A Sales Team Without a Leader Is Like a Ship Without a Captain

Top Reasons You Want a Real Leader at the Helm

“Who is John Maynard?

John Maynard, he was our helmsman who

Held out 'til he brought us safely through,

Saved us and wears a hero’s crown above, …”

from John Maynard by Theodor Fontane

As a sailor, this analogy is near and dear to my heart: a ship does not leave port without a captain. So why would you put a sales team out there without a leader, a real sales leader?

Wikipedia provides this definition: “A sea captain … is a high-grade licensed mariner who holds ultimate command and responsibility of a merchant vessel. The captain is responsible for the safe and efficient operation of the ship, including its seaworthiness, safety and security, cargo operations, navigation, crew management, and legal compliance, and for the persons and cargo on board.”

Much like a ship requires someone bearing the ultimate responsibility, you want that for your sales team, too.

Many books have been written about the difference between a Manager and a Leader, or Management and Leadership.

In the course of a career, many experience the element of management: I am a Manager when people report to me, I bear responsibility for my teams’ goals, I set those targets and evaluate the performance of those reporting to me, and I establish work rules, etc. Management responsibility is assigned and announced by HR or someone senior in the organization.

Leadership, though, cannot be assigned. It is earned over time and through actions. Leadership is about getting people to understand and believe in your vision and to work with you to achieve your goals.

Equally much has been written about how to motivate salespeople. Everything else aside for a moment, it does start with the opportunity to earn money. In a competitive job market, no great salesperson is going to settle for poor financial opportunities. With a solid compensation plan in place, a Leader will now set himself apart from a Manager.

1.     Leaders are followed: because leadership is earned, not assigned, salespeople follow their Sales Leader, especially when there are bumps in the road. This has an extreme impact on retention, avoiding the cost and losses associated with the involuntary departure of a performing sales rep.

2.     Leaders are trusted: in a world of remote teams, with a large number of salespeople around the world working from home, it is very easy for them to feel isolated, left out, or ignored, ... A Leader instills trust and forms a cohesive team that believes in the vision, despite the physical distance.

3.     Leaders provide a vision: in mature markets and interchangeable products, in disruptive businesses and first-to-market situations, …when you need salespeople to do incredibly hard things, when they need to overcome rejection every day, they need to be bought into the vision. That is the fuel that keeps them going.

4.     Leaders provide focus: salespeople, like most of the workforce today, are asked to do more: sell more products, farm and hunt, increase prices, service customers, report to management, … A Leader provides focus, better, he provides the right focus at the right time.

5.     Leaders motivate: getting people to want to do what you need them to do; this goes beyond setting goals and reward schemes. A Sales Leader wants a salesperson to be motivated, he has the ability to influence, to appeal. He keys into the person’s needs, emotions, and goals.

6.     Leaders are positive: positiveness is the condition of being without doubt. Because doubt kills sales, a Leader is the chief evangelist for the business. Not only is he positive, he is able to transfer this positiveness to his team.

Ask yourself if the head of your sales team is a Leader. Is he followed, trusted, visionary, focused, positive, and a motivator?

Let us know if we can help put a captain at the helm of your sales team.

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Wikipedia – Sea Captain

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