Salespeople are from Mars. Sales Managers are from Venus
The assumption that top-performing salespeople will naturally transition into effective sales managers is widespread in many organisations. However, this move often results in frustration for both the individual and the company.
The skill sets required for sales success and sales management are distinctly different. While great salespeople excel in direct client engagement and personal performance, sales managers must lead, coach, and inspire a team. We explore why these two roles differ and the critical factors to consider when promoting a salesperson to a management position.
Key differences between salespeople and sales managers
Individual contributor vs. Team leader
A great salesperson is focused on achieving personal targets. Their success hinges on individual performance and their ability to close deals. In contrast, a sales manager’s success is measured by the performance of their team. This requires a shift from “me” to “we”, a challenging transition for many top salespeople who are accustomed to individual success.
- Different motivations
Salespeople thrive on competition and recognition. Their day-to-day focus is closing deals, often driven by commissions and personal accolades. Sales managers, however, need to be motivated by the success of others.
Their role demands building a high-performing team through coaching, mentoring, and setting strategic goals. For many high-performing salespeople, this shift in motivation can be difficult to embrace
- Coaching and development skills
Sales managers must excel at coaching, training, and developing others. Many great salespeople struggle in this area because what came naturally to them is not always teachable. They may lack the patience or ability to break down their success into actionable lessons for others, leading to frustration on both sides.
- Strategic Thinking vs tactical execution
Successful salespeople are excellent at closing deals and executing short-term tactics. However, a sales manager must think more strategically, planning long-term initiatives, setting broader goals, and aligning the team’s actions with company objectives. This strategic oversight is not always in the skill set of a top salesperson, who may be more accustomed to a day-by-day approach.
Challenges promoting salespeople to managers
- Loss of personal control
High-performing salespeople are used to controlling their outcomes. As a manager, they must delegate and trust their team to execute. Many struggle to relinquish control, leading to micromanagement, which can demotivate team members.
- Inadequate or poorly developed leadership skills
Just because someone is a great salesperson doesn’t mean they possess leadership skills. Managing different personalities, navigating conflicts, and motivating a team to perform requires a completely different skill set, one that many salespeople haven’t had the opportunity to develop.
- Risk of losing top performers
In promoting a top salesperson to a management role, companies often lose a key revenue driver. If the individual struggles in the new role, not only is the management position weakened, but the company also loses the direct revenue they once contributed.
What’s the alternative?
If traditional sales training leads to forgetfulness, the obvious solution is reinforcement and continuous learning. Here’s how modern approaches can help:
- Micro-learning: Instead of hours-long sessions, breaking training into smaller, digestible chunks can help with retention. Short, focused lessons delivered over time are far more effective in reinforcing memory.
- Coaching and mentorship: Ongoing coaching helps reinforce learned behaviours. Regular feedback allows sales professionals to tweak their approach in real-time, keeping learning relevant and practical.
- Gamification: Engaging training methods that use rewards, competitive elements, and challenges can make learning more interactive and memorable.
- Technology integration: Leveraging CRM systems and AI-driven insights can act as real-time learning aids, providing salespeople with tips, suggestions, and reminders as they work.
The future of professional development for sales practitioners
Moving away from traditional methods doesn’t mean abandoning them altogether. Rather, blending traditional instruction with modern techniques can yield the best results. Companies that embrace a continuous learning culture, where knowledge is refreshed regularly, will see the benefits in their sales performance.
Training isn’t just an event, it’s an ongoing process. The quicker businesses realise this and adapt their sales skills development strategies, the faster they’ll see their teams excel, without losing 90% of the knowledge after a month.
This is where the Institute of Sales Professionals (ISP) steps in. Through its Sales Capability Assessments, Sales Capability Framework, and robust Professional Development platform, ISP helps organisations identify not just who can sell, but who can lead. By focusing on continuous development, structured coaching, and tailored learning journeys, ISP equips future sales managers with the leadership, strategic thinking, and coaching skills they need to succeed. So rather than risking the loss of a top performer or placing them in a role they’re not prepared for, businesses can make informed, strategic talent decisions, building stronger teams and setting new leaders up for success from day one.