Great sales leaders are out in the field with their people 60 to 80 percent of the time. If you don't inspect your reps' performance in the field, you can't expect improvement. Spending a day with your reps not only shows you how they're doing, it also gives you firsthand knowledge of what customers are thinking and what their needs are, based on your products and services. Most important, sales reps respect leaders who know what it's like in the trenches. Understand their reps' individual strengths and weaknesses.
Great leaders are aware of what motivates each rep and know how to get the best from everyone.
They expect excellence. If your reps know you think they're capable of reaching greater heights, they'll strive for them. Your role as a leader is to encourage your people to succeed. There may be substantial monetary rewards in being a great sales leader, but the greatest reward is having helped others reach their goals. Our material possessions won't really matter once we're gone.