The annual employee engagement survey (EES) scores are out. It’s no surprise that Sales ranks at the bottom – as always. Sales leaders and their HR business partners have come to expect it. But it doesn’t have to be that way. This post is for you if you are grappling with the question, “How can we improve employee engagement results in Sales?”
This post identifies the 7 Barriers that make Sales employee engagement different. It provides a unique sales perspective and offers sales-specific solutions. Download the free Guide to Improving Sales Employee Engagement. If your EES scores are dangerously low today, this tool will help. If you anticipate low scores soon, the guide will put you ahead of the problem.
Employee Engagement is Urgent for Sales
Why should Sales leaders care about EES? Revenue in this quarter doesn’t depend on EES. This problem only shows up in the long term. So it’s never a priority – but it should be. It’s about Making the Number for the year and beyond.
- Low engagement is a leading indicator of a very expensive problem – sales turnover.
When engagement scores dip, the cost of recruiting, hiring and onboarding will soon rise. Open territories kill your chances of success this year.
- Customers are directly influenced by the attitudes of their sales representatives.
Research reported in an article in the Ivey Business Journal revealed that “…an employee’s attitude toward the job’s importance and the company had the greatest impact on loyalty and customer service than all other employee factors combined.”
The 7 Barriers to Engagement for Sales
The usual solutions to EES problems don’t apply to Sales. Team-building exercises and reward systems are frequently cited as panaceas. But they don’t work well for field sales people who are remote from their managers and peers. Their performance is already rewarded by a highly leverage compensation plan. Additional prizes and rewards have little impact. Their concerns are different.
Here are the 7 unique Barriers to Sales Employee Engagement:
- Isolation
- Split Allegiance
- Silos
- Income Inequity
- Rejection
- Job Insecurity
- Work-Life Imbalance
Guidance and Solutions
There are unique solutions for each of the Barriers faced by Sales. Here are 3 examples from the Guide. You can access the complete guide for information on all 7 Barriers.
- Isolation
- Split Allegiance
Symptoms and Root Causes: Sales people can be caught in the middle between doing what is best for the customer and doing what is best for the company. Example: a lower price pleases the customer, but it hurts gross margin. A higher price improves the bottom line, but loses to the competition. Sales people must make difficult choices that never please everyone.
Solution: Publicly recognize reps who have actively mediated positive outcomes. Communicate success stories of how conflicting priorities were resolved. Solve the underlying problems where possible. Create temporary teams to apply lessons learned and avoid repeating past history.
- Silos
Take Action Today
Employee Engagement surveys set an expectation that leadership cares. When your sales team participates in a survey, they presume that action will result. A research report by employee engagement consultants BlessingWhite uncovered this interconnected dynamic: “Organizations that survey their workforce without acting on the feedback appear to negatively impact engagement scores.”
Don’t focus on the scores. Focus on taking action to improve the scores. Download the complete Guide to Improving Sales Employee Engagement today. You’ll find more information on specific ways to engage your sales talent. Learn more about all seven Barriers. Develop a solution action plan and execute it.
The solutions in the Guide will enable you to look forward to the next EES. Your engagement scores will be higher than ever. Turnover rates will improve. Customer satisfaction will move upward. You’ll increase your chances to Make the Number.
