How do you justify investing the time developing your inside salespeople to consider long-term sales careers when so many of them are just waiting to be promoted to their next position? Simple. You still do it, says Keith Rosen, CEO of Profit Builders (ProfitBuilders.com), a sales training provider.
It’s necessary to tap into each person’s individuality, which means having them identify their values, what inspires them and what they want most out of their career. A manager must be able to suspend any agenda, especially an agenda around wanting to keep that person in sales, when in actuality, it’s just a pit stop on their way to achieving larger career goals or they don’t really want to be there.
Given the average tenure of an inside sales rep is sitting at about two years (give or take industry and other unique factors), managers think, “Why should I invest my time in developing and coaching this person if they’re just going to leave anyway?
Rosen says the question managers should be asking is, “What impact can I make on them?”
In other words, avoid conditional leadership. “Do you want to be known as the manager who keeps the better producers until they quit or are able to break free from your grip or the manager who promotes underdeveloped people, or do you want to be known as the manager who continually develops and promotes proven sales champions into their new roles? Think about how this would impact your career?
You’re ultimately going to lose most salespeople anyway as they move on to their next role. It’s how you lose them that creates a positive or miserable experience for them and for you.
