08/25/2026
๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ธ.
And you promoted them there.
Here's what happens in most B2B companies:
Someone crushes their quota year after year. They understand their customers and know why they want to buy. They win deals others can't.
So you make them a sales manager.
And then... nothing changes.
Except now your top producer isn't producing anymore.
And the team they're supposed to be leading? Well, they're still doing things the old way.
Here's why:
Being great at selling and being great at developing sellers are two completely different skill sets.
A top rep wins by executing. A great manager wins by coaching others to execute.
A top rep controls their own pipeline. A great manager creates a system that fills everyone's pipeline.
A top rep closes deals because they're the trusted advisor customers call first. A great manager builds a team where every rep becomes that trusted advisor.
๐ ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ ๐๐ผ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ด๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ผ๐๐.
Then wonder why the team plateaus.
Or why the new manager keeps jumping in to close deals themselves instead of teaching their reps how to do it.
If you want your sales managers to actually manage, you have to teach them how.
That means training them to:
๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐ด๐ป๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐'๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น. Not just "they need to follow up more." What specifically broke down in the conversation?
๐๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ฟ, not just the outcome. "Close more deals" isn't coaching. "Here's how to handle that objection differently" is.
๐๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐. So success isn't dependent on one person's magic touch.
The role of sales manager is the most underinvested position in most companies.
And it's costing you more than you think.
Because when your managers can't coach, your reps can't grow.
๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป'๐ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐, ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป'๐ ๐ฒ๐ถ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ.
If your sales managers are still acting like individual contributors who happen to have a team, that's not a people problem.
That's a leadership development problem.
And it's fixable.
I put together a simple framework: ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ. It's free. If you want it, comment 'FRAMEWORK' and I'll send it your way."