With people taking time off for the holidays and using vacation days before they expire at the year's end, December can be one of the slowest months of the year at many companies. However, new data suggests the last month of the year is when companies looking to augment their sales team should in fact be the most active.
In a recent study, recruiting software firm Entelo sought to determine when salespeople were most likely to leave their jobs. After analyzing more than 1 million resumes, they saw a distinct spike in sales staff turnover in the month of December, when nearly one-third of salespeople reportedly leave their current positions.
"A major cause of this December reflection is because year-end sales bonuses are paid then and new commission formulas are about to be implemented," suggests Dr. John Sullivan in a recent article for ERE Media. "But also because sales is so stressful, sales employees are pondering whether they want to 'do it again for another year' at the same company."
Because salespeople are some of the highest-value hires a company can make, it is especially important for businesses to capitalize on trends like this to connect with top talent while other companies are taking the month off, waiting until the new year to do their next batch of hiring.
Of course, the flip side to this data is that companies should look closely at their own turnover rates to determine if their own sales staff typically pack up and leave as the year comes to a close. If so, they must develop a retention plan for their own staff so that they can focus on building, not replacing, their sales teams. While employees may not leave until December, many are likely making their minds up throughout the fall. Therefore, companies must start re-recruiting their high-quality sales staff with personalized retention plans as early as the summer.
While you may end up waiting until December to make sales hires, the recruiting process must start much earlier in the year. For help identifying and connecting with your industry's top salespeople throughout the year, consider working with a retained recruitment consultant. Working with one of the top retained search firms can give your company the edge as you seek to build a sales team that will drive value in your company.
