-1.png)
How to Be an Effective Sales Manager with Walter Crosby
What makes a sales manager effective? What does great coaching really look like? And how do salespeople get better at doing the things that make them uncomfortable?
Walter Crosby joins Paul Fuller for 3 Questions from The Art & Science of Complex Sales to share his perspective on sales leadership, coaching, and the mindset required to keep improving.
From setting clear expectations and earning respect to learning from strong coaches and leaning into uncomfortable sales situations, Walter brings the conversation back to some of the fundamentals that matter most.
What You’ll Learn
- Why sales managers should focus on being respected rather than liked
- How clear expectations support better accountability
- What Walter learned from the best sales coaches in his career
- Why mental toughness matters in sales
- Why discomfort is often part of improving
- How to approach difficult calls and conversations with a stronger mindset
Why Sales Managers Should Focus on Respect, Not Being Liked (03:18)
Walter argues that a sales manager’s job is not to build friendships with the team.
Strong managers set clear expectations, get agreement around the behaviors and activities that matter, and show their people that they genuinely want to help them improve.
What Great Sales Coaching Really Looks Like (05:00)
Walter highlights two coaches who shaped his career in different ways: one who taught him the fundamentals of selling and another who challenged him to become mentally tougher.For Walter, good coaching is not always comfortable. Sometimes the most valuable feedback is the feedback that forces you to confront what needs to improve.
Why Salespeople Need to Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable (08:42)
Walter compares selling to a bison running directly into a storm instead of trying to escape it.
Cold calls, difficult questions, and uncomfortable conversations may never become enjoyable. But moving toward the discomfort instead of avoiding it can help salespeople get to the result faster.
Listen to the full conversation with Walter Crosby to learn how to lead salespeople more effectively, get more value from coaching, and become more comfortable doing the difficult work that drives improvement.
About Walter Crosby:
Walter Crosby is an award-winning sales development expert, author, sales coach, and speaker. He is driven to help entrepreneurs solve problems in their sales organizations and grow revenue.
By Paul Fuller
Paul Fuller’s stated mission is to help others maximize their gifts by using his.
Paul has been a pioneer in the sales process and training, sales as a service, content marketing and CRM. As a previous founder and owner of multiple successful growth organizations in these spaces, Paul has effectively trained and led sales and marketing teams across the world to focus on and achieve dynamic growth.
He firmly believes sales is defined best in three categories:
• Service - helping other get what they need
• Leadership - guiding others toward their vision
• Wayfinding - navigating the path to success together
He is firmly committed to elevating the sales profession through coaching, leading, and empowering others through systems that enable strong performance.
Currently Paul leads revenue growth at Membrain.com - the top sales effectiveness CRM in the world. Working with his team, and a group of over 100 top sales consultant organizations across the globe, they are focused at creating scalable growth through sales excellence in companies and teams in over 80 countries.
Schedule a call with him here.
Find out more about Paul Fuller on LinkedIn
