20 Feb The revolving door of sales
Sales is a highly competitive, non-stop industry. With things moving so fast, it’s easy to see why things change so rapidly.
Unfortunately, the nature of the beast is that, with quick results expected from day one, bosses aren’t setting proper goals for their workers and those workers have no desire to stay long-term.
All levels of the industry need to reset their thinking and redevelop culture to get the best out of each other.
Revamp the culture
Too many sales firms are beset by shoddy culture from the top. Bosses set lofty targets with no plans in place to achieve them.
Naturally, these targets become a struggle to achieve and it’s those on the bottom who cop the blame when the problems actually lie inward.
Success can’t be demonstrated with raw numbers alone. Good sales figures can’t make up for an inadequate system that chews up its workers and spits them out in a flash.
Managers will find greater reward in making their workplace somewhere employees want to come. That means lots of feedback, both positive and constructive, flowing both ways. It means spending time on developing employees’ skillsets instead of expecting immediate results.
Ultimately, it pays to take things slowly and not expect too much from those who are supposed to look up to you for help.
Temper your expectations to a realistic level and expect results to take time. No coach won a premiership on the first day.
There is also great reward to be found in mentoring the workers who are assigned to achieve those results.
If you take the time to work with your team rather than berating them every time they don’t meet expectations, they’ll become more self-motivated and will want to work for the company.
However, even positive sales firms suffer from constant changes in personnel.
The need for commitment
Too many sales workers are getting cold feet and creating a revolving door of new employees who don’t stay more than a few months. This is harming those who keep changing jobs as well as the industry itself.
Like the great white shark, these people have to keep ‘swimming’. If they stop moving, they’ll flounder and ‘die’ (metaphorically of course!).
It’s always good to stay ambitious and set goals for ourselves, but as we looked at last month, the desire for longevity is waning.
Every sales office needs experienced workers. These people know the industry inside-out and can help to nurture up-and-coming talent.
However, this process only works when two things happen:
- Workers stay on long enough to become experienced; and
- They are given time to help new employees.
Right now, there aren’t enough sales workers sticking around in their current position to be trained properly by their more experienced counterparts, let alone stay long enough to train the next generation themselves.
Too many sales workers have a fear of commitment. They mistake looking out the window for another opportunity with ambition.
This isn’t through a lack of ability or fear of success. Rather, these highly-driven people think leaping at every new opportunity that comes their way demonstrates they are passionate and resourceful.
On the contrary, a work history littered with only a few months at different sales firms does not show you are someone in high demand, it says you won’t be sticking around in the job you’re applying for.
The remedy for this, just like for bosses who expect instant results, it to take things slowly.
Staying put will produce several benefits. You’ll build a stronger relationship with your boss and your teammates and most importantly, the sector you work in.
You’ll also ensure you can gain positive references from your colleagues when the time does come to move on.
Long-term goals
Tempering expectations in the short term is fundamental to achieving satisfaction in the workplace. As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
There aren’t enough people taking on a new position and asking themselves, “What do I want to achieve here?”
Aimlessly starting out with no idea where you want to be in a month, a year or five years will not enable you to create adequate goals and set your own markers for success.
Success looks different for everyone so keep your goals realistic. Following Bill Gates’ method of identifying key results to achieve your goals will ensure you can plot a course within your position to get what you want.
Going forward
The most important thing for bosses and workers alike is to take things a tad less seriously.
You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. Revitalising office culture and making everyone feel needed and appreciated will produce stronger results than scaring your employees into working harder.
Likewise, focussing on what’s in front of you right now will allow you to set more realistic goals for the future. Constantly switching jobs will provide no security or long-term track record and it’s totally unsustainable.
Simply acknowledging and appreciating what you already have is worthwhile. A bit more of this will help to stop the revolving door of sales.
