120 3. Be responsive. And make sure you are highly responsive to their needs. When you are sent an email or text, do you respond right away, or do you make it a lower priority? If your AEs have a problem, do they know they can come to you, and you will make time, focus on them, and give them assistance? 4. Get onboarding right. When you hire a talented person, it’s import- ant to get your onboarding just right. You can use the Effective Onboarding course to help you develop a clear plan for your new hire's first weeks. Once you better understand their learning and work style, you can customize your boarding to their needs. 5. Match your management style to the individual. Get to know each person on your team per- sonally, find out their likes/dislikes and what type of management style works best for them. Doing an Individualized Management Questionnaire early in the process helps you to be informed in how you train as well as how you manage. 6. Customize your motivation. What about motivating your team? Everyone likes contests, right?! Well, not necessarily. It’s very important to know how each person likes to be motivated and switch things up. 7. Customize your praise and recognition. Some people are uncomfortable with public acknowledgment and prefer private praise, while others crave the limelight. Some peo- ple prefer recognition with money, others like prizes and still others prefer a trophy or plaque that they can look at each day. 8. Learn each team member’s personal preferences. Take the time to find out their personal pref- erences and make sure each person gets the motivation and recognition they need. 9. Encourage team building. And don’t forget team building. Find ways to encourage team spirit and a good work- ing relationship. Team lunches, occasionally meeting after work, and surprises from their manager (gourmet cupcakes anyone?) can go a long way towards creating an environment that people don’t want to leave. 10. Provide ongoing training. And finally, lets not forget ongoing training for your top people. Make sure each AE has the tools they need to be successful as well as training in new and cutting edge products and technology. Your AEs need to always go into their client interactions prepared and confi- dent that they have the answers. As a manager, remember, you don’t build a business, you build people and then people build the business. Tirzah Thornburg Senior Talent Analyst The Center for Sales Strategy