It is no secret for any company, commercial functions are, today more than ever, synonymous with turnover. A real financial chasm, turnover would cost on average between 35% and 150% of the salary of the departing employee depending on his experience and responsibilities.
In addition to this direct financial cost, repeated departures weigh on team morale and greatly disrupt the distribution of workload. These upheavals therefore have a direct impact on productivity, turnover and the attractiveness of the company. By losing some of your salespeople, you also lose part of their customer portfolio!
While the reasons may differ from one sector of activity to another, there are major trends behind this phenomenon. In this article, we look back at the most frequent causes and our tips for retaining your teams
The main reasons for turnover in sales functions
Sales people are rare talents on the market and the reasons for leaving are sometimes different from those of other functions. After a period of doubt and instability during the health crisis, sales forces are now confident about the future of their profession.
Indeed, according to a study conducted by APEC, 52% of managers consider that a change of company is no longer a risk, but an opportunity. This reinforces even more the flight of talent to new horizons.
The race for job offers
We mentioned this phenomenon to you in our article on optimizing the recruitment process for commercial functions, the number of job offers on the market is constantly increasing. According to the study, there is a 43% increase in the number of commercial offers published in 2021 and represent 16% of active ads. This diversity is at the origin of the over-solicitation of salespeople who let themselves be seduced by ever more attractive job descriptions.
With the democratization of social networks, it is even easier for recruiters to have access to the pool of current salespeople, which affects the retention rate of companies.
Development, compensation and career
While the main trend is to advocate that remuneration is no longer a differentiating factor in choosing a company and motivating it, this is not true for commercial functions.
Today, if salespeople move to a new company, this is mainly due to better remuneration or an evolution in missions and responsibilities that are beneficial for the rest of their career. The package offered, the calculation of the bonuses, the benefits or the objectives to be achieved are all factors taken into account in a change of organization.
Management and corporate culture
An employee who leaves his company often leaves his manager. This phenomenon is amplified by the importance that the quality of life and working conditions (QVCT) has taken on in recent years. Management is the first obstacle to business productivity since it has a direct influence on employee engagement. The main criticisms? The lack of availability, recognition and listening!
In addition, salespeople are more and more sensitive to the image and attractiveness of their company. While employer branding is a term that has become popular in the HR sphere, communication and marketing also have a role to play in talent retention.
Our advice to retain your sales forces
According to OECD statistics, a French employee would spend around 11 years with the same employer. Among salespeople, this figure is more like 3 years and a half and even 2 years for the youngest generations. There is therefore an interesting margin for improvement in the retention of these populations.
Here are our tips based on 15 years of experience in recruiting sales and marketing functions.
Active listening and weak signals
Listening to the needs and expectations of your salespeople is essential to ensure their satisfaction at work. Even today, only 38% of businesses are looking to find out what would make salespeople more efficient. Take the time to listen to feedback from your teams and pay attention to weak signals.
A sudden lack of interest in team life, a decrease in communication or even less consistent results are examples of behavioral changes that can be a precursor to disengagement.
Open the dialog
The departure of an employee is still far too often taboo for companies. This silence can, when repeated, become a source of stress for the rest of your teams. It is important to lift the veil and explain in a clear and factual manner the events that led to this decision.
This will make it possible to convey a more positive image and to ensure a certain continuity in the missions. Employees will also feel more confident about sharing their doubts or possible proposals from other companies with you. It will then be possible to find common ground to continue your collaboration.
Skills and training
Skills development is your essential ally in retaining employees. Indeed, 94% of employees would stay longer in a company that develops its skills. In addition, the training of your sales forces should allow you to obtain a good return on investment since only 7% of sales functions master sales techniques. A beneficial action for the company as well as for the employee who sees his employability increase.
The training of managers is also an important point. According to a study conducted by ADP, only 1/3 of HR functions believe that manager training allows them to face current challenges. Continuing training on specific topics is therefore one of the keys to retaining your talents.
There are many ways to reduce turnover, we have chosen to share with you our tips that are most applicable to commercial functions. However, it should be borne in mind that recruitment also affects turnover. Knowing how to find the talents that create value that best fit your corporate culture is a real plus in limiting turnover, but it is not always easy!
