Ask yourself these questions: Is sales leadership a benefit your customers would value? Would they pay more for it? The leadership I’m referring to is not about being the market share leader or being first to market or any other typical measurement. What I’m talking about is leadership in how we interact and guide our customers. 

To answer these questions, we first must ask ourselves to assess how our customers view us. If customers view sales as nothing more than the department that handles the processing of orders, then we can end this discussion right now. On the other hand, if customers look to sales as a source of clarity and insight, then we can surmise there could be value in sales leadership. 

Leaderships Impact

One simple way to measure if leadership has an impact on customer is by looking at two things. First, determine the level of incremental purchases customers make. By this I mean the percentage of business done that is beyond what the customer initially expected to buy. Second, determine the percentage of repeat business and customer referral business.  

Now, don’t automatically think high percentages in these measurements means there is value in leadership. No, high numbers may just mean you have either low prices or a captive customer base. Therefore, good numbers don’t automatically prove the impact of leadership, but they do prove it could be present. 

Demonstrating Leadership

If you demonstrate leadership to your customers regardless of your pricing and your position in the marketplace, you will definitely see percentages above your peer set norm. Remember too that the value of leadership to the customer is more qualitative than quantitative. Another good gauge to measure sales leadership is by asking yourself this question: “Do my customers ask me questions about things I don’t sell?”

Think about this for a moment. If you’re a salesperson selling software and a customer asks you for your input on human resource processes or any other unrelated topic, it means they value your opinion. They value your opinion because they see a level of intellect and insight from which they can learn.

Asking Questions

Another variable worth exploring is looking closely at the questions you ask your customers.  Sales leaders have no problem asking customers questions to which neither the customer nor the salesperson knows the answer. Salespeople who are comfortable asking tough questions where answers don’t come easy are sales leaders by the very nature of being confident enough to ask.

Leadership is a benefit customers see value in and will pay for and they do it without necessarily realizing it. This isn’t due to the salesperson manipulating them. No, it’s due to the customer having enough confidence in the salesperson to be receptive to what they have to say.

Leadership is seen in the way a salesperson can gain additional sales by showing the customer outcomes they didn’t see previously. Leadership is seen in the customer placing trust in the salesperson and realizing the role they play goes far beyond merely taking orders. 

The Takeaway

For those sales organizations that fail to embrace sales leadership, there will be a price to pay.  The price will be in decreased customer interaction and decreased influence. The reason is simple: The customer will see that the organization’s salespeople bring little to the conversation. There is no purpose in meeting with them, because the Internet can provide everything the customer needs to know.    

If your objective is to be seen as a commodity and to have the absolute lowest cost of sales – and you’re prepared to have an eroding customer base – then there is no need for you or your team to demonstrate sales leadership. If, on the other hand, your business plans are to grow share, volume and profit over both the short- and long-term, then having an organization based around sales leadership is a must.