UK businesses 'risking sales talent exodus'

Businesses in the UK are failing to properly manage their sales talent, meaning they risk losing them to rival organisations.

This is according to a YouGov survey from sales compensation and performance management provider Xactly, which suggested that the main reason these staff members leave their jobs is a lack of engagement with what they are selling.

Other key issues include unrealistic targets and a lack of upsides or incentives, while almost half of those polled said they did not believe they were being accurately compensated, with many believing they are being under or overpaid.

According to the report, this shows the importance of companies properly recognising and rewarding workers, as well as giving them well-considered goals.

Christopher Cabrera, chief executive officer of Xactly, said: "In this economic environment ignoring top talent could be fatal to a business. This data shows how important it is to set appropriate targets and to adequately compensate people."

Last month, a report from Vodafone revealed that businesses in the UK may not have taken sufficient measures to assess the impact of the potential loss of talent as part of their business continuity planning.