What are common mistakes when transitioning to a sales manager role in Enterprise Software?

Trusting your team is very important in management. I have had team members that have had better ways of doing tasks than the way they were taught. They just needed a chance to shine and never would have while being micromanaged.

Here are the common mistakes in 80 words: * **Micromanaging reps:** Focus on coaching, not controlling. * **Ignoring rep development:** Invest in training for your team. * **Selling, not managing:** Lead the team, don't steal their deals. * **Metrics over relationships:** Balance data with understanding your reps. * **Forgetting your roots:** Leverage your sales knowledge, but delegate execution.

In my experience, Here are common mistakes made by individuals making this transition: Not Letting Go of Individual Sales: New managers, especially if they've been star salespeople, might find it hard to let go of their old responsibilities. They may still want to be involved in every deal, which can spread them thin and take their focus away from their managerial duties. Neglecting Coaching and Development: Some sales managers focus solely on numbers and results. While these are crucial, it's equally important to invest time in coaching and developing team members to improve their skills and performance. Not Communicating Effectively: Good communication is key to leading a team.

Instead of being overly involved in individual sales transactions, shift your focus toward coaching, guiding, and empowering your reps. By focusing on their growth and providing them with the necessary tools and support, you can enable them to hit quota not just once, but over an over.

Transitioning to a sales manager role in enterprise software often comes with challenges. Common mistakes include underestimating the complexity of the sales process, relying too heavily on technical knowledge rather than developing leadership skills, and struggling to align sales strategies with broader business objectives. Additionally, new managers may face difficulties in effectively delegating tasks, managing diverse sales teams, or adapting to the longer sales cycles typical in enterprise software. Successful transitions require a focus on strategic planning, team development, and customer-centric approaches.

Neglecting personal development is a common pitfall for sales managers. When sales managers focus solely on their team's performance and neglect their own growth, it can have long-term consequences not only for themselves but also for their team and organization. Here's why: Stagnation in Knowledge and Skills: The sales environment, especially in enterprise software, is dynamic. New technologies, methodologies, and industry trends emerge regularly. Managers who do not invest in their own development may quickly find themselves behind the curve, unable to provide effective guidance or strategies for their teams. Lack of Leadership Evolution: Effective leadership requires ongoing growth and evolution.

In my experience failing to align with your organization, especially as a sales manager, can have detrimental effects on team performance, morale, and the overall success of the business. Here's a breakdown of what can go wrong and the potential consequences: Misaligned Goals and Objectives: If you're not in tune with the company's objectives, you risk setting goals for your team that don't contribute to the organization's broader mission. This can result in wasted resources, missed opportunities, and confusion. Eroded Trust with Leadership: Not being aligned with the organization can create tension between you and higher-level management.

In my experience, the new sales manager usually limits to a single source of customer contact, or at most including the gatekeeper. The more experienced ones will have been around the customers’ grounds for some time, and building solutions even from the ground up. By allocating time and resources to understand user requirements and experience, will help achieve better expectations and outcomes, rather than giving freemiums and discounts. Go beyond looking at big it quick wins, and grow the trees instead of picking low hanging fruit.

Forgetting to do these: - Get out on the road with all of your sellers (Observe!) - Be curious about their lives & interests outside of work - Be operationally excellent ie. if this was a strength of yours as an AE, make it a clear & visible strength as a Mgr - Realise that some of your AEs won't automatically welcome your 'value adding' coaching - take it slowly and let it happen naturally - Start working on your bench immediately; you will need to make strong hires & you will be judged on how they turn out - Spend time with HR & understand how performance mgt is done in your business - Communicate news (both good & bad) up the chain in a timely fashion; most businesses value predictability - Don't be afraid to ask for advice!

Emotional leadership : < empathy > < self-consciousness > < self-management > < crisis management > Overall ↘? Being a GOOD person