The Hidden Culprit Behind Your Sales Team's Revolving Door
I was in a coffee shop the other day, watching the barista train a new employee. The trainer was clearly frustrated, speaking quickly, skipping steps, and generally treating the whole thing like a massive inconvenience.
The new person kept nodding along, but you could see the confusion building behind their eyes. They'd ask a question, get a dismissive "you'll pick it up"response, then fumble through the next customer order while the trainer rolled their eyes.
By lunchtime, the new employee had vanished. Gone. Disappeared like a magician's assistant, except less impressive and more predictable.
The manager spent the rest of the day muttering about "people these days"and how "nobody wants to work anymore."Classic deflection, really.
But here's what struck me: that coffee shop had just demonstrated, in perfect miniature, exactly what's happening in sales departments across the country.
Companies are scratching their heads about early turnover in sales, wondering why perfectly good candidates keep walking out the door after a few weeks or months. They blame the job market, generational differences, or unrealistic expectations.
Meanwhile, they're completely missing the fact that they might be the ones accidentally showing these people the exit.
The Uncomfortable Truth About Sales Turnover
When sales reps leave early, most companies immediately assume it's about the candidate. Wrong hire, wrong attitude, wrong expectations.
But what if the problem isn't who you're hiring, but what happens after they walk through your door?
Early turnover in sales isn't just expensive - it's a symptom of deeper issues that most businesses don't even realise they have. And the worst part? These issues are often entirely self-inflicted.
Think about it: you spend weeks finding the right person, negotiate an offer, get them excited about joining your team. Then something goes wrong, and they're gone before they've even figured out where the good coffee machine is.
The Five Ways You're Accidentally Sabotaging Your Sales Hires
1. The Sink-or-Swim Onboarding Disaster
You hand them a laptop, point them towards a desk, and expect them to start hitting targets within a month. Sound familiar?
Poor onboarding is like throwing someone into the deep end of a pool and being surprised when they don't immediately start doing the butterfly stroke. Your new sales rep needs structure, support, and time to understand your products, processes, and culture.
2. The Culture Mismatch Nobody Talks About
Your job advert promised a "dynamic, fast-paced environment."What you didn't mention was the toxic manager, the blame culture, or the fact that nobody's hit their targets in six months.
Poor culture kills sales retention faster than anything else. When the reality doesn't match the promise, good people don't stick around to see if things improve.
3. The Unrealistic Expectations Trap
You expect immediate results from someone who's still learning your CRM system. You set targets based on your top performer's numbers, forgetting they've been with you for three years.
New sales reps need time to build relationships, understand the market, and develop their approach. Pressure them too early, and they'll find somewhere that gives them room to breathe.
4. The Support System That Doesn't Exist
Your sales manager is too busy to provide proper coaching. Your training materials are outdated. Your processes are unclear.
Without proper support, even talented sales professionals will struggle. And talented people don't struggle for long - they find opportunities elsewhere.
5. The Hire Mismatch You Created
You hired someone for their experience in a completely different industry, then wondered why they couldn't adapt to your market. Or you hired for personality but ignored whether they actually understood sales.
A hire mismatch isn't always about the candidate - sometimes it's about unclear requirements or wishful thinking during the interview process.
What Life Looks Like When You Get It Wrong
Picture this: you've just hired your third sales rep this year for the same territory. The first one lasted six weeks, the second made it to three months.
Your existing team is getting cynical about new starters. They've stopped bothering to learn names until someone's been there at least two months.
Your sales targets are consistently missed because you're always carrying vacancies or training new people. Your best performers are getting frustrated because they're covering extra ground while you sort out the revolving door.
Meanwhile, your reputation in the market is taking a hit. Word gets around that your company burns through sales people. Good candidates start avoiding you, and you're left scraping the bottom of the talent barrel.
The irony? You're probably spending more on recruitment fees and training costs than you would on creating a proper retention strategy.
How to Stop the Madness
The good news is that most of these problems are entirely fixable. You just need to acknowledge that retention starts before someone even accepts your job offer.
Here's where working with specialists who understand both sides of the equation becomes invaluable.
Coburg Banks doesn't just find you sales people - we help you find the right sales people for your specific environment and challenges. Our approach goes beyond matching skills to job descriptions.
We understand that successful sales recruitment isn't just about finding someone who can sell. It's about finding someone who can sell in your market, to your customers, within your culture, and alongside your existing team.
Our bespoke recruitment approach means we take time to understand not just what you need, but why previous hires might not have worked out. We look at the whole picture - your onboarding process, your management style, your realistic expectations, and your support systems.
Because here's the thing: if you keep hiring the same type of person and getting the same disappointing results, the problem probably isn't the people.
What Success Actually Looks Like
Imagine hiring a sales rep who's still with you a year later, consistently hitting targets, and actually enjoying their job. Revolutionary concept, right?
Picture a sales team where new starters are excited to learn from existing team members, rather than watching them leave with barely concealed relief.
Think about the impact on your business when you're not constantly recruiting, training, and covering for empty desks. When your sales forecasts are based on a stable team rather than hopeful projections about who might still be there next quarter.
This isn't fantasy - it's what happens when you get the recruitment process right from the start.
Ready to Break the Cycle?
If you're tired of watching good sales people walk out the door, it might be time to look at your process rather than your people.
Learn more about how Coburg Banks can help you build a sales team that actually sticks around, or book a call to discuss your specific challenges.
Because the definition of madness is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results. And frankly, your sales targets deserve better than that.
