Some days, being an inside sales leader feels odd. The world is as crazy as always:
- Your reps need coaching.
- Leadership wants forecasts.
- Slack is exploding.
- Three deals just stalled.
- Someone’s upset about their territory.
And you still need to figure out how to motivate a team that’s looking at you like you’re supposed to have all the answers.
Meanwhile… your brain is completely out of ideas.
That’s the hidden part of inside sales leadership nobody really talks about.
You’re expected to create energy when you’re running on fumes.
And ironically, this is usually the exact moment leaders start forcing things: another “push harder” conversation, attempt at a motivational speech, or behavior management that slowly turns into micromanagement.
When I hit that out of ideas wall, here are 5 things I go back to:
- Turn the team meeting over to a salesperson.
Seriously. Let them bring the topic, idea, or challenge. Different voices create different thinking. Round robin it across the team. - Recycle your best ideas.
Leaders forget this constantly. You do not need a brand-new idea every week. Go back to what worked before and sharpen it (I’ll let you in on a secret… this newsletter is just that!). - Google it.
Not kidding. Sometimes I’ll literally search the exact challenge I’m dealing with, read a few perspectives, and adapt it to fit. You can, of course, use an AI tool as well. - Keep a few trusted books within arm’s reach.
It doesn’t have to be twenty, just a few. Open to a random page and let your brain reconnect to a different thought process.
Right now mine include:
– The Zen of Strategic Execution by Tim Ohai
– Decisive from Chip & Dan Heath
– Be The Mentor Who Mattered by Colleen Stanley & LeAnn Thieman
– Pivotal Moments written by Jill Konrath
and I’d be remiss to not mention my own book (which as it happens, is on my desk)
Mastering Inside Sales Leadership: Your Get-It-Done Leadership Success Guide. - Walk away for five minutes.
Actually walk. Breathe. If you can get outside for your walk, even BETTER!
Allow your brain to STOP replaying the problem while you move. - Have a group you can go to!
My group is the amazing Women Sales Experts. It’s about peer sharing exercises, where people ask questions about challenges and offer advice. Other times someone shares something that is EXACTLY what I need to hear in the moment, when the conversation isn’t even about me.
If you haven’t found your people yet; reach out to me about the Mastery Exchange for Inside Sales Leaders.
Salespeople, you need to remember: Your leader does not always have instant clarity.
Good leaders are not machines. They are trying to create direction while managing noise from every angle.
Plus, you can take those same steps for yourself when you’re out of ideas!
And leaders… you do not have to manufacture brilliance every single day to lead well.
Sometimes leadership is simply about creating enough space (for yourself & the team) to allow a better idea to show up.
Taking my own advice & going outside,
Lynn