Friday Poll: How Do You Train & Retain Successful Salespeople?

Happy Friday, everyone!

This week’s poll question was suggested by Jack Walker of Branson, MO:

Radio sales is difficult. Sometimes, we run through salespeople very quickly. Station managers, what are you doing to successfully train new salespeople to get them ready to succeed?  Salespeople, what should management be doing to retain a quality sales staff?

Looking forward to reading your answers!

P.S. If you have suggestions for future RSC poll questions, let us know!  Email them to Rebecca@gracebroadcast.com.

You're right-it's tough out there.  Once we've decided on a hire, we have them go through the four CD's by Paul Weyland.  I personally go thru each segment on a couple of the CD's with the new hire.  We do a little each day, and it takes about a month to complete the series.  While the new hire is doing this, we send him out on account calls, going with him/her as often as possible.  We ask him to fill out the usual daily call report.  We really try to see that he/she has some success early, the first day if possible.  Continuous communication is very important, as well as a lot encouragement.  And...it takes TIME for people to build the relationships necessary to have trust with potential buyers.  I don't expect a whole lot the first six months, and in reality it takes a year for a person to begin to ramp up.  If one gets thru the first year, they should see a lot more success in their second year.

Great topic Rebecca!

I feel the most important thing is to be very clear as to what the ideal client/account is for your company, and how to find them. No longer can a SM simply hand a new rep the phone book and say "Here is your list." And ANY group that does not have a CRM system where a new rep cam look up potential clients to see if any has claimed them, is doing the entire tram- and the entire business community - a huge disservice.

I agree, programs like Paul Weyland, Chris Lyttle and others are incredibly valuable to offer specific techniques and tips. But a SM really needs to be hands-on, and even pair up a newbie with a mentor. There has to be a plan to succeed, or you will have a revolving door.

From Roger Utnehmer:

Let me answer from the viewpoint of a manager.

• The first sale must be to the staff. We address that by going over details, benefits, objections and responses on all things to be presented in advance.

• Then we role play and record presentations for careful review.

• We also invite guest merchants to talk to our sales staff about what they like and do not like about salespeople. Hearing from a client the same information they can hear from their manager is much more powerful.

• Each day we talk about success. Our morning meetings start with success talk. We then review sample ads prepared to present that day. Nothing builds confidence like being able to say to two clients "I have an idea for you that our entire staff brainstormed at a meeting this morning."

• And by having clients record part of each ad they get response. When a client gets response we earn enough time to get results. Tangible results is what builds confidence in radio but it takes new people a few months to get tangible results.

In my radio sales experience, I find there to be 3 things that will keep an Account Executive working for the same company year after year. They may be in different order depending on the individual. 1. Is my yearly income higher this year than last? 2. Is my skill set advancing and am I getting better and more confident at radio sales? 3. Am I having FUN working at this station? Some people feel that radio has becoming more corporate over the years. That's true of almost every industry. It's everyone's job - management and staff - to ensure the industry is FUN. When previously working as a radio salesperson or manager, I have found an a powerful potential dynamic between the two roles. An engaged salesperson is the SPARK. An actively involved manager who cares for his team is the GASOLINE. Both are necessary for COMBUSTION. When it happens, great things occur. The station makes money, the salesperson earns great commissions and the two stay together for many years. Now that I am Sales Trainer, I get to coach this process. If you are interested in advancing your skill set, The PROSALESGUY BLOG is available free of charge. Thanks for reading.... http://www.prosalesguy.ca/blog.aspx