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… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Slow Fade Of Strong Salespeople
It has been a hectic week of crashed computers, new blogs set up, new video integrations, business deals, etc. Suffice to say, I have been worn out by the myriad of tasks. In the middle of this busy week, I talked to a strong salesperson I know who has been quite successful in an industry that normally would suffer during this economy. Unfortunately, he is starting to fade in his current position. What I mean is that the company is grinding him down to where he is looking for another opportunity. The main reason is disgustingly simple – he can successfully close deals in this economy, but his company struggles… Read More
Continue ReadingRecession Retention
The economy is foremost on almost every business leader’s mind right now, and rightly so. Many leaders look to entrench their company in a full defensive posture. This approach has to be incorporated, to some extent, during these economies. However, this is an excellent time to be aggressive in the market and to cut against the grain of conventional wisdom. BusinessWeek.com offers up specifics of this approach in their article Managing Employees in a Downturn: For many managers, recessions prompt a near-autonomic reflex: Hunker down, reduce head count, and cut every cost you can. While a certain dose of those bitter pills is unavoidable, smart leaders see downturns as having… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Key To Sales Retention
Listen, according to this Selling Power article: “One of the mistakes companies have made in the past is that they make decisions without real input from the people who are most affected by the hiring decisions,” says Opton. “Companies need to realize that they always have two sets of customers – internal and external. The minute that someone comes to work for them, that person becomes an internal customer to the organization. The organization needs to listen to what their needs are and act on those needs.” The article references a survey regarding executives’ wants, but it is representative of employees also. The interesting stat that always seems to come… Read More
Continue ReadingSales Retention Through Compensation
Commission-only sales plans are risky in my opinion. I know they are the truest form of selling – you eat what you kill. I simply think that many salespeople view this structure as a lack of commitment from the company. I’m not saying that is accurate, but I have talked to many salespeople under these plans and this is their perception. Fortune Small Business discusses this topic in their article Why to be wary of commission-only sales staff: “If you hire someone and you’re not really willing to invest time and resources in them – and that’s really what a commission-only sales person suggests – then you’re missing an opportunity,”… Read More
Continue ReadingOwning The Job
The principle of owning vs. renting is powerful especially when it comes to an employee’s job. Ownership of a job is a fickle thing. Yet, I have worked for managers who assigned responsibility and provided enough autonomy to allow me to excel in my role. The younger generations seem to relish this approach even more than my Gen X group. ManageSmarter.com offers up an article with a clear title – Padlocking the Revolving Door on Turnover. There are 4 good points to support the article’s title, but one stands out clearly: • Foster a sense of ownership within employees. The old encouragement to “act like you own it” is good… Read More
Continue ReadingRetention In A Slow Economy
A statistic from the Career News newsletter (sorry, no link): One in four U.S. workers is resolving to get a new job this year. The survey found that 26 percent of employed Americans said they will look for a new job in 2008. I thought that number seemed somewhat low – I was expecting a number closer to 33%. Retention will always be a top priority for sales managers, but it may be that the slowing economy will cause more workers to stay in their current positions this year.
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