You are a top sales performer. You’re so good, in fact, that you’ve been promoted to manage and lead your team.

Many sales leaders quickly discover that motivating an entire team to meet or exceed their quotas requires new skills. Enter my friend and sales powerhouse, Audrey Pierson, Founder of Security Sales Academy.

In this installment of “Superstar Salespeople Share Their Best Sales Tips,” a true expert shares how to be the most effective sales leader. Here are Audrey’s three top tips:

Don’t settle.

Just because you have one superstar on your team, don’t think that that’s all you need. Ideally, you want all your salespeople to be superstars, and there’s no reason why they can’t be.

Sales management often makes the mistake of believing that having players on the field is the top priority and keeping some that aren’t pulling their weight is better than getting rid of them. Maybe that’s true in the short term, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be looking for more promising candidates, and when you find them, be willing to make the trade.

Audrey describes top sales peoples as a “certain kind of breed.” If you see that someone on your team lacks the essential spark and attitude critical for success, it’s time to start looking for someone else who possesses those qualities. The person you find may not have all the skills you need initially, but invest time training them. You can turn them into the superstar that your company deserves and that they can be.

Salespeople should be entrepreneurial.

Audrey’s second piece of advice links closely to the first. You want salespeople who are driven!

A complacent salesperson doesn’t help your company. If they aren’t naturally competitive, always striving to do better, they will never exceed quota or earn what you want them to. They’re going to stay in their comfort zone and do little to help the company grow. If there is someone on your team who fits this description, it’s time to move on. As mentioned in tip number one, don’t settle!

Recognize those who are doing a great job.

That’s why we’re in sales, right? For the satisfaction we get each time we close a deal.

Satisfaction doesn’t just come from the money. Money is terrific and we all need it, but recognition and feeling appreciated matter more than you may realize.

As Audrey highlighted in her previous tip, salespeople are competitive. For them, it’s all about the scorecard and where they fit in the rankings. Every great salesperson wants to be number one. They want to beat themself, the guy sitting next to them, and all the people working in the other branches too!

I often turn to analogies between running and selling, and there’s a perfect one here. When I’m participating in a race, I push harder each time I have an opportunity to pass someone up. Other runners’ performances are a measuring stick I use to evaluate my own success. I’m also going to check out the published list of times to see how I stacked up. Competition is a mighty motivator but you can’t compete if you don’t know where you stand.

Make sure that competition is encouraged within your workplace, and that winners receive the kudos they deserve. In sales, we’re recognizing gold medalists – not giving out trophies for participation.

Want more valuable tips on how to lead a sales team?

Audrey offers online and in-person training for both security salespeople and security sales leaders. You can learn more about her services at www.audreypierson.com. Thanks, Audrey, for sharing and being a Sales Superstar!

Below you can watch a short video of our conversation.

Will you be the next features Sale Superstar? We’re’ looking for volunteers! Please reach out. Remember … there can never be too many Superstars in the Security Sales Galaxy!