Talk of the Great Resignation doesn’t seem to be quieting anytime soon, and job turnover rates are anticipated to be 50 percent to 75 percent higher than customary levels, according to human resource firm Gartner.
Low staffing levels puts additional pressure on teams working to meet revenue goals in a volatile market — so what can sales leaders do to keep teams fully staffed and satisfied?
According to Gartner, companies can fight attrition through four methods: fixing what’s broken, humanizing the employee value proposition, selectively outcompeting and increasing recruiting efforts.
Built In LA heard from Allison Gietl, vice president of sales for GumGum, and John Knotwell, chief revenue officer of WELL Health, about what retention strategies look like within their organizations.
Gietl has seen a focus on the employee value proposition pay off for her team. “Company culture continues to be a huge factor affecting a sales rep’s job satisfaction,” she said. “But we don’t mean they are looking for a game room and free snacks.”
Rather, according to Gietl, people are looking for a culture that helps employees succeed and find satisfaction in both their professional and personal lives.
Knotwell has paired outcompeting industry peers with a focus on motivation and recognition that keeps his team’s energy and retention high.
“I often share what motivates me with my team,” he said. “It’s important for me to know what drives them and for them to know what drives me.”
Knotwell and Gietl are positive about the quality of their teams and their ability to retain sales talent, and they shared their advice for other sales leaders with Built In LA.
WELL Health provides secure, multilingual messaging across multiple channels for health care professionals and their patients. “WELL delivers what patients expect today — the ability to engage with their healthcare provider as easily as they’d text a friend,” CEO Guillame de Zwirek told Built In LA in 2021.
What’s one strategy that has helped you maintain a full-strength team despite all the labor market turbulence?
Keeping my team motivated is key. I believe motivation comes in different forms and at different times, but its foundation comes from respect. I take a lot of time to learn about my people and what motivates them. I also know what motivates me, and I’m not ashamed of it. Communicating this with each other is key because at those times you or a member of your team needs a boost, others need to know how to bump you up.
Motivation comes in different forms and at different times, but its foundation comes from respect.”
What are the most important factors affecting the average sales rep’s job satisfaction, and why?
Despite the adage that salespeople are dishonest and will do anything to make a sale, most salespeople I’ve worked with have high ethical standards and expect the same from the companies they represent. They look for products and companies that solve big and worthy problems, win awards for their efforts and have satisfied customers that come back time and time again to buy from them.
In addition, sales people know that what they do is challenging and helps the company grow. The job is high risk because it is the most measured area of the company, and reps want to be rewarded for that effort. I’ve always found that having the best compensation plan for your industry allows you to attract the best talent in your industry.
What advice would you offer sales leaders who are currently struggling with hiring and retention?
When it comes to retention in sales, I believe a universal skill that is important no matter where a sales rep works is hustle, and it’s often overlooked. Instead of looking at the external factors such as product components, market dynamics and regulation that can affect a sales rep’s job satisfaction and their willingness to stay at the company, it’s important to make the most out of the factors that we can control. The one thing a sales rep can control is their own work effort. Someone may have a better mousetrap, a better physique or a gift that you think you don’t possess. However, you can control how much effort you put into winning. So when it comes to job satisfaction and retention, I don’t focus on what I can’t control. I focus on building my team’s hustle which inherently drives better results and often increases job satisfaction and retention.
GumGum is a global advertising technology company that promotes a digital advertising ecosystem not based on users’ personal data. A previous interview with Built In realed that the name GumGum “is intended to connote two things: One is that we ‘stick’ ads onto images, and the second is our executions are designed to be so highly memorable and engaging that they stick in users’ minds.”
What’s one strategy that has helped you maintain a full-strength team despite all the labor market turbulence?
In addition to creating a company culture that allows people to bring their true authentic self to work, we have leaned into empowering and advancing people on an individual career level. This keeps our team motivated and gives them a sense of value and purpose, in addition to just meeting sales goals. We’ve also worked to create a communication strategy for remote connection to make sure we’re checking in frequently and employees are feeling supported and connected despite not being in person.
What are the most important factors affecting the average sales rep’s job satisfaction, and why?
People want to work for a company that shares their values, has work-life balance and understands and supports that they have full lives outside of their job. Employees also are looking for location flexibility. The work from home culture has come with challenges for employers but has had advantages that many employees hold at a high value as we go forward.
Focus on the individuals on your team.”
What advice would you offer sales leaders who are currently struggling with hiring and retention?
Focus on the individuals on your team. Happiness and success looks different to each person. Make sure you have an understanding of what “fills their cup” and an agreed upon understanding of how to help them be fulfilled in their role and within the company.
