Your Inside Sales Supervisor is your best Retention Weapon

Some Random Thoughts on the Subject....

People don’t leave jobs. They don’t leave companies. They leave their bosses. This is particularly true for inside sales or telemarketing positions that are closely supervised. Inside Sales is a difficult job and generally requires much closer supervision than a field sales position. This means that reps will spend that much more time with their bosses. A boss’s influence on the success of the telephone sales effort can be tremendous; not just in terms of putting together lists, making sure calls are made and sales are closed, but in how the sales reps regard the experience of working for your organization.

An inside sales department, on paper, can appear to be a big, strong oak tree. Until the storm knocks it down and everyone sees the rot on the inside.

All too often, we spend our time focusing on the interpersonal skills of our sales reps but spend far too little time on the skill sets of the people supervising the sales group. Do your supervisors have excellent interpersonal skills? Do they know how to motivate, to make the workplace not just productive but a pleasant environment? Do they know how to help their subordinates defuse the stress and tension that comes with all those telephone calls?

Ask yourself these questions:

Do you hear raised voices coming from the unit on a regular basis?
Do people come in late regularly?
Is absenteeism a problem?
Does the “drama” level in the unit seem high?
Do you seem to have difficulty keeping your best sales reps?


If you can answer “yes” to these questions, your problems probably start with your supervisory staff. Often, when filling a supervisory position, particularly in a small company, the supervisor is promoted from within. It’s not unusual for a company to reward a high performer with a supervisor’s job. It’s also not unusual for management not to give this person the appropriate training to supervise.


A great supervisor is able to bring out the best in their subordinates. They are able to discover what motivates the people working for them and use that information to create a job environment that people want to succeed in. They understand at all people need to be treated with respect and dignity in the workplace. They don’t create onerous policies and procedures that make people feel as though they can’t be trusted. Remember, with a few exceptions, people want to work hard and be successful in their jobs.

Being a great sales person and being a great supervisor require different skill sets. A supervisor must be able to empathize with their staff yet still be able to hold people accountable for results. They need to be able to help their staff succeed and not just play "gotcha" when people fail.

Ask yourselves these questions:
Are people surprised by the information on their performance reviews?
Do terminations for “cause” surprise the people being terminated?
Can employees accurately tell where they stand with management in regards to their skills and worth to the organization?

It's important to avoid being that supervisor who may clock in but check out when it comes to being actively involved in motivating your staff, training for improved performance or outwardly caring about the success of the individual inside reps.

Want to see the cause of high turnover? Make sure you look in the mirror first.