Keeping Great Salespeople:
Practical Advice For Retaining Key Employeess

By Allan Erickson
This article originally appeared in the October 2001 issue of Office Technology

In the "old days," employee loyalty was something an employer assumed. It was a cultural norm: employees automatically pledged fidelity for life. My father-in-law is a great example. He started his working life in the advertising department of a metropolitan newspaper, and just retired from there after 45 years of service.

These "new days" are turning the old days inside out, and not always for the better. Sales recruiters read tons of resumes daily. It is rare to find someone who has more than four or five years’ tenure in any given position. Most of what we see in the way of employment history entails numerous stints from between one and three years. The new model has turned everything around 180 degrees.

The cultural norm now: employers must earn the loyalty of employees. Gone are the days when employers can afford to mistreat employees and applicants. People are not going to put up with it, nor should they.

Today, success or failure in developing and keeping good salespeople is a matter of setting the scene for vibrant partnerships. The alternative is management by bayonet, which only creates adversaries who neglect customers.

In an age of almost unlimited opportunity, with young professionals looking for both early retirement and the next golden opportunity for advancement, frequent job changes are the rule, not the exception.

All this has left employers scrambling to learn "new" ways of holding onto valuable employees. The "old" ways are frequently redefined and called new.

Making Work Connections
Turning staff is expensive, and replacement costs are escalating. Obviously, compensation is an important factor, but not the most important contributor to sales staff retention. In his book "Grow Your Company, Grow Yourself," sales manager and business consultant Randy King cites surveys and personal experiences. He asserts that sales employees in particular tend to stay connected to an organization for longer periods of time if they are treated well, given a real sense of belonging and provided with "meaning" in the workplace. He also states that salespeople need to create their own meaning.

George Zimmer, founder and CEO of The Men’s Wearhouse, agrees. Building a great organization means finding ways to make employees happy, with a feeling of connectedness. Quoted in a highly recommended book, "Hidden Value," Zimmer says, "When people feel connected to something with a purpose greater than themselves, it inspires people to reach for levels they might otherwise not obtain."

Zimmer built his company (6,000 employees at 430 stores) by placing focus on teamwork, service, empathy, positive attitudes and servant leadership.

Further, I was impressed recently by the remarks of Joey Bartlett, co-owner of Tri-County Business Systems in Salinas, Calif. Bartlett says she attempts to get all her employees to realize the importance of their work and service. Working on behalf of numerous businesses, schools and government agencies, office products and document services employees greatly enhance the effectiveness of these organizations, she says. "What we do really matters. It’s so important to so many businesses, and we can really contribute to the quality of people’s working lives and earning potential." Selling and servicing copiers and printers then becomes more than routine or just a way to make a living. With the bigger picture, her employees begin to see their contribution as meaningful and greater than themselves.

These are keys to how people "tick" in the working world: a sense of belonging, an emotional tether if you will, strengthened by meaning, in the work that is viewed as contributing at a higher level.

Connectedness, meaning a positive and healthy work environment, continuous training and opportunity for advancement all contribute to employee retention, as does the "fun" factor.

Work and Play Make Jack a Happy Employee
Southwest Airlines is the most successful airline in history. There are three basic corporate values at Southwest:

• Work should be fun — it can be play, enjoy it.
• Work is important — don’t soil it with seriousness.
• People are important — each one makes a difference.

"The employees come first," says retiring CEO and Southwest co-founder Herb Kelleher. "If they’re happy, satisfied, dedicated and energetic, they’ll take real good care of the customers. When the customers are happy, they come back."

Part of how Southwest creates the fun factor is humor and energy. If you’ve ever flown Southwest you know what I mean. From the antics of the ticketing agents and ground crews to the jokes told by flight attendants and pilots, it’s an entirely pleasant experience, with great fares to boot!

Kelleher is one of the visionaries who understands that what happens inside the organization has everything to do with external perception and success. Part of the Southwest mission statement reads: "Above all, employees will be provided the same concern, respect and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every customer."

And it was a team environment. For instance, we thought nothing of dropping whatever we were doing to help another rep deliver equipment, or to help a technician install a paper deck. There were contests, camaraderie and ample support when you lost the big deal you had poured your heart and soul into. It was fun, and it was enjoyable working hard to serve customers by always going the extra mile. There was also a lot of freedom. We were challenged to take ownership of our territories as if they were our own businesses. That freedom, and sense of responsibility, was a huge boost as well.

Salespeople are by nature adventurous free spirits willing to take a chance and ride the range. Most of them require a sense of freedom. They require special handling. Like a horse with a soft mouth, the wise rider will hold the reins lightly, providing as much freedom of movement as possible. Micromanagement, while needful for some salespeople, is generally a death sentence for the majority.

Given the freedom we were afforded, and the respect and support, we went the extra mile for our employer, too. He had earned our loyalty by treating us fairly and compensating us generously. Even when the dealership was purchased by a national corporation, and things changed radically, I reconnected with the members of this management/ownership group because of their great business ethic and the "family" flavor of the relationships.

In thinking about employee loyalty for this article, I also thought back to Tom Brierly. Brierly was a farmer in my hometown. A soft-spoken, 6-foot-7-inch beanpole of a man, he could out-work anybody. He was truly devoted to his family and his employees.

In high school my best friend and I worked for Brierly — riding the tractor and moving irrigation pipe. A while back I wrote to my friend, asking him why we would have walked through fire for Brierly.

My friend replied: "Tom was humble. He was your boss, but you considered him a friend. He was a great role model. He loved his wife and kids. He was good to his employees. Always even-tempered and fair. He was honest and hardworking, always teaching as he worked.

"Tom delegated responsibility commensurate with ability. When he gave you a task, he trusted you to complete it, showing that he believed in you and your abilities. If you screwed up, he would very even-handedly take you aside and correct the situation. You always felt bad if you let him down. He worked alongside us, never made you feel inferior. He was the model of servant leadership."

We worked for Brierly for a long time, often in the hot sun, when we could have earned more in an air-conditioned restaurant. You just don’t buy loyalty.

In the wake of the dot-com swirl, the big attitudes and the venture capital drought in the Internet age, Tom Brierly may seem like an out-of-place example of best practices in business management and employee relations. On the other hand, I suspect we can all learn a lot from the "old days" and some of the old ways.

Honest, hard work and treating people right don’t go in and out of fashion. An employer can pony up all kinds of spiffs and benefits and contests and trips, even offer performance bonuses and raises based on whatever criteria, but this often doesn’t tilt the balance when employees weigh an exit decision. How they feel about their environment, the measure of respect and care they receive, and the depth of connectedness they experience on a personal level is what tips the scales in the employer’s favor.

© 2001 Allan Erickson. All rights reserved.