From SALES SHARK to a Leader of SHARKS! What will you GIVE?

How does one go from being a sales shark to be a leader of sales sharks? That is a great question and one many people, from sales people to sales leaders, struggle with every day! We have all heard about that great sales person, crushing their goals every day, every month and even every year! Then, BAM, all of the sudden they are thrust into a leadership role, many times managing their own previous sales team, and they immediately begin to struggle, slogging through day after day, unable to figure out why things are falling apart?!?!

Wait! That's not all...the next thing to happen is now the entire sales team begins to struggle because, well, the best salesperson, the SHARK, has been removed and the shark’s over-achievement covered for under-performance by others on the team.  Morale begins to sag, leadership begins to question our sales shark, the once blooming super SHARK who could do no wrong when they were an individual contributor and the sales team is “floundering,” lifeless, and feeling like they are out of water!

So how does a great sales Shark transition to a servant Shark leader? Well, it is just that! One must be willing to serve, to teach and to mentor. It can be a very difficult transition to make because of the shift in mindset that is necessary. You must change from being an individual contributor, only worrying about yourself and your production, to someone who can motivate and educate others. You must do things that will feel very foreign to who you are and were as a salesperson, a sales shark. You will have to share your best ideas, you will have to learn how to teach and train others the methods and systems that work, how to utilize their CRM as their daily bible and to do list, and how to relate to others as you were able to. Your patience will be tested, your methods questioned, and some of your team will fail, which you may think makes you a failure.

A great Shark transitioning to being a leader of Sharks must have patience, high EQ, and a willingness to continue to learn and grow their skills. Many times, when one makes the move from a great sales person, making lots of money and winning lots of prizes and perks, to the one of sales manager, they lose many of those perks, many times taking a pay cut and always having a lot more responsibility. Sharks understand the value of listening to their team, understanding where they are coming from, and working to make things better by removing roadblocks, showing them easier, more efficient ways to get things done, and holding them accountable!

I know how hard this transition is, as I made this very transition early in my career. I was that sales person, that sales shark, leading my peers in sales, going to President’s club, winning trips and prizes, but I knew that I could teach and inspire others to do what I was doing and make them better. I had a desire to show people their true potential, to show them that they too could enjoy everything I was enjoying. I wanted to become a leader of Sharks to make people better, to unlock their potential by believing in them and teaching them many of the things I had learned. I knew that if I could produce, say one million dollars, then imagine what I could with a team of 10?!?

I was promoted within my same office to my same team and was fortunate enough to be able to help them grow their skills and to be even more successful! I immediately removed the roadblocks that were holding them back, showed them how I had been successful, and was able to help them win the prizes and perks that I had enjoyed. As a matter of fact, I was able to take many of my team members to President’s club as I was the top sales “SHARK” manager two years in a row.

Are you looking to make the transition from great sales person to GREAT sales leader? What are you doing to ease that transition? How can you be a better leader?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments and feel free to reach out if you feel a little coaching would be helpful, I am always here to help!