Once upon a time I worked for a Vice President of Sales who made me want to be a better sales person. He was confident and he expounded from experience. When he spoke to you he looked you in eye. When he touted hard work as the one reliable indicator of success, you knew he meant it because he’d done it.

Most of us have been fortunate to have spent a period of our professional lives with someone we would walk on hot coals to please. This particular gentleman, in my professional life, made we want to sell better and be better, at everything.

Not all Vice Presidents of Sales are going to possess the natural leadership ability and intangible traits that made this person a perfect fit. There is a question we should ask however: Should they not all try?

The Vice President of Sales is really the President of the country we sales people call “the sales force”. Mr. President of Sales Force America should treat his constituent salespeople much like the President of the United States treats the voting public. The President of the United States runs the government of the people and for the people. Then too, the Vice President of Sales should run the sales force of the salespeople and for the salespeople.

The Vice President of Sales should become an advocate for an improved compensation plan not its inhibitor. He should stump from the podium and from the conference call and lead his team. He should be the best salesperson in the company and he should be selling! Who was the last quarterback who led his team to the Super Bowl from the bench? How can today’s organizations compete in our market of personal creativity and innovation with a President of Sales Force America who sells from the bench? The answer: they cannot.

Leadership has never been more important than in today’s marketplace. And there is not a stronger need for leadership among any group of individuals as there is amongst salespeople. We’re looking for inspiration every day and from every corner. If it’s not a book, it’s a tape. If it’s not a tape, it’s a movie. If it’s not a movie, it’s a co-worker. If it’s not a co-worker, it’s a friend or it’s your spouse or your kids. Inspiration is the lifeblood that feeds motivation. Motivation is the fuel that propels us every day to throw ourselves into the fires of rejection. Believing in your sales leaders and watching them fight those fires is the best source of inspiration a sales person can have.

How important is an effective Vice President of Sales? He is more important than the CEO. Last time I checked I’d rather have the talent in front of the customer as opposed to sitting in a high-back leather chair praying to the Gods of EPS and CAGR.

The message then Mr. President from just one of the millions of voters in Sales Force America is thank you. Thank you for being a Vice President of Sales who has sold something in his career. Thank you for spending nights away from your family to inspire your sales constituents. Thank you for your face to face hand shakes and your crisp direction in the client’s office. Thank you for having the number one quality that the President of Sales Force America can have: Selflessness.

You are one of us and we think you represent the best of us. When we open our eyes in the morning, they will stay open and we’ll prepare. We’ll prepare Mr. President because we know somewhere you’re preparing too.