I agree, the "Group Three" people would be the best for us. Now it's just a matter of finding one. One thing that I had never thought about was sales people leaving and taking customers with them. That thought had just never entered my mind before. Great article, thanks for the link.
Many sales people will attempt to act as a middle man between their customers and the company they work for. The reason they do this is because the first questions most companies ask a potential sales hire is "who do you know?" or "what's your rolodex look like?"
When the only relationship of trust is between the sales person and customer, s/he is able to bring clients along with them to whatever new company they migrate to...and show immediate success with new employers in doing so.
By creating a relationship of trust between you and your sales team, you are able to break down barriers between the client, and create and more fruitful long term relationship among all parties involved.
The other question you should ask is "why do sales people leave in the first place?" Again, this gets back to the root of the problem, where most companies create their own coin-operated sales teams. "Today's records become tomorrow's quotas" is something that all top performing sales professionals are keenly aware of.
If a sales professional hits 2X of their quota two or three years in a row, and those record sales become next years quota, the resulting book of business is unsustainable in the long term. Because of that, most top sales professionals will stick around just as long as they are able to maximize their earning potential. When the inevitable "down" year comes around, it's time for them to reassess and start looking for a new opportunity.
By setting reasonable expecatations with your sales team year after year - by that I mean set a quota that provides a reasonable rate of return on your investment in their salary - you will no doubt create an environment that "Group Three" sales professionals want to be a part of. Good luck.
