Every team needs a good leader in order to maximize its strengths, shore up its weaknesses and expand its achievements. Recruiting and cultivating good sales representatives requires that a company first recruit and cultivate good sales leaders. 

To find a strong sales manager, focus on candidates who demonstrate the following traits: 

Balancing Accountability and Trust 

Sales attracts internally motivated self-starters, who are often keenly entrepreneurial. The right sales managers know how to encourage these traits and support their staff as those staff go after each sale. 

Ask sales manager candidates to explain how they ensure their teams are reaching their goals. Ask them how they nurture their team members’ day to day growth. Look for those that give their teams room to learn and grow, but who also stay on top of their team’s progress and results. 

Maintaining the Lines of Communication 

The best sales managers are their team members’ biggest cheerleaders, backstops, and mentors. To achieve all three, sales leaders need to build and maintain strong lines of communication – making it safe and desirable for team members to come to them with tough problems. 

To learn more about this trait in candidates, pick an example of a challenge a sales rep might encounter, then ask the manager how they’d respond. Watch for answers that describe collaboration without placing blame.  

Rolling Up Their Sleeves 

Great sales managers know how to empower their sales reps without micromanaging them. Yet they also realize that sometimes, the best form of empowerment is to do what needs to be done so that their sales reps can focus on landing the next customer.  

As a result, the best sales managers aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and work alongside their teams when necessary. Ask each candidate what they would do if they realized a sales rep needed a break, needed help, or would be out of the office due to an emergency. Listen for answers that focus on how they’d redistribute work – including whether they’d do any of it themselves.  

The recruiters at SMR Group specialize in connecting our clients to outstanding sales and marketing talent. If you’re looking for a sales manager with experience in the biotech, medical device or pharmaceutical industries, contact us today.