Finding success in sales today is challenging enough but succeeding as a sales leader is perhaps more difficult than it has ever been as finding success as a sales leader in today’s competitive market comes with a completely different set of obstacles that can be difficult to overcome.

Compounding these challenges is the recent seismic shift towards online sales in the wake of the global pandemic as building trust to stand out from the competition can be extremely challenging in a digital setting.

Compared to the good old days, technology has evolved so much. Sales are not so much about going door to door, and much more about who can build a better social media campaign. As a result, competition is also much tougher than it once was.

Due to this competitive nature of today’s sales world, sales leaders face their own unique challenges. Sales leaders sometimes have unrealistically high expectations that can result in disappointment in their sales team and a lack of clear direction. Without clear communication, the sales leader should not expect their team to know what to do. This can also be a primary cause of a lack of motivation.

Sometimes, sales leaders make the mistake of believing their sales team members are all motivated by the exact same things they are. So, they end up offering incentives based on their desires. Unfortunately, this can lead to sales leaders floundering because they fail to relate to their team members or figure out what motivates them.

However, sales leaders are still being well compensated, and if you think you have what it takes, here are a few tips to make it happen and succeed as a leader.

A good sales leader should have a deep and profound sales intuition, which is the practical knowledge gained from the experiences of participating in sales cycles and managing salespeople. They should also be able to closely monitor and strictly enforce a sales process, which is known as control orientation.

Being able to control and enforce the sales process also takes a higher level of mental toughness. Even when you make mistakes, you will need to dust yourself off and get back up again. Being able to keep your emotions in check is key in stressful situations. The final most important tip is being able to adapt to the ever-changing sales climate.

Adapting to suit each individual leads to much more success than a “one size fits all” approach. Multiple studies have shown that higher performing sales managers have had higher team efficiency than underperforming sales teams in certain situations.

It may be extremely daunting as a leader to adapt a new approach of leading and motivating to fit with the times, but this is part of the challenge and if you welcome this challenge, you may be amazed to find out just how beneficial the results can be. You must be willing to take on all the trials and tribulations of being a successful sales leader.