It is never good news when your top salesperson announces they’re leaving for greener pastures. Not only do you now have to worry about hitting your sales targets, but you also have to find a top notch replacement. And the cost will be considerable. You have to recruit, onboard, train and pay a new employee salary even before they really earn their keep…not to mention the collateral damage to the spirits of remaining team members and possible loss of deals and clients.
A recent Director of Sales in one of our consultative selling training workshops told us: “I can’t believe how much time it took to find, hire and on-board our two new sales people. And they are still a long way from contributing at the level of those who left. I wish we would have done what it took to keep Alice and Tom before it was too late.”
Our conversations with top sales performers tells us that the best way to keep your “A Players” on board is to make sure your sales culture is one that:
- Excels at uncovering your customers’ true needs rather than “taking customer orders”
- Provides meaningful and differentiated solutions rather than “offering a commodity”
- Seeks to add value in each and every client interaction rather than “push product”
- Sets clear expectations and measures progress toward agreed-upon goals rather than “shifting priorities”
- Holds sales reps accountable for achieving their objectives rather than “ignoring C Players”
- Recognizes and rewards high performance rather than “treating everyone the same”
- Helps underperformers improve or move on quickly rather than “allowing underperformers to hide”
- Values open communication and shares best practices rather than “ignoring silos or hero mentality”
Fostering this kind of high performance sales culture is proven to be the best retention strategy of top talent. High performing reps will thrive and not want to leave.
Download Effective Sales Culture Best Practices Whitepaper: What is the Right Amount of Performance Pressure?
Learn more by going to http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training
