What hard skills are must haves to be a sales leader? What are nice to haves?

People's definition of 'hard skills' may differ depending on where they work, what the sales organization makeup is, and what product/platform they are selling. In my experience, the 'gold standard' sales leaders have a few attributes in common when it comes to 'hard skills'. For instance all seem to possess the ability to be dangerous with their technical skills, and business skills - similar to what we would may say about someone outside of work: they are book smart, and street smart. Strong leaders can keep up with the IT and Platform executives, but can also 'wow' prospects and partners with their ability to tell an effective story. Also, they appear to be educated and comfortable with the 'best of breed' platforms and applications, ensuring they stay on topic of the latest in tech. Finally, the strongest leaders I have worked alongside all have deep analytical skills that are super impactful to the sales organization including data analysis, research, creativity in problem solving, and are wonderful communicators.

To be an effective sales leader, you must have strong communication skills and be driven by data and process.

Strong communication, especially a coach-like mindset, is extremely important in terms of supporting reps to achieve quotas. Positive and effective communication between a leader and their reps allows for a smooth flow of information, which creates an environment that motivates the team to work towards achieving goals.

More than ever, being analytical and process driven is key to creating and scaling a high performing team. It’s important that leaders understand the story in the data, make impactful decisions based upon it and motivate their team with data.

In terms of nice to haves, having an eye for great sales talent is something that can take time to develop as a sales leader. I’ve been in sales my entire career and being able to identify great talent is something I'm always working on. If early on in their tenure a sales leader can hone in on a candidate's desire to learn and succeed, they are set up for success.

LIke most professions, you can not lead a team well if you haven't done the job yourself. 

Must Haves : 

• You should have been a quota carrying sales rep for at least 3 to 5 years before you can transition into sales leadership. 
• Have a good understanding of the product. You don't want to be in a meeting with your sales rep where you are not able to answer the use cases and functionalities of your profuct to the customer without any hesitation 
• Good understanding of the market you operate in 
• Ability to motivate the team and shield any unnecessary pressure from top management
• Good analytical skiils would always help you to identify trends in the market place as well as your own internal metrics
• Listening skills : They are both important as a sales rep as well as a sales leader. 
• Focus on Culture :Though some people might put this under "Nice to Haves", I strongly feel that being focussed on culture and building a strong team culture helps a sales leader a lot. 

Nice to Haves

• Some experience around areas of business development and customer success is always helpful
• Project management skills can come in handy as you go up the hierarchy and need to work across cross-functional teams

The hard skills that a sales leader must have are being a product expert, having industry knowledge, presentation + sales skills, and closing.

You have to remember that you're not managing yourself. Every person likes to be managed different and might have different goals than you did when you were selling. Understand those and manage to those goals. They're never going to work as hard as you did when you first got into sales.

As a sales leader, you also have to be a really good motivator. Everyone on your team is motivated by different things and that's ok. Use them to your advantage to push your people to do the best work of their life.

The lost successful leaders I have worked with all seem to be able to have a healthy mix of the following:

Must Have

1. Sales Strategy Development: For CRO's, its imperative that they have the ability to work with their partners in enablement to design and implement effective sales strategies that align with company goals, including setting KPIs, sales targets, and go-to-market plans. These strategies need to be clearly communicated and must be repeatable, measurable and scalable across regions

2. Data-Driven Decision Making: Proficiency in analyzing sales metrics and performance data to identify scalable and repeatable trends, forecast results, and make informed decisions. This includes budgeting, revenue forecasting, and optimizing team performance.

3. Coaching & Feedback Techniques: Knowledge of coaching frameworks (such as GROW or SBI) and the ability to mentor teams effectively to improve individual and team performance is a must. This needs to be a constant part of the conversations with your teams, and feedback should never be a surprise. Do team selling events: mid stage deal reviews, practice upcoming discovery calls together - not every meeting needs to a pipeline review!

4. Product and Market Knowledge: Deep understanding of the company's products/services and the competitive market landscape, enabling strategic positioning and selling.

Nice to Have:

1. Marketing Org Alignment: Understanding of marketing programs & principles to help collaborate effectively on important programs like lead generation, content creation, and aligning sales efforts with marketing campaigns.

2. Financial Acumen: Familiarity with P&L management, margins, and revenue impact analysis, to ensure that sales efforts align with overall financial goals.

3. Digital Sales & Social Selling: Proficiency in digital selling techniques and platforms (e.g., LinkedIn Sales Navigator) to enhance prospecting and lead nurturing in today’s online-driven sales environment.

Hope this helps!

As a sales leader, certain hard skills are essential to drive success, while others can give you an edge but are not necessarily mandatory. Here’s a breakdown of the must-haves and nice-to-haves:

Must-Have Hard Skills:

1. Sales Strategy Development

• Ability to design, execute, and adjust sales strategies based on data, market conditions, and business objectives. A sales leader must know how to create effective go-to-market plans and align them with the company’s overall goals.

