May 14, 2025

Pipeline Perspectives Issue 16 - Mistakes Sales Leaders Are Guilty Of Making

September 24, 2024

Pipeline Perspectives banner — ***The Newsletter By Sellers, For Sellers.***

Issue 16 - Dear sales leaders, we know you're guilty of making these mistakes.

Whether you're a brand-new sales leader or a seasoned pro, it's easy to make mistakes. And hey, mistakes happen here and there. We get it. That's normal. But once they become a habit?

That's when you've got a problem on your hands.

Here are some common mistakes you might not know you're making, and how to fix them.

**You're not really listening**

You probably run a tight ship with your sales team, or at least you aim to. And as the team that generates revenue, there's a white hot spotlight on you from the top. That means your pipeline reviews and syncs with your team are all about efficiency and talking at your sellers. As the leader, you know best, right?

But what does your team have to say from the frontlines?
Where are the pains?
Does their deck need to be edited?
Could their demo be tighter?
Why are their deals slipping?

It's easy to forget the art of feedback and active listening, but it's the quickest way to coach your team to success. So check in with them beyond a pipeline status update and listen to get a better understanding of what's working and what isn't.

You're acting like a fixer, not a coach

When you fail to listen, you fail to coach. If you see a seller making a mistake on a deal, your knee-jerk reaction might be to swoop in and "rescue" them from every situation.

While you mean well, the reality is that when you "fix" instead of coach, you rob your sellers of the opportunity to learn how to navigate the problem themselves. If you were a tennis coach, you wouldn't run onto the court in the middle of a match when you see your player continuously miss their backhand, would you?

Coaching is tricky, and when your sellers mess up, think instead about the bigger picture deal. Help them understand the mistakes they've made and how to course correct or do better next time. If you don't, they're going to rely on you to swoop in for everything, instead of improving their own performance.

You're not embracing technology

Or, maybe you're just not embracing the right technology. Either way, we bet there's room for improvement here.

When you resist automations, AI, and other data approaches to streamlining your seller's workflow, you do everyone a disservice. To stay competitive in the market, sales professionals need to integrate technology that enables them to improve their performance.

AI sales coaches, sales intelligence tools, pipeline prioritization, and buying committee management tools will help you and your team close more deals and stay ahead of the competition.

You're micromanaging

There's a fine line between being an attentive leader and being a helicopter boss. And you know what? Nobody likes a helicopter boss.

Micromanaging your team, much like being the "fixer", stifles your team's growth. When your sellers feel like they need to walk on eggshells because they're constantly being monitored, it also causes a slump in morale and productivity.

Instead, try trusting your team. Empower them through coaching and delegation, and encourage them to come to you when they need help, but not so you can do everything for them. A great sales leader coaches and guides rather than puppeteering everything their team does.

We don't think anything on this list comes as a surprise, but we hope it sparks some reflection. Are you really listening, coaching, giving your team space, and leaning into the right technology to help?

If you learned something you could work on, we're glad we could help. And for everything else, there's Pod.