Shift Your Focus from Pipeline to Reps Who Keep the Flow and Make Your Team Feel Trustworthy and Empowered

A record 4.5 million Americans left their jobs in November 2021, part of an exodus known as the Great Resignation. This trend is expected to continue this year, posing significant questions and even greater implications for sales leaders.

What happens when your best sales rep, along with all their institutional knowledge, leadership, and training, departs? What does it mean for your team’s continuity and pipeline when a vital team member is at risk of leaving? More importantly, why do reps decide to leave, and what can you do to convince them to stay?

It starts by shifting your focus from your pipeline to the sales reps who keep the flow and building a culture of trust and transparency in the process.

Fighting the Great Resignation “is about building the best culture,” said Lindsay Boggs, Head of Sales Development Representatives at Lucidworks. “Salespeople want to feel trusted.”

If you are working remotely, you will need to put in extra effort to connect each team member to that culture. Here are some ideas to get started:

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1. Be personal, be vulnerable, connect

While there are more ways than ever to stay connected virtually, the shift to remote work has left employees feeling isolated. A recent McKinsey survey found that 51% of employees who left their jobs reported a lack of a sense of belonging at work. This was especially distressing for the typically extroverted sales community, where face-to-face reactions are a key component of many reps’ sales tactics.

It’s basic, but the tried-and-true coffee chat goes a long way in creating a direct sense of connection. When meeting with reps, get to know them and let them get to know you. At the beginning of the meeting, ask them about their well-being and share some of your own experiences to make them comfortable opening up. Listen to what they have been through and offer understanding and flexibility regarding when, how, and where they work. Give them the opportunity to provide you with feedback.

“I recently did my first demo and [my manager] sent a note celebrating the small win. Since she posted that message, I’ve been totally focused on work.”

ALEXINE MUDAWAR, STRATEGIC ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE, ALYCE

2. Commit to a regular cadence of coaching sessions

Professional development is key to providing employees with the skills they need to succeed while keeping them happy amid rising resignations and career changes, according to a recent LinkedIn Learning report. Consistent coaching is a way to create opportunities for reps to level up and hopefully stay happy in their roles.

“We have to recognize that people want to improve. They want to grow. They want to do a great job,” said Gabrielle Blackwell, Sales Development Representative Manager at Airtable. “When we can show up as leaders in the way they need, we can bring out the best in people and make them feel like this is the place where they can truly thrive.”

Take your coaching sessions to the next level by focusing not only on measuring their success but on providing them with the tools and training to achieve it. In each coaching session, be sure to leave time to ask about professional development opportunities they might be interested in, provide feedback on skills you think they could refine, and highlight opportunities to support other team members in their development through presentations or mentorship. Upskilling, reskilling, and training your team is never a wasted investment.

“People want to improve. They want to grow. They want to do a great job. When we can show up as leaders in the way they need, we can bring out the best in people.”

GABRIELLE BLACKWELL, BDR MANAGER, AIRTABLE

3. Leave room for creativity

For sales coach and CEO of JB Sales John Barrows, a key part of keeping reps engaged in their work is creativity. “If your job was to push a button every day, 100 times, and have no creativity about it, how long would you want to stay in that job?” asked Barrows.

Cultivate an environment that allows your reps to embrace their inner artists and explore tactics that work best for them. One way to do this: Hold regular team meetings for reps to share their specific deal wins. This highlights their ingenuity while scaling best practices across the team. You might even create a repository of these ideas, so they are documented and widely available for future reference.

“Provide a structure for reps to play, but give them the autonomy to try new things,” said Barrows. “If they have no challenges, they’ll get bored and look for a new job.”

“If your job was to push a button every day, 100 times, and have no creativity about it, how long would you want to stay in that job? We’re turning these reps into robots.”

JOHN BARROWS, CEO, JB SALES

4. Build trust in what they’re selling

A Forrester survey found that a lack of confidence in a company’s product or service was the main reason sales executives decided to leave for a new opportunity. Yet only 38% of customers say the employees they interact with understand their needs, making it difficult for them to see the product the rep is selling as an effective solution.

So what prevents your reps from understanding customers? They can’t see the solution in action. Most companies still operate with separate sales and customer success teams, meaning many reps never get to see the positive outcomes of product implementation.

The easiest way to fix this: Build a bridge between sales and customer success. Have reps join customer success calls to understand the impact their solution has on their customer’s day-to-day. Attend performance review meetings to see the real numerical impact of what they sell every day. With these touchpoints built into the sales process, reps will believe in the company’s product potential to create real change for customers.

5. Reward your reps when they win

Your reps are the backbone of your revenue growth. Make sure to reward them accordingly. A recent McKinsey survey found that 54% of employees cited feeling undervalued or underappreciated as a top reason they might quit their job.

Of course, compensation matters. SiriusDecisions benchmark data shows that 89% of sellers leave for higher pay. Special performance incentive funds, or SPIFs, are also commonly used incentives. More than 50% of best-in-class companies see higher gains using SPIFs, according to Aberdeen Group research.

If you’re unsure what incentives to offer, survey your team about what would motivate them the most, then follow through by rewarding reps with the gifts they wanted. Some ideas to start with:

•Host regular celebration events, from a catered lunch to an after-work happy hour, where you congratulate a job well done and encourage more.

•Offer tickets to sporting events or concerts, or a gift certificate to the best new restaurant in town (to be determined based on each person’s comfort level).

•Go for an awards ceremony to recognize your top reps and motivate other team members.

Remember, rewards don’t always have to be big or just about big wins. Constantly rewarding and proclaiming good work and small victories build momentum towards a larger goal and help everyone feel valued day by day.

“I recently did my first demo and [my manager] sent a note celebrating the small win,” said Alexine Mudawar, strategic account executive at Alyce. “Since she posted that message, I’ve been totally focused on work.”

6. Give reps a break

In a time when burnout is high and morale is low, you don’t want your reps to run out of steam, for their own health and the health of your business. Sometimes the best way to ensure sustainable long-term success is to slow down or adjust your goals. It can be scary to control your goals, but the World Health Organization found that strategies focused on reducing burnout and improving mental health result in a huge return on investment of $4 in increased productivity and better health for every $1 invested.

You can expect commitment and high-quality performance while also offering empathy and understanding. Be generous with time off and do everything possible to accommodate flexible work environments and schedules. Allow your reps to recharge after closing a big deal. Let them know it’s okay to prioritize themselves, their families, and their mental health over their pipeline.

Source: Salesforce Blog