Why Great Salespeople Often Struggle as Managers (video)

Moving your top sales performer into a management role seems logical—they crushed their targets, so surely they can lead others to do the same, right? Not quite. This common promotion strategy often backfires, leaving organizations with frustrated managers and underperforming teams.

The Hidden Trap of Promoting Star Performers

When someone excels at sales, they’ve typically developed an intuitive feel for closing deals and building client relationships. But here’s the catch: these top performers often can’t explain how they do what they do. Leadership expert Ashley Herd calls this “unconscious competence”—you’re brilliant at your job, but teaching others? That’s a completely different skill set.

Without proper training, newly promoted managers find themselves adrift. They know how to hit quotas but struggle to give constructive feedback, delegate effectively, or have tough conversations with underperformers. The result? Teams lose direction, motivation drops, and your former star player feels like they’re failing.

What Actually Makes a Good Manager

Effective management requires skills that have nothing to do with individual sales prowess. Can the person coach others through challenges? Do they show genuine interest in developing their team members? Are they comfortable with difficult conversations?

These questions should drive promotion decisions—not just last quarter’s numbers.

Creating Better Pathways to Leadership

Smart organizations are rethinking their approach. Instead of automatically funneling top performers into management, they’re offering dual career tracks. This means salespeople can advance, earn more, and gain recognition without necessarily managing people.

For those who do want to lead, proper preparation matters. New managers need a structured onboarding program that covers the fundamentals: setting clear expectations, providing regular feedback, and establishing accountability. Pairing them with experienced mentors provides real-world guidance when textbook solutions don’t fit.

The Framework for Difficult Conversations

One skill that separates good managers from great ones? Handling tough discussions without avoiding or escalating them.

Herd recommends a simple three-step approach: Pause before reacting emotionally. Consider the other person’s perspective and possible motivations. Then act—communicate directly about specific behaviors and outcomes, not personality traits.

Practicing this framework in low-stakes situations builds confidence for bigger challenges down the road.

Recognition That Actually Motivates

Here’s something many managers get wrong: vague praise. Saying “great job” feels nice momentarily, but doesn’t reinforce specific behaviors worth repeating. Instead, try: “Your detailed competitive analysis in yesterday’s presentation helped us understand exactly where we’re losing deals to competitors. That insight is changing our pitch strategy.”

Specific, timely recognition tells people what they’re doing right and why it matters.

The Bottom Line

Management isn’t a reward for sales excellence—it’s a distinct profession requiring different skills. Organizations that recognize this distinction, provide proper training, and create alternative advancement paths will retain top talent while building stronger leadership teams.

The best managers aren’t necessarily the best salespeople. They’re the ones who’ve learned how to multiply success through others.