The average tenure of an account executive is less than 18 months. In an occupation that requires a ramp-up before reaching full earnings potential, it is unlikely that the average sales employee is ideally pursuing job changes so frequently.

So why are sales folks unhappy?

In our experience, three of the top reasons that sales professionals quit are:

1. Problems with management or tenured reps, particularly around unfair lead distribution practices
2. A lack of support in the sales process or lack of training
3. A challenging product to sell

All three of these issues boil back to account assignment practices. That is, how accounts are landing in an account executives book of business. Sales representatives may think their leads are unfair for a variety of reasons.

Some common reasons include:

Accounts aren’t relevant: Sales reps feel that the leads they are given are not a good fit for their product or service.

Accounts aren’t qualified: Sales reps feel that they are wasting their time pursuing accounts that are not likely to convert into customers.

Accounts aren’t fresh: Sales reps may feel that the leads they are given are outdated and no longer active.

Accounts aren’t distributed fairly: reps may feel that they are not getting their fair share of accounts compared to other reps in the team.

Accounts aren’t distributed based on territory: Sales reps may feel that they are not getting leads from their assigned territory which can create a competition and lead to lack of trust between team members.

It’s important for Sales managers and leaders to understand these concerns and work to address them by providing high-quality, relevant, and timely leads and distributing them fairly among the sales team.

A transparent process that shortens a book of business down to the freshest, vetted accounts that have the highest likelihood to close gives sales professionals more support to hit their goals, less concern over the fairness of their book, and the greatest chance to hit quota.

This creates a team of happier, longer-lasting employees who can help drive your business.

AccountAim automates this account assignment process. Contact us today to learn more.