or inform the whole team. This leads to inconsistent pricing offered to customers and internal conflict when some deals are approved at lower margins.

Unclear Sales Process Steps

Joe Smith introduces a new step in the sales process. He decides that it will work better if a presentation is a sales step separate from objection handling. 

Yet, being unskilled in communication, Joe Smith doesn’t clearly explain how to properly prepare a presentation agenda for potential clients to make sure they don’t show up armed with critical questions about the company’s offerings. 

This causes possible deals to break off as reps arrive at the presentations without their battle cards and fail to handle objections effectively.

Poor Feedback and Coaching

Joe Smith provides vague performance feedback in one-on-ones, leaving reps unsure of what specific behaviors or skills they need to improve. For example, a sales rep, Kate Smith, is left wondering whether she needs to enhance her active listening skills or perfect her objection handling. 

This hinders professional development and perpetuates underperformance.

Pro Tip: Grab an ebook below to make sure you don’t meet the fate of the unlucky Joe Smith.

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Lack of Competitive Intelligence Sharing

Joe Smith learns critical information about a competitor’s new offering but doesn’t effectively disseminate it to the team. Reps are caught off guard in customer conversations, which damages their credibility and leads to lost deals.

Ineffective Crisis Communication

During a security incident with the company’s software solution, Joe Smith fails to provide clear, timely updates to the team. Reps are left scrambling to manage customer concerns, damaging relationships and trust.

To improve communication, sales managers should:

• Encourage two-way dialogue
• Be consistent in their messaging
• Provide regular updates and check-ins
• Practice active listening

Pro Tip: Yesware’s platform allows teams to collaborate on creating and refining email templates and email campaigns. Sales managers can encourage team members to contribute their most successful emails, fostering a culture of shared learning and continuous improvement. 

Learn more about Yesware for teams here.

6. Time Management and Prioritization

According to a rule of thumb, sales managers should aim to spend about 80% of their time on core management activities and only 20% on administrative work. 

Here are time management and productivity strategies that can help sales managers juggle multiple responsibilities like pros.

Time blocking is the practice of dedicating specific blocks of time to particular tasks or activities throughout your day. For example, you could set aside time each morning for team meetings, afternoons for client interactions, and specific slots for strategic planning or administrative tasks. By allocating time for each activity, you can minimize distractions, stay on track, and ensure that you’re giving each aspect of your role the attention it deserves.

With countless tasks vying for your attention, you may want to use Eisenhower Matrix to categorize tasks into four quadrants:

• Urgent and Important: Tasks that require immediate attention.
• Important but Not Urgent: Strategic tasks that contribute to long-term goals.
• Urgent but Not Important: Tasks that can be delegated or minimized.
• Neither Urgent nor Important: Tasks that should be eliminated or postponed.

Productivity Apps and Tools for Sales Managers

If productivity apps are your jam, here are a few you could consider:

• Asana/Trello: Project management tools like Asana and Trello help you organize tasks, set deadlines, and track progress. These platforms allow you to create task boards for different projects, assign tasks to team members, and monitor the status of each task in real-time. This ensures that nothing falls through the cracks and that you have a clear overview of your team’s activities.
• Todoist: Todoist is a powerful task management app that allows you to create to-do lists, set priorities, and track your progress. With features like recurring tasks, reminders, and project management capabilities, Todoist helps sales managers stay on top of their responsibilities and manage their workload effectively.
• RescueTime: RescueTime is a time-tracking app that provides insights into how you spend your time. It tracks the time you spend on various activities, websites, and apps, helping you identify productivity pitfalls and optimize your schedule.
• Focus@Will: Focus@Will is a music app designed to enhance concentration and productivity. The app offers scientifically optimized background music that helps you stay focused and minimize distractions.

See more tools here: 13 sales productivity tools.

7. Adaptability and Change Management

When organizational changes start occurring due to planned mergers and acquisitions (M&As), sales managers are often the ones who step up to make sure individual sales reps feel heard and valued. Sales managers also become the champions of the future organization’s new culture and vision.

With this in mind, sales managers should ensure that legacy sales processes from their company’s side are fully represented during discussions about the sales department’s new structure. 

It is also important for sales managers to be prepared to learn what sales KPIs the company plans to focus on after the M&A and communicate these with the sales team.

8. Customer Relationship Management and Technology Proficiency

Building and maintaining strong client relationships is the cornerstone of long-term business success, and it requires a strategic approach to ensure customer satisfaction and loyalty.

One of sales managers’ most important technical skills is proficiency with CRM software. CRM is the central hub for managing all customer interactions. To improve your CRM skills, consider taking advantage of training resources provided by your CRM vendor.

Another useful exercise is to set up customized sales dashboards to track key metrics. Encourage your team to harness the power of CRM to save time and lead them by example. 

As a sales manager, you should aim to build a customer-centric mindset within your team. Encourage sales reps to focus on solving customer problems rather than just pushing products. Also, remember the importance of rewards. Recognize team members who provide exceptional customer service.

Pro Tip: If you opt to use Yesware to help your sales team save time on prospecting and email outreach, you can enjoy the benefits of Yesware’s seamless integration with Salesforce, which automatically syncs all email and calendar activity as well as engagement data with your CRM.

9. Ethical Leadership and Decision Making

Quite often, sales reps find themselves walking a narrow line between persuasion and manipulation. As a sales manager, you should make sure all your team members are on the same page about the difference between the two approaches and can confidently engage in ethical selling.

