Why Is It So Hard to Hire and Keep Salespeople?

A common question I am asked is, “Why is it so hard to hire and keep salespeople?”

To uncover the answer, I’d like you consider a couple of scenarios. When you hire someone, say for a product development role, they have experience, you explain the job, the responsibilities, the expected results, the level of authority, indoctrinate them with the resources and tools of the job, introduce them to their team, their direct reports, their chain of command and they are off and running. They generally get things done, work as a team, add value to the organization and become part of the company.

When salespeople are hired, it is typically because they looked good, sounded good and impressed during the interviews. Once they are hired, the same introductory process is typically followed as is offered in the above illustration.

Discover the difference: Suppose every where the product development employee turns she is met with resistance. No one wants to accept her calls. No one returns calls. She gets stuck in voice mail jail. She receives no REAL information. Imagine that eight or nine out of every ten projects she presents are denied. Customers are flat out ignoring her or they are just being rude.

Furthermore, she is met with internal resistance in the accounting department and the production department. She is in fierce competition with her peers. She experiences a lack of resources, a lack of direction, a lack of accountability, a lack of recognition, and strife from upper management that believes "product development" is a necessary evil.

It doesn’t seem an acceptable environment for a new product development employee, does it?! Yet, that is the common work environment for a salesperson.

Salespeople are a different breed. Management needs to approach hiring them differently.

Remember: A players won’t work for B mangers.

For more information about how to IDENTIFY, ATTRACT, SCREEN, QUALIFY, INTERVIEW, HIRE AND KEEP STRONGER SALES STAFF goto www.mytraininganddevelopment.com

Top 10 Ways to Make Favorable Impressions and New Contacts

When attending events, do you ever wonder how to mingle, network, and make the most of the meetings without turning people off or looking like a “typical” sales guy?

Below are the Top 10 Ways to Make Favorable Impressions and New Contacts at an event:

1. Interested people are interesting. Show sincere interest in other people.
2. Stop thinking about yourself and don’t be self-critical.
3. Give more referrals than you get. (Emerson’s Law of Compensation)
4. Seek respect, not approval.
5. Get out of your comfort zone and don’t spend time with people you already know.
6. Don’t confuse professionalism with friendliness.
7. Find a way to make people feel better about themselves.
8. Talk about the problems you solve – not the features/ benefits of your work.
9. Ask questions and listen to the answers.
10. When you want to talk, shut up and listen some more.

Attract people to you by remembering the new Golden Rule: Do unto others as they would have done unto them! (Notice it varies just a little from what your Kindergarten teacher taught you). Reserve time in your calendar and plan to call your new contacts.

Bonus tips to remember: Keep your breath in check and do not get into someone’s personal space.


For more information about sales development goto www.mytraininganddevelopment.com