1. Self-image
2. Sales experience
3. Relationship to senior management
4. Contribution to the overall sales as well as corporate culture
5. Willingness to support and go to bat for his or her salespeople
6. Ability to create an atmosphere of trust and respect
7. Ability to treat each salesperson as an individual and not lump him into a group of sales performers
The key principle a sales manager must never forget is you get the behavior you reward. If you want better margins; reward activity and success in that area. If you want new accounts, then the same rules apply. If you want more sales (numbers), again the same rules impact behavior.
One of the biggest mistakes poor sales managers make is that they fail to understand and integrate this simple, yet profound, concept into their management style and behavior.
Remember the role of sales manager is to manage not do it, unless, of course, you are a personal producing manager