Question

Critically read no less than six articles on the differences between the sales manager and the sales leader. Make an argument and followed by your opinion supported with evidence from the articles.

Answer 1

While the terms"Sales Leader" and "Sales Manager" are often used interchangeably, there is a huge difference between these two roles.

Leaders rally employees around a vision. They have the ability to influence, motivate and inspire others to contribute to the fulfillment of that vision.

Managers, on the other hand, are more adept at directing employees on how to systematically execute the leader's vision. They can see all of the intricate moving parts and understand how to sync them.

Leaders aren't always managers, and managers aren't always leaders, but both are critical to the success of an organisation. Properly pairing salespeople with either leaders or managers can have a significant impact on productivity, employee satisfaction, and revenue.

Consider, for example, the characteristics of hunters and farmers.

Hunters - Assertive, tolerant of risk, hungry for recognition, focused, competitive, impatient, keep on variety.

Farmers - Relational, resistance to risk, collaborative, predictable, dependent, partial to know environments.

Hunters are tasked with winning high-risk Opportunities or accelerating the acquisition of new markets, geographies and accounts. Meanwhile, farmers are tasked with cultivating, growing and protecting revenue in existing accounts while achieving high customer satisfaction and building valued relationships.

Based on these definitions, we can probably guess the best pairings: Leaders will be more productive if they lead hunters. Managers will be more successful if they manage a group of farmers.

We yearn to be understood and accepted for who we are and working for a boss who has very different DNA can be unsettling. We can see this disconnect very clearly when it comes to motivation. Leaders and hunters tend to become bored when things are too predictable and comfortable; they love to confront new, risky and suspenseful opportunities. Conversely managers and farmers tend to choose comfortable surroundings devoid of risk and have an orderly approach to resolving challenges. They prefer deep relationships.

It's certainly true that some managers can inspire, and some leaders can execute systematically, but these are not their core strengths or dominant characteristics.