How Do You Retain Top Sales People?
It can be hard to find good salespeople, and it's even harder to keep them. When your sales teams have a high turnover rate, you're taking a big loss due to the time and effort needed to find, onboard and train new employees.
Giving your salespeople a reason to stay will reduce turnover. Below, we explore why good sales reps quit and provide tips to keep them on your team.
What Causes Good Sales Talent to Leave
Inadequate compensation
Sales reps often leave an employer because they believe they should be receiving a higher salary for their performance. Without adequate bonuses, your competitors who are willing to pay above market rates can steal top talents away.
Career stagnation
What happens when you don't provide your top sales reps with any opportunities for career advancement? If employees don't feel challenged in their current role, they'll likely consider exploring other options.
Too much time on activities other than sales
Reps may spend only a small percentage of their time generating sales, with the remainder dedicated to other activities, such as administrative work. Undoubtedly, great salespeople are passionate about selling, and any salesperson who spends most of their time engaging in non-sales activities is likely to leave.
How to Keep Top Talent from Leaving
Set realistic goals and promote transparency
Setting realistic goals for your salespeople while keeping them challenged and giving them the resources they need to succeed is vital. Aside from this, it also helps to maintain regular communication with your salespeople and monitor their progress to help them become more effective.
Develop an effective compensation plan
Providing adequate compensation for sales talent is imperative for companies. A well-crafted incentive structure will motivate top sales talent to perform and stay. Rewards can take many forms: bonuses, vacation days and fun activities. These benefits, aside from helping you retain excellent talent, also help you maintain a fun and fresh culture.
Create career opportunities
A lack of clear career progression can undermine top performers' commitment to your company. Therefore, listen to each rep's goals and map out a path to success for them. Retain your top performers by giving them more opportunities to succeed at your company. This shows your sales team that you care about their career progression, reducing their likelihood of leaving.
Increase employee engagement
Low engagement leads to more employee turnover. Because of this, gaining a deeper understanding of employee engagement is crucial.
Recognise top-performing talents
The importance of employee recognition can't be overstated. The benefits of recognising your employees include increased satisfaction and increased productivity. The best ways to demonstrate your appreciation and respect for your high-performing sales reps include recognising their achievements publicly, acknowledging their achievements personally and professionally, rewarding them with gifts or bonuses and rewarding them with positive feedback.
Using the methods above, you'll be able to retain the best salespeople.
Looking for sales recruitment agencies that can help you identify the top talent you need? At Talent Wing, we can help you recruit candidates who fit the profile of your company and job. Get in touch with us to find out what our teams of sales recruiters in London, Bristol and Cardiff can do for your business.