Effective sales teams are made up of talented people; talent necessary to achieve business success. Talented sales people deliver outstanding performance that leads to bottom line profitability. Sales talent, say the experts, is not just about academic degrees or IQ ratings. It is the ability to think outside the box, for the benefit of their customers.
Talented sales people want to work for a company that they respect, and companies that align their business goals with that of their talented sales people are successful. Such companies naturally attract talented sales people.
Many companies have a process that identifies and nurtures ‘fast-trackers’, but usually only those slotted for senior roles in the company. Unfortunately, less than 5% of the personnel in a company are ever engaged in this process. This select group probably believe they have what it takes to succeed; but with the lack of opportunity, much of this potential is unrealized in today's 'system'.
'Systems', such as these, are usually a major cause of staff turnover. It is recognized that people represent between 40 and 70 percent of the costs within most industries, yet many companies are far more focused on issues like capital investment etc., than on the management of their people. As a result, while these organizations perfect sophisticated techniques in financial and technical areas, their talent management seriously lags.
Many companies believe, rightly or wrongly, that their high performers will naturally rise to the top, or that talent they have painstakingly developed may be lured to new companies. As a result, companies can spend up to 12 times the cost of internal people development programmes, on the recruitments they periodically rush into to close perceived gaps, termination costs and lost productivity.
'Systems', such as these, have serious negative impacts on recruiting and retaining sales professionals. They make it impossible to build effective sales teams.
What companies must change is their approach to the sales professional. They do not fit the 'system' per se. Companies need to recognize that a specialized program to attract and retain talented sales professionals is in their best interest, short and long term.
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