Eyes On The Prize

Thinking about making your top salesperson a departmentmanager? You'dbetter look beyond the obvious.

Selecting a sales manager may be the second most importantdecision anentrepreneur will ever make, right after deciding to goit alone. Sound like aneasy undertaking? It's not, because ofone common misconception: The mostobvious candidate--your topsalesperson--isn't necessarily the right one.

Instead of focusing on your best salesperson, you should lookfor "a student ofselling." For example, keep an eye outfor a good, solid salesperson who comesto meetings prepared, isinterested in sales strategies and asks questions.

Other key qualities to look for in a sales manager include:

A deep, sincere interest in the company. The bestindividuals lookbeyond their immediate responsibilities [to theneeds of the business.

The ability to work well with people on and off the salesforce. He orshe should be among the first to volunteer to helpnew salespeople and shouldshow an interest in mentoring andleading. Keep in mind, top salespeople areoften uncomfortable withtasks other than selling; a sales manager must be ableto be at easewith all departments.

Good organizational skills. As a manager, he or she willhave moremeetings, appointments and paperwork than ever.

The ability to work without a lot of praise. Instead ofbeing stroked,he or she will do the stroking. The job requires himor her to make sure othersperform to the best of their ability--andto be certain others get the credit.

Accountability. Conversely, a sales manager should beable to take thehit when something goes wrong.

The ability to perform well under pressure. No otherdepartment headwill be under the gun so constantly to produceresults.