85 Providing robust training for the new hires. • Rhys and his team provide enhanced train- ing on the fundamentals of media for all new hires, enabling them to gain basic competence sooner. • The entire company also went through the Sales Accelerator Series and its predecessor, How Selling, both online and the live pro- grams to elevate sales skills for new hires and veterans alike. • Sales Managers have also been making stron- ger investments in the new hires armed with the coaching recommendations from their Talent Dashboards and follow-up coaching. Changing the compensation. • Like many companies, the old compensation plan did not provide the right transition from salary to commission, so that was evened out. Here Is What Happened 1. Turnover among the sales teams has been re- duced from 35% to 15% today. This turnaround was accomplished in a little over one year. 2. The number of new hires trained dropped from 45 to 22 because of the reduced turnover rate among new hires. 3. Most importantly, the company experienced a 15% increase in the number of new salespeo- ple who are making it to an intermediate level where the survival rate is much higher. For the first time, the company was able to build a bench of mid-level sellers crucial to reducing turnover and building a population of salespeople who are not only talented, but experienced – the future veteran superstars for the company. Rhys Nimmo reports, “The OSTI allowed us not to compromise on talent. CSS training helped the sales team acquire new skills and managers have been scheduling feedback calls because of the coaching tips.” By the way, Rhys also shared an observation which is amusing (at least it is amusing now). In one of the company’s larger markets, a num- ber of veteran sellers said, “They did not spend any time with the salespeople over there in that section of the office where the newer people typ- ically sat because they jokingly referred the area as ‘ejection seats’”. Funny how our own people can see things so clearly sometimes. Jim Hopes Managing Partner The Center for Sales Strategy Rhys Nimmo Sales Capability Development Manager MEDIAWORKS