Business is competitive. Every smart manager wants to find the best and brightest talent to fill their sales positions. Without sales, you don’t have customers. And, without customers, you don’t have a business.
Once you build the ideal sales team, the challenge is how to keep them. If you want to keep your sales rockstars over the long term, here’s what you need to do.
Make Their Hard Work Pay, Literally
While money isn’t everything, it is never nothing. Financial incentives for a stellar performance gives your sales team a reason to keep striving for more. Performance bonuses and commissions, when used to supplement (not replace) income, can give even the best something to keep pursuing.
While many companies use expected commissions as a way to offer lower starting wages, the best salespeople in the business often see through this classic move. If they are truly a star performer, they know that any additional salary will come from their sales commissions.
Even sign-on bonuses can serve as long-term financial incentives. If you offer new employees a significant signing bonus, with the caveat that it must be returned if the employee leaves the company within the first year, you can increase the likelihood of longevity. By making the signing bonus substantial, many people will have a hard time imagining giving it back. Mentally, they will commit to your company for at least a year just to avoid the financial risk.
Encourage Innovation and Creativity
The best minds in any field often crave challenges. While those aren’t always easy to replicate in a day-to-day sense, you can allow them to explore new possibilities to keep their needs filled. Allowing people to come up with new processes, or try new methods, can fuel that fire and reap benefits for your company. Your employees will feel more invested in the company, just as they will see the company is invested in them.
Meet Often and Make Sure It Is 1:1
Keeping an open dialogue helps keep your fingers on the pulse of your employees. It gives you an opportunity to provide feedback while also exploring to provide feedback about how their job is going. Discuss their goals, both sales-related and professional in general, and see if you can offer opportunities to bring those goals closer to them. By addressing any questions, concerns, or ideas early, nothing has a chance to fester or be forgotten. Issues can be addressed promptly, guidance can be levied often, and progress can be monitored regularly.
Spread the Burden of Boring
Every job comes with a level of drudgery. Certain tasks or projects aren’t fun, but that doesn’t mean they are not important. Your rockstar employees know that handling this work is part of the job, but it is important to keep it balanced. Distribute less desirable tasks evenly amongst staff. Make sure everyone understands why these tasks are important to the company’s mission, and let them know you appreciate their work.
If you are interested in learning more about how to keep your best talent engaged or would like additional assistance when hiring your next sales rockstars, the professionals at CPS Recruitment® have the knowledge and expertise to work with your company on any recruitment need. Contact CPS Recruitment® Today.
