Reading this week the article that the digital recruiter Peak Sales published on this topic, I couldn’t resist sharing it with all of you. It is, without a doubt, the best definition we can have of a Sales Director and a Sales Producer in our organization.
The problem arises when the top sales producer on your team has been promoted and you need a new Sales Manager. If you promote the person who produces the most and put a team of five people under them, will you have five more superstars? Does the fact that someone can sell mean they can manage sales processes?
The internal promotion process is common and simple. You fill the vacant position and keep your sales team happy. Do you think that placing your best sales producer in a leadership position will translate into the transformation of more sales producers?
Unfortunately, this plan can do more harm than good. Hiring a Sales Manager must require due diligence. The role of a Sales Producer versus that of a Sales Manager requires a different skill set and “DNA”.
There are some salespeople who are promoted to managerial positions, however, when this choice is made randomly, giving words of encouragement and directing the team they were a part of to create new and better results, there is a risk of jeopardizing the overall sales function.
Here we show you the differences this digital recruiter refers to between a Sales Manager and a Sales Producer in an organization:
| Sales Manager | Top Producer |
| Delegator | Closer |
| Team Builder | Money Maker |
| Supervisor | Independent |
| Manager | Ego-centric |
| Leader | Competitor |
| Trainer | Achiever |
Sales producers are independent and exceptionally impulsive. They often like to work outside the boundaries of the organization. However, great Sales Managers are the exact opposite: they think of the team before the individual. They are the managers and leaders and have the ability to think about what is best for the company.
Finally, top producers are usually motivated by money, often believe that others are equally motivated, and cannot understand why their team cannot deliver 100% of the business. Sales Managers are the exact opposite, they have the patience and the ability to build sales teams; even if they have these skills, this does not indicate that they have the ability to transmit them to their team.
The responsibilities of a Sales Manager include recruiting and training, budgeting, forecasting, compensation development, coaching, and ensuring the success of the team, while the responsibility of a salesperson is “direct selling”.
When making internal promotions, you may think you are hiring a Sales Manager, when in reality you are hiring a salesperson who wants to be a Sales Manager. Your new Sales Manager now has to transition from closing deals to running a small business. A leap that for some can become an impossible mission.
