What are some key traits in a good sales manager?

Sales people are self-centered (I want as much as I can get but you can have some too) and often selfish (I want it all). There's nothing wrong with that as a salesperson but it does not often translate well to a sales manager role. When promoting from within, look for the sales people who naturally mentor and nurture their their less successful and/ or newer peers.

As far as specific traits, I always look for the following:

1. Hiring and Selection Skills: What level of importance do they place on this aspect of the role? What is their process for vetting candidates? Do they put candidates through a rigorous role play and not just a "sell me this pen" scenario? Do they look for unsolicited references or do they just call the ones the candidate hands them on a sheet of paper? What questions do they ask candidates during interviews? Ask for elaborate examples of their best and worst hiring decisions. Sales managers often talk about terminated salespeople as if it was something that just "happened to them". This is garbage and frankly it's way too prevalent. A sales manager needs to realize that a failed salesperson means a failed sales manager. Either you hired the wrong person because you failed to make a diligent effort up front or you did not provide them with the tools, training, and coaching they needed to be successful.

2. The ability to "tell it like it is.": I am amazed at how few managers are willing to give honest feedback to their reps. Often the only time salespeople know they are doing poorly is when they get their pink slip. This manifests in many ways- letting a salesperson interview time and again even though they are not likely to ever get a promotion based on behavior the manager is too much of a coward to discuss candidly. is a common reaction. People need to hear the truth and they need to hear it often so they can improve. Ask your prospective sales manager to answer specific scenario questions to see it they get this.

3. They spend time in the trenches going on actual calls with their team. They coach their reps on pre-call planning and post-call results before and after each call. They have regular 1:1 meetings and go over their rep's goal and objectives and their related performance.

Great sales managers really care about their team as a group and as individuals. Granted you may not always "like" all of the people on your team but you must remember that their successes and their failures are your responsibility as much as theirs. When you hired them, they hired you in a way too. You cannot let them down. When your sales manager candidate talks about their current and past sales teams do they say we and us or do they say me or I?

Beyond the obvious like great personality, previous success as a sales person and good communication and training skills a good sales manager needs the following skills, abilities and proclivities. He or she must be able to establish a high level of trust with their sales force. They need to be able to read between the lines when reviewing sales activity and effort. A high degree of motivational skill is mandatory and last but most important the ability and willingness to attend sales calls and close deals for salespeople who are struggling with a prospect or account.

A good sales manager is someone who respects their sales people and is capable of setting realistic expectations and consequences. A good sales manager is someone who understands he/she is there to provide resources and tools to the sales people so they can succeed. A good sales manager does not have their ego involved so they don't micromanage their sales people.