voice of the sales manager, sales management, sales leader, sales intelligence, sales hiring, salesfuel, teamtrait

Voice of the
Sales Manager

SALESFUEL®
EXCLUSIVE RESEARCH

SalesFuel's Voice of the Sales Manager study, conducted in October 2021, collected responses from 250 sales managers across the U.S., with 90% managing five or more direct reports. This study shed light on the traits sales managers deem essential for success, and the characteristics they prioritize when hiring sales staff.  Additionally, the research highlighted the financial impact on organizations from misjudged hires.

This information is instrumental in understanding the mindset of sales managers, aiding in optimized hiring processes and improved management practices.

SELECT TOP-​LINE FINDINGS

About 68% of sales managers have hired candidates for open sales jobs that they wouldn't have hired a year ago.

2021 Voice of the Sales Manager study, SalesFuel

Nearly 70% of sales managers agree the top 3 skills needed excel are: sales process improvement, sales coaching, and goal setting/​​accountability

2021 Voice of the Sales Manager study, SalesFuel

It takes an average of 4 months to hire a sales rep and another 7.5 months to train, bring them up to full speed.

2021 Voice of the Sales Manager study, SalesFuel

Only 49% of sales manager use a sales knowledge/​​acumen assessment to measure the candidate's aptitude.

2021 Voice of the Sales Manager study, SalesFuel

Over 35% of sales managers report that discussions about time commitment and work responsibilities cause the most friction with their direct reports.

2021 Voice of the Sales Manager study, SalesFuel

4 out of 10 sales managers want to move toward a leadership position in their current company in the next year.

2021 Voice of the Sales Manager study, SalesFuel

Sales managers need an average of 9 months to terminate a poorly performing rep.

2021 Voice of the Sales Manager study, SalesFuel

41% of sales managers use personality assessment in their hiring process.

2021 Voice of the Sales Manager study, SalesFuel

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METHODOLOGY

The Voice of the Sales Manager study, conducted by SalesFuel in October 2021, surveyed sales managers across the U.S. 90% of these managers have five or more direct reports. The 250 managers who completed our survey represented the retail and consumer goods, hospitality and food service, and business service sectors, among others. About 38% of these managers work for privately held companies, another 22% are employed by franchises, and 26% hold positions at publicly traded companies.