Sales Management | Sales Research

In our analysis of Top-Performing Sales Organizations, we learned that 66% of companies don't believe their managers have the skills to manage and coach sellers.

Across the board, there's an overall lack of confidence in sales managers' ability to drive change with their teams, lead masterful coaching conversations, and maximize seller results and performance.

But what about the sales managers who get it right?

In this research, we set out to learn what Top-Performing Sales Managers and coaches do differently. We wanted to know how they work with sellers, what skills they have, and if some skills are more important than others.

This global, year-long study from the RAIN Group Center for Sales Research of 1,004 sales managers and sellers focused on the role of the sales manager and how they support their teams. In total, we studied 624 sales managers—333 who both manage and sell, and 291 who manage exclusively—and 380 sellers.

In our Top-Performing Sales Manager Benchmark Report, we share the results of our research, including:

The #1 skill separating Top-Performing Sales Managers from other managers
The difference in win rate for teams with Top-Performing Sales Managers
The types of coaching conversations that organizations should prioritize
The roles that are critically important to sales management success
The best way to ensure new sellers become Top Performers (this stat alone is worth reading the report)

This is a must-read report for anybody looking to improve the results of their sales organization.

Fill out the form to download the report.

No single factor drives top sales performance. We found that a combination of effective management, regular sales coaching, and effective sales training significantly drive top performance. Lose any one of these factors and success is much less likely.

For sales managers, it's critical to find opportunities to coach sellers and foster further development. Even for sales organizations that dedicate the resources to hire top sales talent, strong sellers tend not to stick around if they don't feel like they're being invested in.

We studied 100 skills and behaviors across 12 categories in three areas: selling, productivity, and sales management and coaching.

We found that sales manager success can be summed up in 3 words: rhythm, roles, and conversations.

Rhythm

Top Performers are 51% more likely to have regular, ongoing coaching.

Conversations

Top Performers are 40% more likely to be skilled at leading valuable coaching meetings.

Roles

The 10 roles (5 coaching-focused, 5 management-focused) are all statistically validated as 10 critical areas where Top-Performing Sales Managers excel versus other managers.