The Ideal Sales Manager

It has long been noted that good salespeople do not automatically make good sales managers. Most sales managers do have a sales background. Some don’t.

Last week, we looked at the characteristics that make up the ideal salesperson. This week, we’ll build the ideal sales manager.

A couple years ago, I was in Vancouver sitting with my friend Andre when he asked me to define the difference between a sales manager and a sales coach. I had never before thought about that question. After a few minutes, I told him that I believed the chief difference is that a manager asks a sales rep, “What did you sell today?” whereas a coach asks, “What did you learn today?”