Dear SaaStr: How Do The Best Sales Leaders Retain Their High Performers?
A few ways I’ve observed that the best sales leaders retain the best:
- They promote the best. You can’t promote everyone, but you can almost always promote your best.
- They make them better. They help make sure their biggest deals close. Even more than usual.
- They have fun together. Movies, golf, lunch, whatever.
- They pay them well — and as well as they can. They push to make sure their top performers are paid high market at least.
- They make them feel secure. That they have a real role and stake, and are important. They make sure they know there is no chance they will get fired or treated unfairly.
- They talk through big changes coming to their patch, territory, etc. — early. The #1 think high performing reps hate is change. They can react very strongly to when their job gets even just 15%-20% harder. Because they have it dialed in. You can’t stop change. But you can engage them as part of it. Rather than learn about it in an email.
- They help them achieve their goals. Great sales leaders ask their top performers what they want to achieve this year. And they help them achieve it. Michelle Benfer, ex-SVP of Sales at HubSpot and Bill, does a great deep dive on how to do this well here.
All of this works — but not 100% of the time. Some of your best will leave, looking for greener grass. Even when it’s not greener. But you can decrease the odds.
A related post with tons of great comments here:
