I do think there is an impending, colossal jump of sales talent in the very near future. The Herman Trend Alert speaks to this potential in their latest report:
According to a new CareerBuilder survey, more than one-quarter (28 percent) of sales employers are concerned about losing their high performing workers in the second quarter, while more than one-third (35 percent) of sales workers said it is likely they will start looking for a new job when the economy picks up.
And here is why:
Increased workloads, longer hours and fewer resources related to the recession may be contributing to job dissatisfaction. Looking at key factors that influence job satisfaction and company loyalty, sales workers reported the following:
•Pay – More than one-third (35 percent) of sales workers said they are dissatisfied with their pay.
•Work/life balance – One-in-five (20 percent) sales workers said they are dissatisfied with their work/life balance.
•Career progress – One-in-five (21 percent) of sales workers said they are dissatisfied with the career advancement opportunities provided by their current employers.
I’m a bit jaded here in that I think pay is probably much higher then what is normally reported in these surveys. Nonetheless, I have talked to a handful of salespeople recently who are starting to put their ears to the tracks regarding new opportunities. I still believe the hiring landscape will be slow this year, but will begin to ramp up in Q4. A year from now may be one of the largest retention struggles we have seen in quite some time.