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How to Train Your Sales Leaders: Key Learnings from HubSpot and BILL with Michelle Benfer
- Former head of revenue at BILL and HubSpot Americas leader, Michelle Benfer, shared insights on the role of a frontline sales manager in a recent workshop. A frontline manager links sales strategy to execution, responsible for hiring, developing next gen top talent, providing a pulse on customer and market sentiment, coaching reps and much more. The direct cost of underinvesting in manager development includes higher underture, inconsistent product positioning, missed revenue goals and deteriorating culture.
- Managers play a crucial role in reinforcing a product's messaging, which in turn can grow revenue and financial strategies. Michelle recommends a consistent learning and development framework, effective team meetings and 1:1s, implementing yearly training to keep the sales teams up to date on the latest selling methods and providing a solid criteria for pitch certification.
- Measuring performance is critical. Effective measurements is really effective management. Metrics are crucial for reviewing product mix and sales cycles, measuring rep retention and forecasting, enabling the team to stay under management review.
- Defining the team culture and operating principles are foundational points. Best practices suggest everyone on the team under management together define their culture and create operating principles to work from. It is important for teams to communicate transparently while fostering safety and trust.
- To the eternal question of promoting from within versus external hiring, there needs to be a balanced approach. Internal promotions offer faster ramp time, stronger cultural alignment and visible career progression for the team. External hires bring fresh perspectives and new skills, experience from other organizations, and less emotional baggage around existing challenges.
- The optimal ratio of reps to managers is 7:1, said Michelle. To achieve this level is expensive, but optimal for any SaaS company. CEOs and Revenue Leaders should place emphasis on consistent budget priority, create clear success criteria, implementing regular measurement and feedback loops, and balance internal promotion with strategic external hiring.
- Bad managers not only impact 7-10 people directly but can lead to downstream effects on revenue, culture, and disrupt execution if underinvested. Frontline managers are the force multipliers who turn your strategy into results and build the foundation for sustainable growth.
- In conclusion, don’t neglect your frontline managers. Although it’s tempting to focus primarily on rep enablement, developing good managers ensures you can continue to focus on building your business and experience sustainable growth.
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