Sales managers are evolving just as the organizations they lead are also changing. New sales leaders need skills different than those of an earlier generation – skills essential for interpreting new data, leveraging technology, and aligning their organizations with shifting customer and market requirements. And as before, they're also expected to assemble high-powered sales teams, develop sales talent, manage diverse and distributed team members, and provide clear leadership. Companies – even those with large learning and development support resources – are not well prepared to develop sales management; there are far fewer available resources for sales managers than for salesperson training.
This panel explores the emerging competencies important to an effective sales manager corps, the range of educational resources available, and describes best practices in structuring impactful sales manager learning, recruitment and development initiatives.