Many business leaders tell us they’re challenged in finding and recruiting top salespeople. That’s one side of the equation. They are equally challenged in keeping these top performers, especially after they’ve been on the job for a while. Top performers are also tough negotiators, and they know their market value.
If you’ve effectively screened and hired top performers, they are likely to produce a significant return on your investment. That’s why losing them can be costly; plus it can disrupt customer satisfaction, employee morale and productivity. Regardless of the economic conditions, good salespeople have many options, plus they gravitate towards new experiences.
Beyond retaining top sales people, you want them to be satisfied employees. That doesn’t mean they’re complacent, because more often your top talent who rate their job satisfaction as high also prefer to be challenged. Creating an environment that encourages people to stay won’t happen without paying attention to what matters most to your salespeople.
Here’s a list that was compiled from research conducted by Kaye and Jordan-Evans that shows the opportunities that actually made high performers stay:
- Exciting work and challenges
- Career growth, learning, and development
- Great people
- Fair pay
- Good boss
- Recognition and valued respect
- Benefits
- Meaningful work and opportunity to make a difference
- Pride in organization, mission, and its products and services
- Great work environment and culture
If you’re experiencing high turnover of your sales superstars, ask yourself: How many and to what degree do these 10 factors exist in my organization? The best place to get answers to this question? Your top performers – ask them – you might be very surprised by what you learn!
To learn more read our White Paper, “Strategies to Retain Top Sales Professionals (Without Locking the Doors).”
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