For a top-performing sales organization to thrive, managers need a viable coaching strategy. Developing a process around attracting and retaining top sales talent is a critical component to lowering turnover rates and improving your sales team’s bench strength.
CSO Insights’ research repeatedly shows sales organizations struggle with developing processes that help them recruit and onboard top sales talent. Even more importantly, few organizations have a process that helps ensure they’re retaining their best hires. Even the best performers won’t succeed if you haven’t defined their success.
Use these three tools to help you focus your talent management strategy:
Quarterly Assessments – Assess individuals’ current level of skills and knowledge based on their competencies and behaviors. Review their successes as well as the areas where additional goals can be set.
Developmental Action Plan – Outline a plan to address and close the gaps identified in the Quarterly Assessment. This should help you create specific and timely development plans.
Team Capability and Succession Review – Consider a comprehensive report that assesses the entire team on its current level of performance and potential.
Think about your own feedback strategy with your sales team. Where have you struggled in the past? What techniques have been the most successful? Assess your past behaviors to help you build a pattern for future success. Keep in mind that how you deliver feedback can make the difference between a high-performing sales team and one that is disengaged and unmotivated.
For a positive feedback approach, start with these two questions:
1. What two things do you think you did well?
2. What two things would you like to do better?
Then, offer your own feedback. Speak about negatives in terms of ways to make changes in the future. Use statements like these:
1. Here are two things I liked.
2. Here are two things I would do differently.
Sales talent management needs to be a consistent priority for sales managers, who want to attract, and retain top sales talent. Following these tips is a great start, but your entire sales organization can help in your efforts as well. Create a consistent process that makes it easy for your team to practice these tips, and you'll reduce the time and resources needed for talent management.
