If you’re responsible for managing a sales team, it’s likely you’ve seen your sales associates come and go. However, have you ever wondered if you could possibly do things differently in order to decrease a rapid rate of turnover and keep a strong sales team in place?

Here are the top four reasons your sales people are most likely to quit and what you can do to keep your team happy, confident and productive.

1. Figure out what support might be lacking. Is it sales training or training reinforcement? Proper training and development are crucial to providing your sales associates with the support, tools and knowledge necessary for them to be successful at what they do. Do they not have proper support from their immediate supervisor, the production team, the administration or the company as a whole? Do they have everything necessary to succeed? Ask yourself some questions to locate areas that might be lacking and work on putting the proper support into place.
2. Identify unmet expectations or any unfulfilled promises made to the associate. Was a new associate promised better compensation than what they are receiving, or were they told that the expectations of the job would be different than what they are currently experiencing? When they signed on to work with you, were they told one thing but now they’re seeing another? Now’s the time to clear up any miscommunication and provide accurate information about the company, the product and what’s expected in order for clear goals to be set.
3. Identify unmet expectations or any unfulfilled promises made to the customer. Once the sale has been made by your associate, does the company follow through on what it guarantees? Is your customer getting the quality (in product, service and follow-through) that they’ve been promised? If your company is not delivering, your sales associates can’t continue to sell your product with confidence. Customers no longer trust the associate, and, in turn, the associate no longer trusts the company. Take a look at what your company promises after the sale and make sure these expectations are being met every time.
4. Take a close look at your work environment. What does it feel like to work for your company? Is there a strong leadership team in place to provide great support and to lead by example, or do they just not know how to motivate and lead? If a conflict between two employees arises, is there a system in place to help reach a resolution? Are people generally happy? A bad work environment leads, of course, to unhappy associates who won’t stay long. What areas are you seeing that need to be improved, and what can you do to take action to fix these situations now?

Being a great sales leader is all about your team’s success and your ability to lead them to meet and exceed their goals. Keep these four areas strong and you’ll keep your team working hard and sticking around!

Need additional assistance? BDU can help. We offer Outsourced Sales Management for sales teams of all sizes, experience levels and industries. Contact us for more information about how our experts can turn your associates into sales superstars!