Have you ever wished you could get a glimpse inside the minds of your sales team?
- Do they feel supported?
- What is challenging them?
- What motivates them?
If yes, you’re in luck! We had the pleasure of bringing together a panel of 6 incredible emerging sales professionals from a variety of organizations and industries, who are thriving in their roles. They have been in sales anywhere from 7 years to 1 year but one thing they all have in common is that they’re all willing to share their insights and advice with Sales Leaders, to help pave the way for future sales talent!
Top 5 Tips from the Emerging Sales Talent:
1. If you’re looking to attract and retain new sales talent, be sure to evaluate your company culture!
Nearly all of our emerging sales talent panelists stated that a growth-oriented company with a unique or differentiated market position was important to them. Another valuable factor was a culture of support and team unity – knowing that they can ask questions, share ideas, and lean to one another throughout the highs and lows of their sales careers.
2. While there are expectations of new talent, they have expectations of their Sales Leaders.
Emerging sales talent crave leaders who trust them to do their jobs. They value autonomy, but still want to know that their leader is available to help and guide if needed. New sales talent also want a leader who will challenge them and push them out of their comfort zone! Leaders who are willing to give new talent the opportunity to execute their job in their own style, while setting them up for success with the necessary tools and strategies are incredibly valuable to those looking to enter the world of sales.
3. Good On-Boarding can make or break talent retention.
Our emerging sales talent shared that starting their career feeling low-pressure from the top down and being informed of their typical sales-cycle length was a major comfort factor. Another on-boarding must; introductions to the entire team. Salespeople understand that there is more to securing a sale than just a meeting between the rep and a buyer – they want to meet and understand the people and the roles that make the company and entire sales process run as a well-oiled machine.
The “sink-or-swim” on-boarding of the past is simply not an effective tool if you’re looking to attract, retain, and develop top talent.
4. Looking to attract new grads to your sales team? Money isn’t the only motivator.
Promoting an environment where your candidates know they can learn, try, fail, and still be supported by their leader is a must. Honesty and transparency in your job postings is also crucial for finding the perfect fit. Top talent want to see that there are mentorship opportunities for them, and other benefits such as professional development, commission, travel opportunities, a bonus structure, and vacation days. Another valuable perk to new grads; mental health benefits!
Sales can be tough and full of rejection, especially when you’re just starting out. Candidates expect more than just a salary to hold strong through the hard parts – they want support! Sales can be tough and full of rejection, especially when you’re just starting out. Candidates expect more than just a salary to hold strong through the hard parts – they want support! Share on X
5. They need space to grow, or they may go!
A common piece of advice that our emerging sales talent panel offered to Sales Leaders; show your salespeople a potential pathway for career growth – along with potential for higher earnings – or risk being left behind. Staying stagnant in a role, year after year isn’t appealing to most & hardly fosters company pride and loyalty. Lay out (or better yet, collaborate on) a clear pathway with timelines and KPIs, that can help your salespeople envision a future with your organization that will move them to a role they aspire to hold.
Leading a sales team is no small task – and harder yet is understanding the expectations, motivations, and challenges of each individual on your team. While nothing can beat a conversation with your immediate team, the insights provided by the emerging sales talent panelists are sure to set you well on your way to attract, hire, and retain top sales talent.
*Contributed ideas by the Emerging Sales Talent Panelists: Adam Gores, Riley Melady, Samantha Jessome, Nick Mitchell, Spencer Smith, and Grayson Wesley.

Lisa is driven by the mantra – Be Strategic. Be Pro-active. Be Brave. – and has been successfully training and coaching sales leaders and their teams to do the same for over 15 years. As the President of Teneo Results since 2003, she has trained thousands of sales professionals at more than 250 companies across North America. She transitions salespeople away from the standard “product & price” approach to having purposeful business conversations with their customers that drive results.