Sales reps who obtain new clients and keep existing customers are the Holy Grail of all organizations, but they can often be difficult to find. It’s an unfortunate fact that sales representatives tend to have a high turnover rate; that’s what makes finding top performers so important.
There are a number of reasons why a sales rep might consider leaving your company: better pay, dissatisfaction with the job, a better opportunity, and the list goes on. 3C Contact Services, the leading provider of outsourced call center solutions, tells their partners that there are five words that will send your top sales performers running, possibly to your competition:
- “I’m busy:” Sales reps can provide you with valuable feedback on what your customers like and dislike about your business. They will also want to know about their performance and how they can improve it. However, if you consistently brush them off, they may just head to another company where they feel their efforts will be appreciated.
- “Don’t talk with your colleagues:” Collaboration with colleagues is an invaluable way to help your business succeed. As long as your reps don’t get too competitive, working together can be an invaluable tool. But if you tell them they can’t work together, they may well jump ship to an organization that allows collaboration between sales reps.
- “It’s fine the way it is:” It goes without saying that continuous learning and development is vital to your organization moving forward. However, if things get too comfortable and a sales rep feels you are missing opportunities, they may seek other opportunities elsewhere, possibly costing you big sales.
- “You’re doing it wrong:” While providing your reps with input on how they can improve their performance is expected, if they feel like you’re being a “helicopter manager,” i.e. hovering over them, they may leave for an organization where they’re allowed more freedom.
- “No:” This is probably the one word that will drive a sales rep to seek new opportunities the fastest. Turning down ideas is part of any organization, but if you turn down every idea your rep has, they may start to feel unappreciated and seek employment elsewhere.
Taking an interest in what your sales reps are doing and providing them with input are a couple strategies that will get them to stay. If you have to provide criticism, make it constructive so they can use it as a learning experience.
3C Contact Services tells their partners that this is just as valuable as regular raises, bonuses, and medical/dental benefits.
