Corporate Traveler’s global sales chief shares the 5 critical qualities every revenue leader needs

Do you have what it takes to scale globally? 

On every episode of Reveal, I do my best to discover what makes the world’s revenue leaders tick. How do they lead their sales teams to globe-spanning success? How do they build world-class and long-lasting businesses on a foundation of strong customer relationships?

For each leader, the answers are as varied and unique as the people themselves. But what if there were some common threads that you could replicate — some key behaviors and traits that unite every revenue exec in their ability to thrive in a dynamic international market?

Enter: Amanda Vining, Global Chief Sales and Customer Officer at Corporate Traveler.

Throughout my conversation with Amanda, she kept coming back to several characteristics that prepared her to meet every challenge that she encountered throughout her career.

So today, I’d like to break down the five key characteristics that led to Amanda’s success and allowed her to contribute to Corporate Traveler’s massive growth over the years:

Resilience: Are you prepared to face the inevitable challenges of global dynamics?

Amanda got her start in sales early on in life, “getting doors slammed in her face” (as she puts it) at a humbling job selling door-to-door phone and internet service to small businesses. But those initial tough experiences were crucial to her career at Corporate Traveler.

“I was getting used to being yelled at about ‘Where’s my phone and internet,’ so I was really intrigued by talking about options that truly served the customer,” she explains.

Of course, Amanda eventually became the VP of Sales and finally the Global Chief of Sales, but those initial experiences taught her the value of being able to “compartmentalize and focus on what’s important, and be transparent and vulnerable.” Those qualities help keep her grounded and flexible no matter what customers, the economy, or life, throw her way.

Adaptability: Can you navigate through constant changes across different markets?

The sales industry has changed many times in the 15+ years since Amanda joined Corporate Traveler — and odds are good that it’ll continue to change. Plus, as a company grows, so too does the market you’re selling into.

“You have to have that adaptability,” she says. “There’s just too many dynamics going on around the world in all the different markets — something new will always pop up.”

To be a great global leader, you have to be aware of the nuances that might present themselves across different geographies, all the teams you manage, and the customers you serve — and be able to navigate those nuances by finding alignment and consensus.

Connection: Can you communicate effectively, clearly, and consistently?

Speaking of alignment and consensus, the next major quality Amanda touched on was communication — especially essential in her global role.

“You’re going to have everyone pulling at you from a million different time zones,” she says. “And they’re going to have an expectation of you to deliver for whatever they’re trying to solve.”

As a result, alignment (and consistency) is really important. It’s the only way to get buy-in across teams, and to communicate directly with sellers and leaders alike across geographies. Part of that, for Amanda, is being present for prospect meetings — often in different time zones — so you can learn every aspect of how clients are approaching your product and your salespeople, in the context of their local challenges and opportunities. This is also where revenue intelligence can win the day.

“Using great tools like Gong,” Amanda says, “you can actually see those insights and be part of those meetings that you may not be able to attend.”

Problem-solving: Do you see curveballs as opportunities to innovate and excel?

Every job will send something unexpected your way at some point. It’s an inevitable part of having responsibilities to a team. But as your company grows and as your role within it expands, the curveballs get exponentially more consequential — shying away from them stops being an option once you reach a certain level. “You almost have to get away from being afraid of a curveball,” Amanda says. “I know if I can hit this one, I’m going to hit it out of the park, so I’m going to just figure this thing out.”

Global leaders set the tone for all of the teams that ladder up to them, especially when that’s across multiple geographies. It’s critical to model the behavior you want — every surprise, bump in the road, and hurdle is just a learning opportunity and a new way to build resilience.

Empathy: Can you identify with the experiences of your team, your leadership, and your customers?

Last but not least, it’s essential to be able to empathize with everyone who experiences your company, whether that’s a prospect, an existing customer, your salespeople, or your fellow leadership team.

Part of this requires maintaining your passion for the mission, no matter how difficult things get — think back to resilience and problem-solving. But it’s also intimately connected to the ability to communicate that mission, which we also covered above.

“You want to feel that fire in the belly of your leader,” Amanda concludes. “You’re looking at them to do the impossible and hit these strategies, and you need to know that they care more than anybody else.”

How are you going to deliver value?

For Amanda, this is the question that real sales leadership revolves around. As she says, not only do you need to show the return on your investments, you also have to think about how you’re going to be accountable on a consistent basis and show that you have delivered that return. By cultivating these five key qualities, you can build a sales culture that succeeds over the long haul.

For more essential tips and strategies like these, listen to all of our other episodes of Reveal and subscribe to The Edge for the latest and greatest revenue insights.