PRIME+ Selling System Blog

In the alcohol beverage sales industry, employee turnover is an unfortunate reality with an impact much greater than inconvenience. After spending time, effort, and money on recruiting and training a salesperson, there is no guarantee that they'll remain with the company, and some may leave before ever making their first sale. Some estimates place the cost of turnover at up to 100% of the employee's annual salary. This post will address how to train wine and beer sales reps to reduce the cost of salesperson turnover.

Ways to Reduce Salesperson Turnover 

Sales managers can't avoid all salesperson turnover. After all, some are better suited to the role or industry than others, and natural attrition isn't always bad. There are a variety of reasons that have nothing to do with the company culture. However, when high-performing salespeople leave, it could indicate a systemic problem. The good news is that there are ways to increase employee engagement and reduce the number of salespeople who leave.  

Have Talent on Deck  

When your sales team has an opening, you need to fill it quickly but not at the risk of shortcutting the process. You must make sound decisions based on the candidate's talents, training, experience, or aptitude. Building a talent pool helps you know who your next potential salesperson might be if you need them. Benefits include:

• A ready list of prescreened qualified candidates 
• Helps to replace underperforming salespeople quickly
• Allows sales managers to be proactive and strategic in hiring rather than reactive and rushed 
• Identifying talent even when you aren't hiring allows you to leverage opportunity 

Use a Sales Talent Assessment when Hiring   

According to Forbes, industry turnover averages 34%, with some businesses experiencing more than 55%. Dissatisfied salespeople may blame a variety of reasons for leaving. Many of these are symptomatic of a deeper problem and not the problem itself. Often, the root of the problem is that companies don't pick the best candidate for the job. They haven't identified their strengths and matched those to the role before hiring. 

Sales talent assessments are an excellent way to identify strengths and weaknesses. It allows you not only to see their talents and aptitude but indicates where coaching can provide the most benefit. These results provide a dual benefit. They also give you the building blocks for personalized training and coaching. 

Train Your Salespeople  

The cost to replace one salesperson is approximately $115,000. With that in mind, it should be easy to think of the cost of training as an investment in risk mitigation and not simply an expense. Training your sales team shows that you value them and support them. It also gives them the tools they need to succeed, leading to a substantial return on investment.  

Create a Continuous Learning Culture 

Training and development is not simply a checkbox item for new hires but a sustained, ongoing part of your business. Creating a continuous learning culture is a vital step in reducing turnover. So, what is a continuous learning culture? This type of culture:

• Exhibits conditions that support an open mindset 
• Encourages each individual's quest for knowledge 
• Provides shared learning  

For this type of culture to be successful, it requires support at the top level of the organization. Implementing a training and development program that meets or exceeds goals means understanding the type of learners and giving them easily accessible, user-friendly resources. They should be available when it is most convenient for the employee. Online learning is a critical component of a continuous learning culture.  

Implement a Sales Process that Leads to Consistent, Predictable, Repeatable Results   

No business wants to hope for the best when it comes to predicting their profits. The way to ensure sustained growth is to implement a sales process that delivers consistency, predictability, and repeatability.  At Fox Selling System, we call that CPR:

• It focuses on the customer's needs and goals.
• It helps your team visualize scenarios to prepare a response that overcomes the most common sales obstacles.
• It teaches effective, influential, and impactful communication skills that prompt consistent sales within weeks, not months.    

How to Train Sales Reps for High Performance and Reduced Turnover 

Building a successful, professional sales force goes far beyond product knowledge and competency in tools and processes. Instead, it's about nurturing skills, overcoming weaknesses, and creating a continuous learning culture where coaching and training are not only supported but encouraged. Providing easily accessible tools and resources to ensure the success of each salesperson allows them to receive personalized coaching when they can give it their undivided attention. Online training is how you can develop high-performing salespeople and reduce turnover costs by building engaged, knowledgeable, invested sales teams.