Are your salespeople ‘tourists’? 3 ways to increase their loyalty

The brand loyalty of tourists is a fragile and fickle thing.

A tourist may give repeat business to, say, a hotel that he’s had a good experience with. But if that tourist later has a bad experience with the hotel, he may choose to never stay there again.

The same may be true of your salespeople. When the good times run out, many salespeople go out the door with them. In fact, a recent survey of 1,000 salespeople by Glassdoor found that more than 68 percent of salespeople plan to look for a new job in the next year, while 45 percent plan to look in the next three months. Just 19 percent had no imminent plans to switch companies.

The reality is, most salespeople don’t stay with a company beyond a year or two. However, there are ways for companies to strengthen and lengthen their relationships with salespeople. Here are three:

1. Create a better workplace

Salespeople want more than just the opportunity to earn a living; they want to work for a company that offers a great workplace environment. To hold on to your sellers, you need to create a culture and environment that’s better than what you’d find elsewhere. I am not talking about creating a workplace that is all about beer Fridays or playing foosball in the break room. I’m talking about creating an environment where salespeople are respected, involved in decision-making and supported by managers who invest in their development. This type of company culture starts at the top.

2. Play favorites

You’ve probably been told not to play favorites in the workplace and, most of the time, that’s true. But to attract and keep top sellers, sometimes you have to make an exception to this rule. True meritocracy is respected in company cultures. Your best people need to know that they are best and should be treated as such. Ask yourself: In what ways does your company acknowledge its top sellers beyond giving them money? What can you do aside from handing out awards? What do you do when your salespeople achieve their personal best?

3. Invest in a team

Many companies believe that they do not need, or cannot afford, more than one salesperson. But having only one salesperson is very dangerous. It puts both the company and the salesperson in a vulnerable position. The company has no means of comparison and the seller has no source for new ideas. Often, it’s less expensive to hire a team of salespeople than pay for the constant turnover that comes from a single-seller sales force.

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