2. CRM & Sales Tools Mastery

• Proficiency in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools like Freshworks CRM, Salesforce, or HubSpot is crucial. You should be able to analyze pipelines, track performance metrics, and optimize sales processes using these tools.

3. Data Analysis & Reporting

• Sales leaders need strong analytical skills to interpret sales data, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions. This includes creating reports on sales performance, forecasting, and setting quotas based on historical data and market analysis.

4. Forecasting & Budgeting

• Accurate forecasting of revenue, setting realistic targets, and managing budgets are critical responsibilities. Sales leaders need to project future sales based on pipeline data and market conditions, while keeping an eye on financial performance.

5. Negotiation & Closing Techniques

• Sales leaders must have advanced negotiation skills, understanding how to navigate complex deals, and mentor their teams on closing strategies for high-value deals.

6. Market & Competitive Analysis

• Strong knowledge of the market landscape, competitor activities, and industry trends is essential to position the product effectively and stay ahead of the competition.

7. Sales Process Optimization

• Understanding and improving the sales process is key. This includes implementing best practices for prospecting, lead nurturing, and deal closing to enhance efficiency across the team.

8. Product & Industry Expertise

• A deep understanding of the product or service being sold and the industry in which the company operates is crucial. This allows leaders to better coach their team and ensure they can articulate value to customers effectively.

Nice-to-Have Hard Skills:

1. Technical Knowledge (e.g., SaaS or Enterprise Solutions)

• Depending on the industry, technical knowledge of the product, such as understanding software or cloud solutions in SaaS sales, can be valuable but not always necessary. Having this knowledge can help bridge gaps between sales and product teams.

2. Digital Marketing & Social Selling

• Familiarity with digital marketing tactics (SEO, content marketing, paid advertising) and social selling on platforms like LinkedIn can help sales leaders align closely with marketing efforts and empower reps to generate leads more effectively.

3. Sales Enablement Tools & Automation

• Knowing how to implement and utilize sales enablement tools (like content management systems, email automation, and AI-powered sales platforms) can boost team productivity and improve alignment with other departments, such as marketing.

4. Customer Success & Retention Tactics

• Understanding customer success strategies can help sales leaders focus on long-term relationships and retention, which is increasingly important in subscription-based business models like SaaS.

5. Cross-Functional Collaboration

• While not always a hard skill in the traditional sense, the ability to work closely with product, marketing, and customer success teams is crucial for driving sales alignment and organizational success. A familiarity with tools like Slack or project management software (e.g., Trello, Asana) can support this collaboration.

6. Business Development & Partnership Building

• Sales leaders who understand how to create and manage partnerships or business development efforts can bring new revenue streams into the business. This is especially helpful for companies looking to expand into new markets or verticals.

7. Sales Training & Coaching

• Being adept at designing and delivering sales training programs is a great skill for sales leaders who want to continuously improve their team’s performance. This includes understanding adult learning principles and creating actionable coaching plans.

Conclusion:

• Must-Haves: Skills like sales strategy, CRM mastery, data analysis, and process optimization are essential for a sales leader to drive and manage a team effectively.

• Nice-to-Haves: Skills like technical expertise, sales enablement tools, and digital marketing can provide an extra edge, especially in tech-driven or fast-evolving markets.

Mastering these must-have hard skills while building on the nice-to-have skills will ensure a sales leader’s success in guiding their team and achieving business goals.

The best sales leaders have a few things in common:
-They have a deep mastery of how to sell effectively

-They are incredible coaches and development focused with their team

-They care a LOT about their people

Why these three things?

First, I've often heard the refrain that "you don't want to hire the number 1 sales rep to be a manager." That said, no one wants to follow a sales leader who isn't incredible at sales. Imagine if you had a new manager promoted over you, and their average attainment was 60% of goal. How would you feel about working for them? Not great right? So if you are interested in sales management, I would first learn how to crush your quota and become a top 15% rep.

Second, the best managers I've worked with are exceptional coaches. Many new managers struggle with what we call "super-repping," where they have 7 or 8 reps, and they get on every single call and sell for their reps. Sounds great right? You tee up the call and know your manager will knock it down. But this has a hidden cost. A manager can't be everywhere at once, and their team never truly learns how to do it on their own. Coaching and development focused managers spend their time building up the skills of their reps - not to sell exactly like them - but to lean into their own style and develop 1 skill at a time, constantly adjusting the coaching to challenge the rep to push their skills further. As a manager, you have leverage (the ability to dramatically scale your impact beyond yourself) in developing great new sales people, not selling yourself. You don't want to be the hero, you want to build heroes.

Third, the best managers I've ever worked with truly care about their team's success over their own. People can tell if you care. You will often make more money as a top rep, so don't become a manager unless you truly want to help build the next top performing sales rep. I once received the advice from a leadership coach that "people will forgive a lot of mistakes if you show you truly care about them" and I find that to be true. They'll also be way more committed, open to your coaching, and willing to invest their emotional energy in winning if you have their back.