Top-performing sales leaders directly impact the success of their team – 66% of salespeople who surpassed their annual quota also ranked their manager as being above average or excellent. That may not come as a surprise to you, but it does emphasise the importance of retaining these leaders. To keep morale high and your team hitting their targets you need to ensure that your sales leaders are satisfied and not looking to jump ship anytime soon. Ultimately, they will start to look for a new job if they believe that other companies are offering them something that you aren’t. The question is, why are your sales leaders leaving? Here are five reasons why they may get itchy feet:
They’re not being challenged
Most of us are driven by goals to some extent. It’s not always easy to commit to a new exercise regime, but if you have the end goal of a marathon in sight then this is your motivating factor. Leaders are driven by targets, such as turning around under-performing staff and building revenue when profits are low. These challenges are motivating because it is an opportunity for them to set new limits and reach these. When your leaders do not have these goals to focus on, they’re more inclined to rest on their laurels. If this attitude persists, they’ll end up bored and frustrated, ready to search for a job that will test them. It is therefore critical that you set smarter sales goals for your team.
You’re not supporting their career development
If your sales leaders view their careers as stagnant this will spark their internal dialogue to evaluate whether they could be achieving more at a different company. You need to show them that you’re just as invested in their future as they are. Offering a promotion is one way to support their career growth, but when promotions are not a viable option what other ways can you encourage their development?
Support your leaders to develop their skillset by offering them training. Getting them to focus on their self-development demonstrates that you care about their personal growth and is a smart approach to ensure that your employees are qualified for a more senior position when one is available to them. Providing career development opportunities is just one way to retain and engage your high performing sales team.
The pressures are outweighing the rewards
Here’s a positive statistic – 62% of employees in a managerial role say they are highly satisfied at work. Might that be because leaders thrive in high-pressure circumstances where there are demanding KPIs?
When your sales leaders are focused on targets, like growing their customer base and increasing their compensation, this keeps them spurred on. But if stressors remain high over a long period your sales leaders will evaluate their return-on-investment. If there are diminishing returns – they are not getting out of the job what they’re putting in – they may become a passive jobseeker and begin assessing other options. Have you considered whether your KPIs are unrealistic?
Your leaders have lost trust in their leaders
With Brexit negotiations creating an unpredictable political climate and confusion surrounding mankind’s impact on the world’s climate stability, people are lacking trust in their leaders. If you are not transparent with your employees regarding the company status, you can expect to receive this same level of mistrust.
In fact, less than half of workers say they have “a great deal of trust” in their bosses. To keep the trust of your sales leaders you must keep them in the loop, especially regarding situations that have a direct impact on them. Your employees will appreciate this respect and it will ensure they remain committed and loyal to the organisation
A bad relationship with their boss
Everyone’s had a bad boss at some point in their career: one who approaches work as a dictatorship, does not listen to their team members and dishes out the criticism but never the praise. Would this make you excited to come into work each day? Salespeople who experience bad management are much more likely to search for a new job than those who feel supported and uplifted by their employer. In fact, a staggering 75% of employees quit their boss not the job.
Developing a strong company culture will ensure that all employees, from junior to senior management, are aligned with the company’s goals and feel supported at work. This in turn will help improve your sales team’s performance.
Get Advice from BMS
At BMS Performance, we have 15 specialist divisions focusing entirely on the talent in your market. Contact us today to find out how you can develop the skills of your sales leaders or take a look at how you can accelerate your sales team’s performance with our training courses.
