Sales turnover is a fact of life for distributors. Sales reps come and go, and they take many of their clients with them. The costs of losing clients, re-building the associated goodwill and constantly training new reps are an ongoing drain on the business.
How do we mitigate this? In a word—empowerment.
Empowerment is an over-used term, but it is key to keeping good salespeople. Empowerment is not a standalone concept. It is fuelled by accountability, management support, individual coaching and a shared vision for success.
There are five key ways to build an environment that empowers sales reps to achieve success and to ensure a positive climate for retention.
1. Provide a structured, process-driven sales environment
Take the time to develop a sales process that makes daily provision for all the key elements of the sales cycle from new business development to business retention. Promotional products sales reps work in a highly disruptive industry. They are bombarded with new information daily: new vendors, new products and special offers. The result is information overload. Sales reps can get overwhelmed, which leads to opportunistic and ad hoc sales processes. This unstructured approach in turn leads to wasted time, reduced productivity and inconsistent new business development. To prevent this, provide the framework for a balanced approach to sales time management. Start by mapping out a “perfect day” scenario that illustrates what an ideal day encompasses for all aspects of the sales cycle. Use this as the basis of a rep’s daily sales process. This structured environment will ensure focus and a comfort level that is more conducive to sales retention.
2. Help them work smarter and faster
Today’s technology should be your friend. To support the sales process, invest in sales management and CRM tools that create the foundation for daily prospecting, client management and sales activity tracking. Leverage CRM and sales tools to expedite your reps’ speed-to-market, keep them focused on results and automatically organize their daily activities for maximum impact. Based on clear sales strategies, sales tools keep sales reps accountable and organized, ensure consistent prospecting and cultivating processes, optimize daily activities and track results in real-time. Reps who are encouraged to be accountable and transparent in their efforts will consistently build their client base and revenues.
3. Help them ramp up prospecting
Develop year-round marketing initiatives designed to keep your reps and company top of mind. You don’t need a big marketing budget; you simply need to plan effectively. Consider your target audience, seasonal purchasing patterns and messaging. Look at leveraging low-cost campaigns such as e-mail, postcard mailers and open houses. Develop an ongoing and multi-touch-point campaign that promotes product specials, marketing tips and other updates designed to create ongoing awareness. Make sure your website is search-engine optimized for your region. Marketing campaigns will create a fertile environment for sales and make reps look good.
4. Help them develop a personal sales success plan
The best path to success is for each sales rep to develop a personal annual sales plan. These are not just sales projections, but a real “business plan” that considers past results, strengths, areas for improvement, business retention and new prospecting avenues. Most salespeople simply project numbers based on what their bosses would like to see, and then usually don’t reach their targets. Work with your reps to address the issues, and build a plan that is not just a dollar target but a true plan of action designed to achieve their goals. Meet with them regularly to monitor and revisit their plan to make sure they stick to it or adjust it if required. This exercise will force salespeople to think more strategically and be more accountable for their success. What is important here is to work with individuals, not just manage numbers.
5. Invest in their professional development
As your company grows, your sales team needs to grow as well. Ongoing professional development is an important success factor. This can include training your team on new software systems, bringing in motivational speakers, signing up for webinars, attending industry events or sending them on sales courses. Not only will you enhance their value to the organization, they will feel more valued. If you invest in them, they will be more likely to invest their time for you.
Sales reps lacking empowerment will often fly under the radar exerting minimal effort for minimal gain. Or they will fall into a pattern of ineffective work habits that generate considerable effort for limited results. Without the structure and impetus to achieve greater results, they will take little accountability for their outcomes and contribute to a lackluster sales environment. In this scenario, even top-performing sales reps may feel frustrated and under-supported. By empowering your reps, you will build a foundation for accountable results and, ultimately, a more motivated and loyal team.
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