7 Skills Sales Directors Will Need In 2025

 
It’s no secret that everything in the working environment is evolving.

The biggest shifts that are happening in work are being driven by Artificial Intelligence, globalisation, robotics and COVID.

The generational gaps that we really didn’t have to concern ourselves about are now one of the most important aspects of every office’s working situation.

The changes we see today are happening at the quickest rate we have ever seen.

So, if a manager is to survive, never mind thrive, they need to accept and, indeed, embrace the changes that will be ushered in over the next few years.

What skills will a sales director require by 2025 to be successful and build their department’s success?

Here are some suggestions:

1) The ability to use technological advancements to drive performance

Not only will Sales Directors have to be technologically-savvy, but they will also have to ensure they link the people-management side of the role with the technological advancements.

No robot will be able to build on the soft skills of people by 2025, so the ability to meld the relationships of people with the technology available will be advancing their companies quicker than most

2) People Leadership skills

By 2025, over half the working population will be millennials and their needs will be a lot different to the older generations.

The ability to bring out the best in millennials through open leadership and drawing out the natural strength of the millennial mindset will be well-rewarded in the next few years.

Our Sales Management Training Courses can future proof your leadership skills so you are prepared for the now and what’s to come. After all, as a sales manager you need to lead by example.

3) Soft Skills will be specifically enhanced

There will be specific soft skills that will be required more than ever before.

These will include (but not be restricted to) problem-solving and decision-making, critical thinking, risk management, change management and creative thinking. Your communication skills will need to be top draw.

The need for these may well be heightened in 2025 because of the ever-changing environments we will be subjected to

4) The ability to focus on results, not activity

Today, we appear to still be affected and driven by how much work is done, how it is carried out and how many hours it has taken to do it.

We will in the next few years be more interested in how productive people are.

So, the emphasis in 2025 will be on what achievements people have made rather than on how many hours they have put in

5) The ability to embrace globalisation

The world is smaller than ever now, but it will be in the palm of our hand by 2025.

This means that whatever we need will be available at the touch of a button.

The aptitude and capability to tap into this global knowledge base will give the future sales director the chance to expand their business quicker than ever

6) The application of EQ

Being intelligent is the entry point for a good sales director.

But it’s the ability to drive results through EQ that is the next big thing.

Because millennials and Generation Z will be driven by ‘persona’ rather than ability, Emotional Intelligence will be much more than buzz words.

They will be the vital for the improvement of relationships and soft skills that will drive performance.

By 2025, if your emotional intelligence isn’t higher than high, you will be missing out on the capacity to improve people power

7) Working quickly with jobs that are becoming automatable

Automation may be the axiom of the future, and there’s no doubt that this will be by far the biggest change-centric decade mankind has ever experienced.

So, one role of the future sales director will be to determine how quickly a specific job or part of a job will be automated.

This means understanding how the job role will evolve and how quickly that will happen.

Leaving it to chance will leave you behind; being at the forefront of those changes will keep you ahead of the game.

The ideas mentioned above show there is a revolution rather than an evolution about to happen.

For sales directors to thrive, they need to be aware of and ahead of the changes that will naturally drive the businesses of the future. Please check out our Sales Managers Guidebook for more sales management tips, guidance and help.

As an award winning Sales Training Provider in the UK, we offer a wide range of Sales Courses that can help you.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training