With the help of the AHS Sales Hiring program, you’ll get very good at knowing how to hire sales people. The next question is; how will those salesmen perform once they’re under your sales manager’s guidance? You have to take into account the personality and values of your sales manager just as much as you do your sales hires. Building a sales team with top performers means nothing if the sales manager running the crew is a weak link.
Personality Profiles Matter with Managers, Too
Great salesmen have certain personality styles. DISC personality assessment tests show great sales hire applicants have these styles in common:
- High Drive
- Influential
- Steady and Focused
- Compliant
To hire and excel at training sales people with these personality styles is your goal. It’s also your goal to make sure your sales managers have the same traits. The bad news is top performing salesmen aren’t always the best sales managers. Make sure these traits are in place and then learn how to look beyond them for the additional traits of a great sales manager.
The Difference between Great Salesmen and Great Sales Managers
Another personality style you’ll notice with top performing salesmen and saleswomen is that they are usually very independent. Hire sales people who are self-motivated and you’ll have a much stronger sales team. The flip side of that coin is what happens when you make one of those highly independent top performing sales people a manager. A manager that is too independent won’t best serve the needs of the team.
The great sales manager finds a way to adapt their independent personality style that made them a great sales person to begin with.
Natural Style vs. Adapted Style
Successfully training sales people and building a sales team require that your sales manager have or develop an adapted personality style. This means that they are capable of taking their natural sales personality style and cater it to fit the demands of the sales manager role.
- Natural Style – Salesmen and sales managers have a personality style that comes naturally. This is their natural default way of approaching their jobs. They are usually naturally independent, steady, influential, etc.
- Adapted Style – This is how salesmen and sales managers see themselves needing to behave in order to do the job well. Salesmen who show signs of being capable of adapting their personality styles tend to be more successful sales managers. This is where the fierce independence of a top sales performer can be adapted to the team player mindset of a strong leader.
How Do You Know if Your Sales Manager Is Adaptable?
The DISC assessment test can be given to sales manager applicants. This test will analyze the potential sales manager’s natural vs. adapted personality styles and give you an indication of their ability to head your sales team.
Remember this important point. A sales hire applicant can show all the signs of being a top performer throughout the interview, but still fail after a few months on the job if your sales manager isn’t the right fit. Make sure your leader has the traits and adaptability necessary to support and guide the successful sales team your company deserves.
