Lack of career advancement opportunities is cited as the number one reason amongst Irish sales professionals as the key factor which drove their last move. 29% of sales professionals cited lack of career advancement opportunities as the main reason for leaving their last job, according to the 2017 Abrivia Salary Survey, in association with Trinity College, Dublin.
How does this compare to employer’s perceptions in the Irish Sales sector?
Employers in the Irish sales sector slightly exaggerate the importance of the “lack of career advancement opportunities” as a key driver generating employee churn.37% of employers in this sector see the lack of career advancement opportunities as the main reason which drives employee turnover.
However there exists a major disparity between employers and employees in the sales sector when it comes to “dissatisfaction with management” being a prime motivator in moving jobs. 21% of employees in the sales sector cite dissatisfaction with management as the main reason for leaving their last job whereas only 12% of management felt that this was a major factor.
In regards the importance of organisational culture employers and employees were metaphorically singing from the same hymn sheet.22% of sales employees cited unhappiness with organisational culture as a key driving force in determining their last move, whereas a very close 24% of employers cited the same cultural unhappiness as the key factor which drives employee turnover.
But what about low pay being a key motivator in moving job?
Notably, just over 12% of sales employees cited low pay as a key motivator whereas 18% of employers felt it had a very significant impact on sales professionals leaving the organisation.
Is work perceived as not being “challenging enough” in the sales sector?
There is very little perception of work not being challenging enough in the Sales sector. A mere 8% of employees cited it as a determining factor in their last move whereas only 4% of employers felt it was the main reason why sales people leave the organisation.
How do these results compare to other sectors?
Leaving due to a perceived lack of career advancement opportunities is most pronounced the Irish Sales sector (29% of employees). Other sectors which rank career advancement opportunities highly are the Financial sector (29%), Accountancy (27%), Marketing (25%) and the ICT sector (25%).
Second only to the HR sector, sales employees cite dissatisfaction with management as the most important factor which drove their last move.
Work not being challenging enough, when compared to all sectors, was lowest in the sales sector. Also the importance of organisational culture as a key motivator in moving job was lowest in the sales sector.
“Sales is a highly driven profession which attracts high achievers. Hence, I am not surprised by the findings that a lot more weight is given to career advancement opportunities than say, the work not being challenging enough or organisational culture. Low pay, being cited by only 12% of respondents is no surprise either. The majority of successful sales people, in my experience, are more focussed on reaching their full potential than being obsessed with pay and remuneration. Then again, the sales profession in Ireland is generally well rewarded”
Denis MacSweeney, Head of Sales and Marketing
