116 having a talent bank to draw from will ease the amount of time and money it takes to re- place that employee, failing to address what made them leave means you’re sure to need to repeat the process all too quickly. The Roads of Recruitment, Selection, and Retention all Lead Here While it helps to look at each stage of the employment process individually, you also need to realize that it’s one cohesive process. Retention cannot be considered apart from recruitment, because each choice you make and each salesperson’s experience influenc- es the next. Tapping the Right Talent for the Right Reasons and Providing the Right Assistance In our article on development, we used a thought experiment to exemplify the com- plications of trying to impose change that doesn’t align with who the employee is. They may have great potential, but if that isn’t in sync with the position you’re hiring for, you’ll waste their real talents while hurting their morale. After all, they’re a good employee, so why aren’t they “good enough” to make the grade? If you can’t redirect their position to match the talents they can bring to the ta- ble, or if you’re blinded by pride in your abil- ity to coach salespeople, the frustration and exhaustion from continuing to “fail” is going to drive them away from your business. By the same token, when you use all the re- sources at your disposal, build your talent bank, and hold out for real talent, with the skills or potential for the position, you need to fill, you’re much more likely to have sales- people satisfied with their current roles and trajectory within the company. Essentially, when you start properly with recruitment, you should be developing relationships with your employees that make them more likely to stay. YOU Are the Make or Break X Factor You may have noticed a concept that was threaded through all four articles – much of the salesperson’s experience directly relates to their sales manager. You need to know when to lend a hand and when to let your top performers be autonomous, when to provide new challenges and turn up the pressure and when to give them a reward or a break. "The Sales Manager has a huge impact on “if” a Salesperson is happy, successful and stays. It is a 2-way street. If turnover is high, I would suggest Management/ owners dig to see if they have the right person in the Sales Manager chair. Being a good Salesperson and being a good Sales Manager are two VERY different things. Management is a talent and finding individuals with that talent and having upper management nurture it is the key!" How you communicate with them as indi- viduals and address their unique strengths, weaknesses, motivators, and needs are foun- dational to the way the people on your sales