“You are the CEO of your territory so you should act like one.”  I was told this all the time during my years of selling and leading sales teams in various industries. I have since passed this advice on to every sales person and sales team that I have worked with since I started my practice.

More than any other position in the company, sales has a tremendous amount of autonomy and like a CEO, this freedom gives the sales people an infinite amount of latitude in how they are going to achieve their goals.  Sales performance is based on success like that of a CEO and therefore the best sales people should approach sales like they are a CEO.

What should sales people and CEO’s have in common?

They leverage others to help – they don’t try to do it all themselves.  Great sales people know how to leverage the entire organization. Good and average sales people try to do it all themselves.

They show leadership – without leadership it’s impossible to gain the support of the organization, to build support teams, to rally the client, and get those teams you need behind you.

They have problem solving skills – problem solving is one of the greatest, unmeasured skills today. Great CEO’s solve problems. Great sales people solve problems for their company and their clients.  They have an uncanny knack for understanding how to get around hurdles, address challenges and accomplish what others can not.

They have Business Acumen- It goes without saying that CEO’s have great business acumen and unfortunately, most sales people do not. Sales people should embrace business knowledge and grow their understanding of complex and simple business concepts.

They take Risks – by definition, CEO’s take measured, calculated risks.  They understand that nothing is guaranteed and growth comes from expansion. Selling is no different and the best sales people take risks.  They understand the next big sale does not come from doing what everyone else is doing.

They have a Vision – Like CEO’s the best sales people have a vision and they see the forest through the trees.  They can see where the industry is going and see where their clients “need” to go. They know when a product is going to loose its edge 12 months in advance and use that to their advantage.

They are committed to personal development – CEO’s become CEO’s because they are constantly striving to get better, embrace personal development, and are always growing their skills.  The best sales people are constantly evaluating their skills and should always strive to get better. They know what they are great at and what they need to get better at.  They leverage their strengths and surround themselves with those who are great at what they are not.

I am a huge fan sales people and during my 25 plus years of sales leadership, I have watched sales people that have these traits succeed farther than myself and I have watched sales people fail because they were unable to change the way they conducted themselves in business and embrace these ideas.  If you can embrace and integrate the characteristics of a CEO, then you can be great in sales.