Learning Leadership From The Experts

Learning leadership is developed through a long process of trial, coaching, and failure. While some people are more suited for leadership roles than others, one is not simply “born a leader” – leadership is learned. Below, we have collected several articles from our archives detailing what it takes to be a leader. Whether through our own managers, or even outside interviews, learn how you too can be a leader in your workplace.

Tim Timmerman: Learning Leadership Through These Four Traits

Every new sales rep at Acquirent is given our signature sales training as a means to cultivate talent. But each manager does things a little differently. In this video, Tim Timmerman shares what it takes to grow a sales person and a sales team. He boils success down to four attributes – respect, hunger, adaptability, and accountability. What does it take to grow a sales team?

We all know the golden rule – treat others the way you expect to be treated. It’s pretty simple, but its something that people often look over. Whether it be team composition or dealing with clients, respect means the difference between a productive team and an unhappy one. It also makes a huge deal on calls themselves. We often write about the importance of Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, on sales calls. It plays a huge role in how we conduct ourselves over the phone, in understanding customer needs. It also means knowing how to handle rough calls, and being able to keep making more calls afterwards.

Naturally, respect is huge when it comes to sales. In an outsourced sales and marketing company like ours, it keeps us pushing forward and the energy high.

Nate Blackburn: Learning the Forms of Leadership

Leadership takes all sorts of forms – what kind is going to be the most effective form for your kind of business? The kind of sales cycles that we work vary pretty dramatically at Acquirent. Some of our accounts are about account management and forming long-term relationships with other businesses. This kind of account means making sure that we are constantly upselling our services for other companies. Other accounts are pure cold-calling, selling things like tickets to expos and products that people will only buy once.

Regardless of the type of product or service you are selling, your leadership style has to match what will work best. Nathan Blackburn, VP of Sales at Acquirent, details what he views to be the best type of leadership in this video.

Sales cycles and sales goals change with every passing day. Being adaptive and flexible in these situations will determine the success of your leadership. As Bruce Lee once said: “Be like water. Be fluid.”

What this means is that you must adapt to the situation ahead of you. While having a consistent strategy can be effective in the short term, circumstances are constantly changing. We can forecast trends that might be ahead of us, but nobody can predict the future. We can always prepare for what might come next. Like Bruce Lee, decide for yourself the approach you will take, and do not be afraid to change to take account for the sales environment.

Adam Goodman: Learning How Leadership is Made

Leadership is fundamental to success on any sales team. Without a strong head leading a team, even the best salespeople might find themselves struggling to meet quotas. Adam Goodman visited us to talk about aspects that make a great leader. A professor at Northwestern University, he is an expert on leadership and what separates the wheat from the chaff. He shares a few takeaways that will help you excel in leadership positions.

The definition of emotional intelligence is the capacity to be aware of, control, and express ones emotions. It is the ability to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and with empathy. Or in other words, it’s the ability to recognize your own emotions and the emotions of others. It’s what allows you, as a sales person, to connect and understand your prospect’s perspective so you can better understand their pain points and how your product or service can help solve them. As a leader, it allows you to place yourself in the position of how your employees see the world. It may not seem immediately profitable, but consider how comradery and happiness affect an office. Employees who feel respect feel empowerment, and this emotion will register in their calls.