The three primary reasons good salespeople choose to leave are:
1. They aren’t growing
2. Friction with the boss
3. Money.
Proven top performing salespeople have two things that make them situational flight risks: egos and options. Bad salespeople often have the former but rarely the latter; if they were half as good as they think they are they’d be twice as good as sales figures show. Mediocre reps are usually content to swing in the hammock of mediocrity. They rarely leave unless the stars align and a friend rings up with news of a free job.
Selling is a splendidly fair profession because it rewards personal investment. Since the best salespeople are made (not born), successful top performers harvest the fruits of investment they’ve made over time. It is this ultimate fairness that makes selling such a magnificently fair profession: pros beat journeymen, journeymen beat grinders, grinders beat amateurs, and amateurs beat each other. In a funny way, selling is like pro wrestling; the good guy wins unless the bad guy cheats.
The Associated Press reported today that job satisfaction in America has reached an all-time low, a mere 45% satisfied with their work. This, of course, is a pity. But it’s also understandable. With healthcare costs skyrocketing, take-home pay dwindling, and savings accounts shrinking like tumble-dried wool, there’s a lot to moan about. Then again, life and work are gifts. Or have we forgotten?
Companies don’t owe us personal growth. We owe it to ourselves. A smart salesperson realizes the power of discipline; if he or she learns one new thing a day, over the course of a year they will accumulate 200 more tricks than their competitors.
The second exodus factor, friction with the boss, has been around since bosses were invented so it’s good to remember that you should (a) never leave a job because of the boss, or (b) never stay in a job because of the boss. Bosses, especially in sales, come and go. They’ve got expiration dates, like coupons in the mail.
In fairness, it’s not easy being a sales leader this day. It’s tough out there driving results, unless you’re selling green (or something you can stretch the imagination far enough to believe is green). Selling green is easy. Selling the rest of the rainbow a bit tougher.
Under pressure, sales managers tend to tighten screws. They trade coaching and teaching for berating and activity tracking. Browbeating can drive short term results but fosters longer-term alienation and exodus. When sales leaders have the discipline to do the opposite—coach more and yell less—people will develop and grow. Better people sell more. Good coaching, instead of brutal whip cracking, diminishes the two biggest reasons good salespeople decide to leave.
The third reason, money, is often a byproduct of fixing the first two. Good salespeople are competitive; they want to win. When they do, they want to be fairly paid and should be. It’s the customer’s money that pays them. The best compensation plans follow a strict doctrine of fairness: If you sell a lot, you make a lot. If you don’t, you don’t. Good salespeople are okay with that. Good ones win the deals they’re supposed to win and some of the ones they’re supposed to lose. If they consistently perform that way, they have earned good compensation.
All three reasons good reps leave are fixable. Good companies button them up.