I can’t guarantee these will work every time, but I’ve seen them work more often than not. In general, your best sales reps want to be constantly challenged. They want to be recognized. They want respect and access. How you deliver this will often mean less of a “give” than you may think to keep them motivated and exceeding quote for your organization.
1. Bigger carrots & rewards (with bigger quotas & expectations)
Give your best sales reps a higher quota, but tie it to larger rewards. Give them a challenge they can step up to, and make it worth their while.
2. Put them on a test team for new, unproven products and/or markets
Why pull your best reps off of your proven products? Because if they have the same products and the same quota month after month, they’re much more likely to take a competing offer. Put them on something unproven, a little risky, that represents a challenge they can step up to, and they’ll likely respond positively. Create a compensation plan that rewards and protects them for the challenge, but also offers upside if you, and they, are particularly successful.
3. Lay out a career path (or not)
Ask your best reps if they want a career path. Some will, some won’t. I’ve seen some perennially top reps want a management track, and others who simply want to continue making a ton of money as an individual contributor. The point here is to ask the question directly, and respond accordingly.
4. Give them mentorship opportunities with new reps (and reward them for faster early success)
Some top reps will respond to the challenge of making junior reps successful. Make them a mentor, give them some structure with which to do it, and give them some upside when the new rep ramps into full quota (or better) faster than you had expected. Again, it’s about giving your best reps a new challenge that stretches their skill set and respects their position.
5. Direct access to executives
Your best reps will have a ton of ideas, and not just about the sales process. Your best reps have a perspective of the customer and the industry that the C-suite can’t have, and both sides will appreciate the value exchange.
6. Use them in marketing events
Ask them to speak on a Webinar. Have them moderate a customer panel at your next event. Capture their best practices into your content marketing program. In other words, stroke their ego and give them the microphone. If you do it right, it’ll benefit the business and keep them motivated at the same time.
