Sales is a field with a notoriously revolving door and that revolving door often extends through management. When you find a sales manager who has led their team to success for five or more years, you want to do whatever is necessary to retain them. If a talented and motivating manager leaves, not only will you have to replace them, odds are high that you’ll be looking for new salespeople, as well.
“The happiest manager candidates I speak with are those that feel empowered, appreciated and respected in their current organizations. They are always the toughest to pry away!” says Stephanie Staiano, National Account Manager, ProSearch, a CSS Company.
Follow these strategies to retain your best and brightest sales managers over the long term.
Let Your Sales Managers Be Managers
The title “manager” implies some level of control, and sales managers expect to be given the autonomy to run their teams as they see fit. If a sales director or other leader micromanages them, second guesses their every move or requires approval for every single decision, you can bet that sales manager will seek out greener, more independent pastures. If you want to retain your best and brightest, you must give your managers the freedom to actually manage their groups.
Recognize That No Single Sales Manager Can Do It All
There is such a thing as setting the bar too high. Company leaders often expect their sales managers to be experts on every single aspect of the selling process, which is a nearly impossible order to fill. Every sales manager will have specific strengths and weaknesses, no matter how good they are. The key is to help them find support in the areas where they don’t shine quite as bright, either from outside sources or standout members of the sales team who themselves have leadership potential.
Set Challenging, But Realistic Goals
Nothing is more frustrating to a talented, successful sales manager than being handed a goal they know they can never hit. If you’ve got a seasoned professional leading your sales team who knows the market and knows what can be pulled out of that market, don’t set them up for failure. That doesn’t mean goals should be set too low. Sales teams should, of course, always be striving for more, but setting the group up for failure will only lead to demoralization and dissatisfaction. Give your sales managers a challenge, but don’t ask them to pull money out of thin air.
Help Them Grow and Develop
Strong sales managers got where they are today by growing, learning and developing over time. Successful people are in a constant state of development, and while many of those people will engage in their own development in their spare time, companies should support them by offering training, development and mentorship on the job. If you want your sales managers to invest in the long-term success of the organization, company leaders should invest in the long-term success of sales managers.
Do You Have What it Takes To Retain Your Best Sales Managers?
If you are looking for new ways to attract and retain top salespeople and seasoned sales managers who can help you achieve your goals, the expert recruiters at CSS ProSearch can help. Contact us today to learn more about the ways in which we can help grow, build and expand your team – and your bottom line.