Other Voices: Answers to the 5 biggest questions about hiring millennial sellers

Editor’s note: The following column by Pamela Hammers, independent sales consultant for Miller Heiman Group, is part of Modern’s Other Voices column, a series featuring ideas, opinions and insights from end-users, analysts, systems integrators and OEMs. Click here to learn about submitting a column for consideration.

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Turnover represents a major pain point for many manufacturing sales teams—annual attrition rates among U.S. sellers are as high as 27 percent, twice that of the country’s overall labor force. Once they’re open, sales roles are vacant for an average 3.7 months, while it takes approximately 9.2 months for a new hire to achieve full productivity — a gap of over a year without a fully productive seller.

Turnover will continue to disrupt organizations as baby boomers retire. After all, millennials will represent the largest generation in the workplace by 2020, at 35 percent. Now more than ever companies must adjust to meet their career needs. With sales manufacturing careers poised for 7 percent year-over-year growth through 2026, major opportunity exists for companies to promote themselves to millennial applicants.

Here are five answers to common questions about attracting, training and retaining millennials in manufacturing sales:

1—How can we entice millennials to apply for sales jobs?
Like other candidates, salary primarily draws millennials to a job. But they also want careers that reflect their interests and passions. They want to feel connected to your company and understand what you’re doing to stay ahead of competition and industry trends. Be up front about this in the job description and throughout the interview process. Cutting-edge technology powers the manufacturing industry—something that can attract engineering grads looking for a challenge.

Millennials also want an employer whose values and priorities line up with their own. In practice, this desire translates to transparency around business practices and ethics, a healthy work-life balance and an inclusive, flexible work environment. As a generation of digital natives, millennials expect your company to provide the latest tech tools to enable sales success.

2—How can our company identify an ideal millennial seller?
In reality, the ideal millennial seller is no different from any other ideal seller—it just depends on your organization’s definition. Your sales and human resources departments should collaborate to define the characteristics, skills and personality traits that will make a millennial seller a strong candidate. Employ talent and skills assessments during the interview process to both ensure a cultural fit and determine where their strengths can serve your manufacturing sales team—and where you can provide professional development to grow their selling skills.

3—Will millennials require specialized manufacturing sales training?
While graduates with an engineering background will be well-versed in the technical aspects of their new role, they may initially struggle to connect with customers and identify stakeholders and appeal to each individual’s priorities. Blend your company’s proven sales methodologies with skills training so millennial sellers can succeed across the entire sales process.

4—How can we give millennial sellers a sense of belonging right from the start?
When millennials see a pathway to growth that sets them up for success at your manufacturing company, they’ll feel connected to your company. Be specific about how they can accelerate their careers at your company, and the incremental benchmark goals along the way. Don’t forget to provide them with the resources to meet those goals. Eighty-seven percent of millennials say professional development represents an important part of their jobs; they truly want to learn and progress in their roles.

5—How can we retain our millennial sellers?
This may be the most important question a sales leader can ask; one in five millennials changed jobs in the past year, more than three times the turnover rate of other age groups.

One of the best ways to retain millennials is to build trust. Millennials who believe their companies exhibit a high-trust culture are 22 times more likely to want to work there for a long time. Give millennial sellers an opportunity to have a voice and display leadership from the start, like teaching others on the sales team to use new technology. Your existing sellers will gain new skills, and your millennial sellers will have an immediate impact on the organization.

The worst thing your sales and HR teams can do when recruiting and employing millennials is to ignore their unique perspectives and assume loyalty from the start. Unemployment rates are at historic lows, and millennials have choices when it comes to their next employers. By highlighting the possibilities available to them as manufacturing sellers, you’ll gain their trust—and long-term loyalty.