Why do more than a third of salespeople plan on testing the job market, and how can you keep them from flying the coop?

The answers range from pay to work/life balance, according to a new study conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.

It revealed 35% of salespeople have plans to seek employment elsewhere, and 28% of sales managers have begun taking measures to retain their best salespeople — and keep turnover low.

The survey included responses from nearly 400 salespeople across a broad range of industries, and found that:

• 35% of salespeople were dissatisfied with their current pay
• 20% were unhappy with their work/life balance, due to more hours and added responsibilities, and
• 21% were unsatisfied with their job growth potential in their current sales position.

So what can managers do to keep their best talent from jumping ship? The answer may lie in the responses salespeople provided regarding what they’d be looking for with a new employer (in addition to better pay and benefits):

• a positive work culture (59%)
• good career advancement opportunities (52%)
• a company that’s financially stable and growing (52%)
• a less stressful environment (40%)
• the feeling that what they do makes a positive difference (40%)
• paid training and learning opportunities (34%)
• flexible work schedules (28%), and
• more camaraderie and stronger ties among employees (26%).

Do you expect retention be a major issue at your company in the near future? If so, what are you doing to keep employees happy? Share your thoughts in the Comments Box below.

Tags: careerbuilder, employment, Harris Interactive, job market, pay, retain, salespeople, study, talent, turnover, work/life balance