Sales Leader Profile Checklist

Competency / Definition / Description
Customer Focus / Develops uniquely strong customer loyalty; low-to-no customer attrition; key account executive contacts will go to bat for him/her; generates repeat business more than peers; his patch has high customer satisfaction/NPS scores relative to peers /
  • develops uniquely strong customer loyalty
  • experiences low-to-no customer attrition
  • assigned accounts provide strong references
  • customers have much higher renewal rates, repeat business rates, and upsell rates than similar customers of other reps
  • understands customers' businesses at an intimate level

Coaching and Talent Development / Overseeing talent development programs and efforts; taking interest in advancement of subordinates; success of previous subordinates in other areas of the organization; ensuring stable of qualified and available replacements; developing Career Action Plans /
  • invests substantial professional time in overseeing talent development programs and efforts
  • takes personal interest in advancement of subordinates, including giving them one-on-one time for the sole purpose of career advancement
  • can point to previous subordinates in other areas of the organization who have been successful
  • ensures stable of qualified and available replacements for his/her role so as to give the organization maximum flexibility
  • develops complete and applicable Career Action Plans for each employee in their care and uses them to drive improvements in performance

Integrity / Responding to ethically questionable activities and alternatives; history of high integrity transactions with peers, customers, and partners; responding to bad news; keeping confidences; exhibiting discretion; admitting mistakes /
  • resists activities and alternatives that are ethically questionable
  • has a long track record of high integrity transactions with peers, customers, and partners
  • responds with honesty, immediacy, and transparency when questioned about adverse topics
  • has a history of bringing bad news to the attention of leadership as soon as it becomes known
  • has a reputation for keeping confidences
  • discrete in speech and manner
  • quickly admits mistakes in performance, some of which he/she offers up without others even knowing

Internal Partnering / Relating to peers on a personal level; cooperating with peers; joint problem-solving; responding to accolades; handling peer conflict /
  • known for maintaining and expanding a large number of productive peer relationships, both outside and inside the
  • company
  • •consistently works well with peers on corporate projects, both strategic and tactical, irrespective of whether in a position of leadership or membership
  • history of working with peers to solve key business problems, including the proactive sharing of best practices
  • comfortable with his/her peers receiving accolades for team accomplishments to which he/she made a significant contribution
  • seldom in conflict with peers but, in those circumstances, known to be fair-minded, calm, and respectful, consistently looking for win-win solutions

Managing Resources / Bringing specific support resources into the patch to impact sales campaigns; overseeing contributions from staff other than those under direct management; gaining cooperation from third parties that can assist in the sale; leveraging corporate assets (IP, content, reputation, tools, etc..) /
  • ensures high impact sales support resources are introduced at the right time in sales campaigns and have the desired effect on the prospect
  • consistently gains the active cooperation of staff other than those under direct management to work towards improving pipeline business
  • gains cooperation from a wide variety of third parties that assist in advancing a sale or in improving the company's value proposition
  • helps reps and peers to leverage the full portfolio of corporate assets (IP, content, reputation, tools, etc..) at multiple points in the account development or sales process

Team Builder / Creates unity and productivity of sales reps under
management; his/her reps consistently state they feel part of a high-performing team; is able to improve average performers and motivate above average performers to excellence; develops team-building and team motivating activities /
  • actively engenders a sense of unity amongst the sales reps under management
  • ensures a high level of productivity of the sales team through clear and consistent rep-to-rep assistance
  • his/her reps consistently state they feel part of a high-performing team and are proud to be part of the organization
  • lifts average performers above mediocrity and motivates above average performers to excellence
  • supports team-building and team motivating activities
  • creates a strong sense of teamwork and camaraderie from among support and other sales-related staff

Managerial Courage / Adapting in a management environment where autonomy is valued; making decisions; setting priorities without intense oversight; volunteering; taking unpopular position; addressing people problems; taking negative managerial action when necessary /
  • thrives in a management environment where autonomy is valued
  • makes prudent decisions that may also have a political cost but are optimal for the business
  • sets effective priorities up and down the line without need for oversight
  • volunteers to be the first among peers in assuming a burden or tackling a thorny project
  • willing to take bold stands and defend them with facts, even when the position may be unpopular
  • faces up to people problems quickly, directly, fairly, and with the necessary Human Resources documentation
  • is undaunted when the need arises to take negative action

Drive for Results / Pursuing goals; maintaining focus; seeking out quantitative comparison; demonstrating results in variety of selling environments /
  • relentless in the pursuit of a key strategic goals
  • does not lose focus and is not easily distracted from core mission
  • seeks out quantitative comparison, both of past performance and against peer groups (internal and external benchmarks)
  • shows a consistent pattern of results delivery in good and negative selling environments

Organization/ Planning / Budgeting time; managing meeting commitments; handling assignment conflicts; using time /
  • budgets time to accomplish long-range efforts that take significant effort
  • does not miss meetings in times when there are many and conflicting commitments
  • manages assignments for short and long term commitments without missing deadlines
  • highly efficient user of professional time

Experience and Mentoring / Legacy of sales management success; bringing learnings from past experience into the work environment; raising the level of internal peers by allowing them to leverage personal experience; quality of advisor based on experience; mentoring emphasis /
  • long proven record of sales-specific numbers-based success as a manager inside or outside the organization
  • brings learnings from past experience into the work environment for the benefit of customers and partners
  • not just a ‘grey-hair’ but someone who raises the level of internal peers by allowing them to leverage his/her experience •
  • has a history of providing sage advice to peers, subordinates, and even managers based on personal and professional experience
  • supports an active mentoring program for subordinates from within and outside his/her direct organization

Judgment/ Decision Making / Reacting when under time or other pressure; weighing conflicting goals and commitments and making decisions based on core values; exhibiting wisdom in counsel; judging character; reading client situations /
  • does not panic when under time or other pressure
  • able to weigh conflicting goals and commitments and make decisions based on core values• provides wise counsel frequently
  • consistently reads client situations accurately
  • insightful judge of character

Tenacity / Ability to stick to a plan, overcome adversity and avoid obstacles while proceeding to a pre-established goal; pursuing customer, partner, and company objectives with determination and power of will /
  • demonstrates sheer ability to stick to a plan
  • overcomes adversity routinely
  • avoids obstacles while proceeding to a pre-established goal
  • pursues customer or partner objectives with determination and power of will