My sales career has spanned 20 years and counting. In my career I’ve developed sales territories, key accounts and sales teams. The last few years I’ve been selling talent. My goal is to build a reputation for supplying high calibre sales people to Scottish businesseswho need help to drive sales and capture market share. Good sales people are a precious asset. While there are similarities in skills each sales person has a totally unique way of selling and getting their customers to sayyes. See ‘The Ten Greatest Salespeople of all Time‘ I know what makes sales people tick and I know what they need from a workplace to thrive. When I take a job brief from a client looking for a sales star its followed by a conversation which probes the environment the sales person will be working in. I want to put people in companies which won’t mess them around. Kingman Candidates represented by Kingman Lennox are those who can reach their targets, deliver business development strategies and win new business in highly demanding and competitive environments. These are the types of skills we’re known for sourcing.
A career in sales can be extremely lucrative for the person who is able to prospect effectively and works hard. However, surveys indicate that compensation is just one piece in the career satisfaction puzzle. Salespeople make their decision to leave or stay with a company not based on money but for a variety of personal and professional reasons. Retaining successful salespeople is not a secret recipe, but a formula that includes factors like leadership, recognition, company culture and professional growth opportunities. See Geoffrey James Ten Ways to Keep your Sales Team Happy
At Kingman Lennox we see a steady flow of great sales people who want to move when still they’re hitting their targets and delivering. Here are the top three reasons which makes sales talent want to bail
New Management Killed Morale
Sales people are independent, they enjoy autonomy, the freedom to direct and have control over their business. Their entrepreneurial trait means plans and decisions change in response to their environment and clients. There’s more than one way to skin a cat or get to your target and you can’t predict which one will work. You need to be juggling several strategies at once, adopting your approach to get potential clients moving from buy in to a sale. Micro-management just doesn’t work with great sales people. It sucks the life out of them. Newly hired managers under pressure to prove their worth will try to micro manage sales cycles or secure their position by insisting on being involved in the running of key accounts. Either way sales peoples moral drops.They don’t feel trusted and in addition the increase in paperwork and reporting takes time away from what they should be doing – prospecting for new business. A love of paperwork and admin isn’t a trait I’ve seen in most great sales people I’ve worked with. Good sales people make a company money if they’re given support and autonomy.
Somebody Was Messing With The Money
Despite what many people think, Sales people won’t move companies purely for more money. The right role is a balance of money, opportunity, support, appreciation and progression.They will move companies when the renumeration they agreed upon when they accepted a position with the company is changed. It affects the balance of their equation. Changes in pay, changes in benefits, new expense limits, taking away company credit cards, changes in sales territory, redistribution of clients, slow expense reimbursement, a cap on commission, loss of sales support staff. These will have sales people looking for other roles. It’s not uncommon for me to hear of a sales person hitting the 100%+ commission/bonus rate and their company backtracking because the sales person is making too much money or they realise the commission model is too expensive. Thats really not the sales persons problem and erodes trust like nothing else.
The Risk Wasn’t Worth It
It takes skill, experience, passion and dedication to sell. Sales people put their reputations, time and integrity on the line every day. In order to drive results the sales person needs to build real trust and value with the client, sometimes over the course of many years. Personal investment is huge and when sales people feel the quality of the product or service they’re selling is compromised and their personal reputation is at risk you’ll lose them. Key accounts take years to develop. No amount of commission is worth decimating those relationships. When sales people are spending more time addressing quality issues with clients than finding new business they leave. They’re not account managers, hand holding isn’t what motivates them.Their bonus or commission is going to go one way and its down.
Ready for A Move?
Kingman Lennox represents Consummate Sales and Business development Professionals. Our candidates have to meet our basic core criteria. This foundation experience is the reason clients give us their briefs. Our people have already proved themselves. We work with some of the fastest growing, innovative and internationally recognised companies in Scotland.They’re looking for brilliant sales people to help them reach their goals and are ready to support and reward them.
Kingman Lennox Core Criteria
- Proven Sales Record
- Career Stability
- B2B Sales experience
- Consultative Selling Experience
If this is you then we’d like to meet you. This is the experience clients are constantly asking for. We will always have a selection of positions for sales people
How to arrange a meeting
Call me – 01224 900147 or 07966 444329
Email me – mg@kingmanlennox.com Put ‘Meet Mark’ in the subject line so it reaches my priority box