Have you been concerned with recent client engagement surveys or the drop in your NPS scores?

Are your clients believing that there’s a lack of value they are receiving from their interaction with

your sales team?

 

 

The sales teams are supposed to be the “bastions” of client engagement – correct. So why are they

now viewed as the problem. Simple – the high “churn rates” experienced in sales teams means they

no longer have the same relationship with your client. Your client has had enough – they don’t want

to have to “induct” the 4 th account manager in the last 18 months from your business. Any wonder

you’re receiving low NPS scores.

 

When you look back over the last 12 months how many new sales people have you employed? More

importantly how many are still employed in the business? How many made it through their

probation? What did you learn from their exit interviews? The greater the sales employee

churn/turnover the greater the negative impact on client relationships and satisfaction.

Based on current trends approx. 50% of all new sales hires fail to make it through probation. The

impact on client relationships is significant. Each time a sales person leaves, your client relationship

is impacted – not only do you as the employer have to train a new sales person your client also has

to train them on how their business operates and how the business relationship between the two

organisations works.

 

The key elements reducing the new sales hire churn and improving your sales team’s engagement

with their clients are:

 

1. Hiring the right people – hire people with a can-do attitude.

 

2. Creating a Structure & Culture That Allows for Great Work to Be Done – everybody knows

their position and what they are responsible for.

 

3. Equipping the team with the Knowledge and Skills to Work Effectively – from Onboarding

to ongoing professional development.

 

There’s a “war for quality sales people” in the market at present with it taking between 60-180 days

to fill a vacant sales role. With all the trouble and cost associated with hiring qualified sales talent, you want their integration into your sales team to be seamless which is why having a tailored Sales

Onboarding program is needed.

 

The guiding principles to a successful Sales Onboarding program are:

 

 Create a great 1 st day – one chance to make a 1 st impression. The person might not

remember everything that is said but they will remember how they felt

 Detailed Plan For 1 st 6 months – plan needs to be clear on what levels of competency is

required at each milestone whilst distinguishing between the Knowing vs Doing

 Mentorship Beyond Direct Manager – new sales employees need a sounding board to lean

on other than their boss

 Simplicity – lay out the plan in a simple format so new sales employees can easily identify

their activities

 

The results you achieve from your Sales Onboarding program will be evident in both the short and medium term through:

 Stronger Employee Engagement

 Reduced New Sales Hire Churn

 Retention of Top Sales Talent

 Improved Client Engagement

 

Failure to listen to what your clients and employees are telling you will continue to drive them both

out the door. Let’s get back to having a sales team that’s a key driver for your success not the

inhibitor.

 

Article by Paul Leonard – Director Client Success of AmCham member company OSS Group Australia.

(www.ossaustralia.com )

 

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