Most salespeople are endowed with a wealth of confidence. One might even say it’s a prerequisite for the job. However, it’s the responsibility of employers and leaders to invest in company culture, protect the wellbeing of sales staff and attract the most effective players to maintain an all-star sales team.
In a society fine-tuned to the importance of mental wellbeing and the concept of candidate-lead recruitment, an amplified focus on company ethics, values, products and services could be the difference between a good hire and an excellent hire.
When considering the importance of sales support, our founder Janet McGlaughlin believes that “salespeople need a positive company culture to inspire them to work harder and be more productive” – so, how can business owners achieve this?
Believe it or not, millennials and Gen Z are the generation driving workplace changes of the near future – and it’s for today’s leaders to keep up. Promoting and investing in positive company culture makes staff want to stay at an organisation where they can thrive and develop.
In a conversation concerning the support of sales staff, Janet stated that “company culture has become a significant factor in a candidate’s decision when accepting a job offer.” In turn, a clear sense of company culture can impact both staff retention and recruitment.
So, how can employers advertise and implement positive company culture? Leaders can begin by “exhibiting core values and standards” on their website and job advertisements to meaningfully invite candidates to understand their company.
When people feel like they belong to an organisation, they’re more likely to settle for the long term. That means lower turnover, fewer new recruits and better chemistry among your team.
When recruiting for or managing salespeople, “it is critical to ensure that they believe in the products and services of the business.” While we all know that a good salesperson can ‘sell ice to an Eskimo’, but an employee’s faith in the company is where the sales team goes from good to exceptional.
By holding communicative meetings, inviting sales staff to see the bigger picture of the organisation and encouraging their voices to be heard, employees will maintain faith in the products they’re selling – which makes for a more motivated salesperson.
In order to thrive as a salesperson, an individual’s natural flair and confidence must be celebrated in their workplace. Leaders must remember that “being authentic is what makes sales representatives memorable”, and that memorable staff members produce incredible results for their respective businesses.
On that note however, employers must strike a balance with such characters, ensuring that bad behaviours are not overlooked due to high performance. Janet stated that “coming out of the pandemic with a shortage of talent, it’s all too easy to tolerate individuals whose only objective is to make deals and earn commissions.”
Effective recruitment can ensure that salespeople are happy and content in their workplace, but what else makes sales staff stay? From strong company culture to the celebration of authentic personalities, leaders have a responsibility to create a positive workspace for salespeople to enjoy a long-term, mutually successful tenure with their company.
At Marmion, we can help you attract long-term sales candidates, as well as provide guidance on supporting your sales team (and improve staff retention!) – contact our experts today.
At Marmion, we deliver ethical, personalised recruitment services, investing the time to understand each business and individual, and working hard to ensure every introduction is thoughtful and well considered. Our process goes beyond CVs, using tools like i3 profiling to uncover instinctive strengths and align them with the right opportunities.
Every member of our team is a qualified recruitment consultant, committed to their craft and to continuous professional development. This ensures you receive advice grounded in expertise, insight, and current best practice. Whilst we use AI to support parts of our process, every decision about candidate suitability is made through human insight and emotional intelligence. This ensures we recognise great talent that technology alone might overlook whilst avoiding the bias that can come from over-reliance on algorithms.
We endeavour to do what’s right for all parties, through diligence, transparency, and genuine care, offering a clear service guarantee so you always know where you stand.
With Marmion, you gain a dedicated partner who blends skill, integrity, and commitment to deliver recruitment that works for you, today and for the future.
