Have your sales reps started handing in resignation letters? Many companies are facing a wave of employee turnover as the pandemic eases. Human Resource Executive reports that nearly half (47 percent) of all workers may leave their jobs post-pandemic. When you lose talented sales reps, you lose all their expertise and history with your company and clients. It’s a huge blow to your sales team and your entire organization.

So, how can you prevent turnover and focus on retaining your talent? According to leadership expert and bestselling author, Julie Winkle Giulioni, you can start by reconsidering the questions you ask your sales reps. She says leaders often ask outdated career development questions, which can impact employees’ decision to stay—or to pursue a more fulfilling opportunity.

In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we share Giulioni’s thoughts on the questions that leaders should avoid if they want to keep their best reps.

1. Do you see a path for career advancement here? Most organizations have limited room for promotions. By asking this question, you are only inviting dissatisfaction. Instead, Giulioni recommends focusing on what is plentiful within your sales team and organization: meaningful challenges and development experiences.

Try asking, “What do you really want to work on? How can I help?” According to Giulioni, this question can open the door to stretch assignments, opportunities for more visibility, and networking. Growth isn’t always about moving up the organizational chart.

2. Do you have access to the training you need to develop your career? This is another question leaders should stop asking because it sets limited expectations. Remember that development happens day in and day out through various formal and informal ways, says Giulioni. Training is important, but it’s just one small component of the activities that lead to development.

Instead, ask something like, “Do you have opportunities to grow and learn regularly? Are these experiences meaningful to you?” Giulioni says it’s important to set the expectation that learning isn’t doled out by the organization but sought out by the employee.

3. Do you have a documented development plan with concrete steps you need to take to reach your career goal within the next year? The sales world evolves quickly. Sales teams and sales professionals need to be increasingly nimble to succeed. Rather than sticking to an annual plan, Giulioni says leaders should stay flexible by using development sprints, shorter windows and incremental goals.

Try asking, “Do you regularly talk to other leaders or your colleagues about how to grow in your role?” The idea with this question is to help employees understand that career development is a team sport and not an exclusive relationship between the sales rep and the sales leader.

Sometimes, the questions you ask your sales reps can make all the difference in their career outlook. If they feel like they’ve reached a dead end at your company, they may begin looking elsewhere. Instead of asking the questions above, you can take a different approach that gives individual employees more control over their career development and trajectory.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: Julie Winkle Giulioni was named one of Inc. Magazine’s top 100 leadership speakers. She is the co-author of the international bestseller, Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go: Career Conversations Organizations Need and Employees Want.