How to lose new salespeople quickly.
Think about the life of a salesperson new to your organisation; put yourself in their shoes. They may be experienced sales professionals who are new to the industry or at the very least new to your product-set. Chances are that they have moved from another organisation where they had built a solid pipeline and formed an established support structure around them. Will they have this when they arrive at your Company? Probably not to begin with.
What are the risks for your business?
Leaving new sales recruits to fend for themselves results in:
- De-motivation and subsequent loss of talent
- Underperformance, costing you valuable business
- Poor return on investment in recruitment
- Poor return on the time that you have invested in recruitment
- The de-motivation of your existing sales team, again costing valuable business
How do I keep the salespeople that my business needs?
- Firstly and most importantly, don’t overpromise. If you know it will take six months for a new salesperson to start bringing in deals, tell them that. Misinformation breeds resentment and de-motivation, especially when it’s linked to income. Use an agency that is staffed by experienced industry professionals who will take a responsible attitude to recruitment.
- Give them a warm pipeline to start out with. Nothing will bring a new salesperson up to speed faster than direct exposure to potential customers. Don’t leave them clawing their way up from nothing. Build their ability, confidence and motivation by giving them a warm pool to explore. Not your best clients, because new people are still an unknown quantity, but a list of good potentials. Use a telemarketing consultancy to help them gain some quick wins.
- Train them. Don’t leave them to learn for themselves. Internal product training is great, but make sure it is linked to customer needs. Sales theory changes and there are always new ways of doing things. Think of training as an ongoing investment, because if you are not capitalising on new techniques, you can guarantee your competitors are.
- Use an independent mentor. Bad habits spread like a virus from existing to new personnel. Don’t leave it solely to existing staff to coach your new people. You have a vision of where you want your Company to go. An experienced external mentor can analyse your position in the marketplace, translate this into an effective sales strategy and help your new salesperson to drive your vision from the outset.
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