Four Strategies for Sales Organizations to Respond to the Talent Shortage
Sales leaders in 2022 are dealing with a multitude of issues. While many are preoccupied with battling rising inflation and economic headwinds, they also face significant challenges when it comes to recruiting.
Talent shortages pose a chronic threat to achieving revenue and margin targets. Over half of organizations are experiencing seller attrition rates higher than their target rate, and replacing these sellers is not easy. Gartner’s analysis of B2B sales representative job postings in the U.S. indicates there are just three available candidates per posting.
Current talent shortages are caused by a combination of issues, such as elevated turnover, COVID-related workplace closures, increased levels of self-employment, and a potential recession.
Sales organizations need to make structural talent changes in order to address talent shortages, respond to market changes, and accelerate shifts in buyer preference and behavior. In particular, the rise of digital commerce and increasing customer preference for rep-free buying mean that digital and hybrid sales approaches significantly expand the possibilities for redesign.
Sales leaders should explore strategies that reduce dependency on high-cost channels to maximize business results. There are four strategies chief sales officers (CSOs) can leverage to redesign the sales organization in response to talent shortages:
Strategy One: Headcount Arbitrage
Gartner research shows that 72% of buyers prefer a rep-free experience, which decreases the need for field sales and drives a greater need for hybrid and inside sales. Evolving buyer preferences enable organizations to safely reduce their dependence on high-cost field sellers by either partially or fully replacing them with other sellers – or non-sellers who are similarly effective in enabling buying. Other seller options that CSOs can prioritize include virtual or inside sellers, while non-seller roles include support from customer success, subject matter experts, technical experts, service providers, and senior executives who interact with buyers. When these roles collaborate with sellers or take on some of their responsibilities, it reduces the number of high-cost field sellers required.
Strategy Two: Burden Reduction
Gartner research has revealed that 90% of sellers feel burned out from work, and high levels of non-value-added administrative tasks are a contributing factor. Organizations should simplify and eliminate workflows to reduce administrative burden for sellers. They should delegate activities to other internal functions or roles or move toward automating processes to eliminate internally focused activities from sellers’ responsibilities. By reducing the burden on sellers, sales leaders can improve field seller productivity by allowing individuals to focus on external deal-generating activities.
