Why should employers nurture sales skills for their seller's entire and future careers, not just the time they employ them? Here are the reasons why.

Let’s get the elephant in the room addressed straight away. Why should a sales leader develop the skills of a salesperson when it’s now known they will leave with two and a half years (on average).?

This has been the view of most (not all) sales leaders for decades. I will invest in my salespeople, so they understand the product they sell and the processes we use. Anything beyond that benefits their next employer, and “I am only interested in the numbers they achieve for us.”

The development compounds this that sellers do get, being organisationally led and motivated. For example, a company has a margin problem identified by finance, which is prescribed because of poor negotiation skills. A company is seeking to blanket negotiation skills training across every seller. Many take flight as the method used by Artis & Harris (2007) as?induced. Many experienced sellers perceive themselves as needing learning via?synergist?or?voluntary?processes. The result is training, which could be more effective, with knowledge being lost in ninety days, so it does not solve the identified initial issue.?

That is not nurturing; it's torturing.?

Is it not better to find out the individual's strengths and potential strengths and help them develop, then reward and recognize their skills and development?

So why would you like to bother? Well if you need a salesforce your customers don’t automatically see the need for your product or service or have other choices. In having a sales force, you them to be the best version of themselves. Not get them average…or close to goal, as notably, 67% of sellers missed goal in 2021, (Source Salesforce.com), so as leaders we fail at that.?

Some sales leaders do nurture their sellers for their entire careers, notably Jon Nicholson (Royal Mail and Parcelforce, Ben Dorks (Ideagen), Gary Pickering (Safestyle Plc), Elaine Barnes (Cromwell), Chris Lett (Arco Ltd), Carl Day (Apogee Ltd), Grant Van Ullrich (RCCL), all have a caring of sellers mindset. They portray the very height of excellence, developing each seller into the best version of themselves. They care about happiness, psychological safety, high professional standards, high learning, and recognizing and codifying learning.?

In all that they do they dare to enrich those in their stewardship and understand the risk is that their sellers are more attractive to other employers. But loyalty emerges from sales employees, and now more than ever. Sellers below thirty are not extrinsically motivated as those older (me included). They will step in and out of roles and organizations and work in a way sales leaders could not have envisaged when we started work. Consequently, as fewer people unconsciously “fall into” sales, we must show them that sales are a career with the same longevity and respect as other professions.?We hold that journey as stewards of their careers and recognition in our hands.

What are the benefits of nurturing your salespeople?

1.?????Improved performance: By investing in the ongoing development of their salespeople’s skills, employers can expect to see an improvement in their performance. Salespeople continually learning and developing their skills are better equipped to close deals, build relationships, and achieve their sales targets.

2.?????Increased retention: Employers are more likely to retain their top performers by investing in the development of their salespeople. Salespeople who feel valued and supported in their professional development are likelier to stay with their employers.

3.?????Better customer service: Salespeople with a wide range of skills and knowledge are better equipped to provide exceptional customer service. They can understand the needs of their clients and provide solutions that meet those needs, which can lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.

4.?????Competitive advantage: Companies that invest in developing their salespeople gain a competitive advantage over their rivals. They have a more skilled and knowledgeable sales force that is better able to identify and pursue new business opportunities.

5.?????Better company reputation: Companies that invest in developing their salespeople also gain a better reputation in the industry. They are seen as companies that value their employees, which can make them more attractive to top talent.

In conclusion, investing in the development of salespeople particularly when you have to take market share in stagnant or receding economies, is scary but a recipe for success. The development of salespeople’s skills is beneficial for individual salespeople and the company as a whole. It improves performance, retention, customer service, and the company’s reputation and gives the company a competitive edge.

How are you going to nurture your sellers for competitive advantage?

An economic footnote in this article; is that it emerges as many companies view the economy as entering stagnation or recession. Those of us over fifty have seen economic downturns almost every ten years. Granted external factors impacting the economy are coming thick and fast, from Covid-19 to Ukraine (the most significant European land war since WW2). The latter triggered an energy crisis, which provoked an inflation crisis, but unlike previous downturns, this occurs with numerous sales roles vacant. Cutting sales budgets already under headcount will reduce costs but won't help meet revenue targets and ultimately won't provide shareholder profit expectations.

Now is the time to innovate the acquisition of sales knowledge, energize sales employee engagement, personalize their professional development and nurture them. If you don't, someone else will, and you can't afford to lose your top performers. If they leave, the cost to you is not the rehire costs; it's the cost of their goal.