Sales leaders are some of the grittiest people you’ll ever meet.
Many – if not most – are former salespeople who performed well and received a promotion. They’re talented sellers. The typical pressures of a sales organization (frequent rejection and pressure to hit quota) are familiar to them.
But sales leadership is a whole new ballgame. Sales management must report to company executives while simultaneously leading a group of reps. Executives expect sales leaders to deliver accurate forecasts and excellent sales numbers. Salespeople need proactive coaching and defined sales metrics to achieve success.
It’s no wonder that the average tenure of a sales leader is 19 months, and no other member of the executive suite fails as often as the sales leader.
It’s a tough job. And despite that, there are some sales leaders we’ve had the privilege to meet who are totally killing it. Here’s just a few you can follow right now.
Modern sales leaders to keep an eye on
Sales Leader: Dana Clark
- Company: HP Enterprise
- Role: Director, WW Inside Sales
- Social Media: LinkedIn
Sales Leader: Amy Appleyard
Sales Leader: Bill Peterson
Sales Leader: Gabe Rizzi
- Company: Travel Leaders Group
- Role: Chief Sales Officer & President
- Social Media: Twitter, LinkedIn
Sales Leader: Doug Mantelli
- Company: Jackson National Life Distributors
- Role: Senior Vice President, National Sales Development
- Social Media: LinkedIn
Sales Leader: Elton Hart
- Company: Comcast Business
- Role: National Field Sales Senior Director
- Social Media: LinkedIn
Sales Leader: Brian Vass
- Company: Paycor
- Role: Vice President, Sales and Marketing Technology
- Social Media: Twitter, LinkedIn
Sales Leader: Tara McGeachey
Sales Leader: Derek Grant
Sales Leader: Mark Kosoglow
Sales Leader: Dan Miller-Smith
- Company: Procore Technologies
- Role: VP of Sales
- Social Media: LinkedIn
Sales Leader: Jessica Hay
- Company: Jellyvision
- Role: Director of Business Development
- Social Media: Twitter, LinkedIn
Sales Leader: Nick Grosskleg
Sales Leader: Janet Jansen
Sales Leader: Chris Castaldini
- Company: Optimizely
- Role: Global Director of Sales Development
- Social Media: LinkedIn
Sales Leader: Jason Pounders
Sales Leader: Emmanuelle Skala
- Company: DigitalOcean
- Role: VP of Sales & Customer Success
- Social Media: Twitter, LinkedIn
Sales Leader: Joshua Schwartz
- Company: Varsity Tutors
- Role: Director of Sales
- Social Media: Twitter, LinkedIn
Sales Leader: Tonni Bennett
Sales Leader: Alex Turner
Are there any modern sales leaders we missed? Let us know in the comments below!
