Seagull sales managers often enjoy short-lived careers. They’ll never become top sales managers. They might, however, live to see one or two of their former sales reps grow to become full-fledged sales managers, the kind that demands trust and respect the moment they walk into a room. Then the seagull sales manager will realize and say, “Come to think of it, I never got that kind of respect during my time as a sales manager.”

Seagull sales managers will never command trust and respect from their sales reps simply because they’re only around to give errands or tell people what to do. They never listen. All they do is talk, boss around, and then talk some more. A top sales manager knows better than that.

A top sales manager commands respect from his peers by knowing exactly what to do in certain situations. For example, instead of telling sales reps only what you want them to know, like a seagull sales manager, a top sales manager on the other hand shares as much information as possible with the sales rep. If you know more, you can do more, right? Right.

This leads to the topic of developing a shared vision. Sharing the same information and developing sales strategies side-by-side allows the top sales manager to create a stronger bond between himself, or herself, and the sales team. This is how respect is established, and how trust is born.

Remember Jane’s key puncher story? Jane as an employee was empowered because her manager allowed her to sit next to him as they mapped out her goals for the next couple months. Jane was not only a top employee, she was also under the guidance of a top sales manager.

A top sales manager knows what to do. He knows when to offer a hand, when to step back, when to talk, and when to shut up. He knows when to do absolutely nothing at all! That’s something a seagull—a.k.a. average—sales manager will never understand.

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