“How do I build a great sales culture at my company?” I get that question often from small business owners. And what I always share is that it starts with your leaders. When hiring for sales leadership roles, you have to think well beyond just promoting an experienced account executive who can drive opportunities. What you should really be looking for is a leader with the skills and upside to run a business.

Let’s take a deeper look at what you should keep an eye out for in sales leadership:

Sales leaders are essentially arm-chair psychologists. They need to be able to connect with people and understand what makes them tick. They must inspire their team to learn and give positive feedback that motivates. It’s very hard to find and hire people who have emotional intelligence already. It’s even more challenging to try to teach it.