{"id":12564,"date":"2020-11-06T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandler.dsstaging2.com\/case-study\/grow-the-sales-division-by-improving-your-talent-pipeline\/"},"modified":"2023-07-17T19:02:59","modified_gmt":"2023-07-17T19:02:59","slug":"grow-the-sales-division-by-improving-your-talent-pipeline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandler.com\/blog\/grow-the-sales-division-by-improving-your-talent-pipeline\/","title":{"rendered":"Grow the Sales Division – By Improving Your Talent Pipeline"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Quick quiz for sales leaders: Over the past three working days, how many total hours did you devote to expanding your pipeline of qualified sales applicants?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

If you\u2019re like most of the leaders we talk to, the answer was either a small number, an embarrassed silence, or both.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Deepening the talent bench by attracting qualified job applicants is, as a practical matter, not a critical priority for most of today\u2019s sales leaders. That\u2019s a problem, because by overlooking talent acquisition, and focusing instead on short-term problems (like revenue shortfalls and deals you need to help team members rescue in order to make your target), you are basically ensuring that those same short-term problems keep landing on your doorstep.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The most effective sales leaders focus on keeping their talent pipeline full. In fact, they take that just as seriously as they expect the members of their sales team to take keeping the opportunity pipeline full. Salespeople who \u2018hug their pipeline\u2019, are afraid to ask tough questions, or have \u2018happy ears\u2019 are often the ones without a robust pipeline.\u00a0 They don\u2019t want to disqualify because they are hoping and praying that one or two deals they think \u201clook good\u201d will close.\u00a0 Similarly, many sales leaders mistakenly hold on to poor applicants and poor performers way too long, because of the same kind of thinking. Having a robust pipeline of truly great candidates has a profound impact on the manager\u2019s mindset \u2026 and on the willingness to \u2018disqualify\u2019 people who are wrong for the team and the organization.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

In reality, the only effective leadership strategy here is one that incorporates talent acquisition and retention. Here are four best practices that we have noticed that the most successful sales leaders observe in this area–best practices that leaders of underperforming teams tend to neglect, minimize, or overlook.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n