Persuasion in sales is a behavior that occurs when a salesperson takes the time to deeply understand a customer’s current situation and make sure that the product or service provides tangible value and helps address any or all customer pain points.

Manipulation, on the other hand, is when a salesperson intentionally misrepresents a product’s features or a service’s scope to convince the customer to opt for it, while knowing it may not be the best fit for the customer’s needs.

Ethics in Selling Health Products

Ethical selling is essential for companies authorized to sell medical products as well as health products, such as herbal medicine, not regulated by regulatory agencies, such as the FDA in the United States. 

When it comes to health products, sales representatives must never engage in practices such as kickbacks and off-label promotion. It is also essential to avoid using high-pressure sales tactics that could lead customers to purchase products they do not need or that are not suitable for them.

Sales managers should also be prepared for product recall scenarios. It is important to maintain detailed distribution records to quickly identify affected customers. Sales managers should also provide sales reps with training on how to professionally handle customer concerns and questions.

Expanding the Skill Set: Addressing Emerging Needs

Once you have mastered the aforementioned skills, you may want to consider diving even deeper.

1. Emotional Intelligence (EQ) in Sales Management

According to research, 58% of professional success is attributable to high emotional intelligence (EQ). 

Salespeople with high emotional intelligence sell an average of $29,000 more per year than those with low emotional intelligence. 

As a sales manager, you should invest in developing your own and your team members’ EQ. 

What Is Emotional Intelligence?

EQ is the ability to recognize, understand, manage, and influence emotions—both your own and those of others. 

High EQ enables individuals to navigate social complexities, build rapport, and make informed, empathetic decisions.

You can measure your EQ with the help of Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test. 

How EQ Impacts Team Dynamics and Performance

A sales manager with strong EQ positively influences the team in several key ways:

• High EQ fosters an environment of mutual respect and understanding, which strengthens team cohesion. When team members feel valued and understood, they are more likely to collaborate effectively and support each other, leading to higher overall performance.
• A sales manager with high EQ can guide the team through unexpected challenges by maintaining composure, encouraging open communication, and facilitating collaborative problem-solving.
• Different individuals have different learning styles, and an effective sales manager recognizes this in meaningful ways. For example, they may sponsor conference trips for those sales reps who prefer auditory learning and provide monthly stipends to those who learn best through reading.

2. Advanced Time Management and Productivity Techniques

Alongside the various time management frameworks discussed above, sales managers should also master the art of delegation.

All too often, due to their wealth of experience, sales managers may be tempted to handle some stage of the sales process for their sales reps instead of making sure the reps overcome the obstacles themselves. 

This isn’t the best approach because it’s just like giving a man a fish instead of teaching a man to fish, as the old wisdom goes. 

Sales managers should also be able to critically assess the reports that their senior management requires from them. Sales managers shouldn’t just produce reports as ends in themselves. If any given report doesn’t help improve the sales process, it’s important for sales managers to either delegate it to others or speak up in favor of removing it entirely to save time.

Here’s a step-by-step approach to the delegation process:

• Identify the Task
• Identify the Desired Result
• Find the Right Person for the Task
• Explain Why They Were Chosen
• Discuss the Benefits of the Task
• Outline the Requirements and Deadlines
• Follow Up

3. Cultural Competence and Diversity Management

According to Harvard Business Review, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace can sit at one of the following stages:

• Awareness: Organizations recognize the need for DEI, often triggered by events like lawsuits or social movements. At this stage, companies should focus on internal honesty and set clear, achievable DEI goals.
• Compliance: Companies meet legal and regulatory DEI requirements but may lack deeper cultural commitment. They often view DEI as a necessity rather than a strategic priority.
• Tactical DEI Efforts: At this stage, organizations actively implement DEI initiatives, often through grassroots efforts like employee resource groups (ERGs).
• Integrated DEI: Organizations successfully align their DEI efforts with their overall mission and values.
• Sustainable DEI: Companies in this stage have DEI ingrained in their corporate culture, ensuring long-lasting commitment and impact. 

As a sales manager, you could take the initiative to gauge which DEI stage your company fits and take action to promote this program.

Begin by regularly reflecting on your own biases and how they might impact your leadership. Self-awareness is key to leading by example and promoting an inclusive culture. Engage in regular DEI training sessions to cover topics such as unconscious bias, cultural competence, and inclusive leadership. You may want to encourage all team members to complete DEI training to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

While knowledge is power, accountability is a motor. Establish clear policies and procedures for addressing instances of bias or discrimination. Train your team to recognize and intervene when they witness biased behavior. Encourage them to speak up and support their colleagues in creating a more inclusive environment.

4. Building and Sustaining a High-Performance Culture

In sales, a high-performance culture is one where every team member is motivated to perform at their best, collaborate effectively, and continuously improve.

Here are some tips for maintaining a high-performance culture in your sales team over the long term:

• Conduct regular performance reviews to assess individual and team progress. Provide constructive feedback, identify areas for improvement, and set new goals. 
• Encourage feedback, listen to concerns, and address issues promptly. 
• A high-performance culture should not come at the expense of employee well-being. Encourage a healthy work-life balance by offering flexible work arrangements, promoting time management, and ensuring that team members have time to recharge. 
• Regularly celebrate team and individual successes, both big and small. 

Developing Sales Manager Skills

Take the time to evaluate where your current sales manager skills stand, set clear goals, and commit to your professional development.

Sign up to explore Yesware’s suite of tools designed to streamline your sales management processes, improve your communication with the team, and boost your department’s overall performance.