When the economy runs out of steam, sales leaders are willing and able to build up more steam, pick up the slack, and keep the train moving ahead at top speed. How?

1. They don’t give up until they’ve found the best way to harness the collective genius of their sales organization to reach their business objectives.

2. They help their salespeople improve by clearly communicating what they need to do to meet the company’s goals and the expectations of management.
3. They coach salespeople and help them adopt the successful behaviors that lead to results.
4. They give their salespeople the right technology they need to improve their performance, drive up productivity, and cut out the tedious and repetitive tasks that salespeople are not paid for.
5. They help create sales processes that reflect how customers want to buy.
6. They associate analytics with every sales process in order to ensure ongoing improvement.
7. They measure their salespeople’s performance objectively and create a level playing field.
8. They set high expectations for each team member and appraise and review results on a regular basis.
9. They praise good performance in public and consistently celebrate high achievement.
10. They help salespeople connect with C-level executives to help increase the chances for closing the sale – without taking over the salesperson’s role.
11. They create effective compensation and incentive programs that are motivating to the sales team.
12. They generate hope and optimism throughout the sales organization and help their team grow and win against an overwhelming tide of adversity.

How can you spot a good sales leader? Just ask one if they are meeting those 12 demands of a highly successful sales organization and most importantly are they succeeding due to the train pushing them forward or are they creating the steam that is delivering the results.