Louisa Fleet Sales Recruitment Consultancy Ltd

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending the National Sales Conference in Birmingham. It was a great day, with inspiring sessions, making new connections, and picking up plenty of ideas to take back to the team. A huge thank you to Stephen Broadhurst for the kind invitation on behalf of Star Linen UK | B Corp. From the amazing keynotes to the opportunity to network with some of the best in the industry, I'm feeling very grateful. Events like this always remind me why I love what I do. I get to work with talented individuals to build high-performing teams and champion the potential of people in sales. Thank you to the National Sales Conference for hosting such an engaging day! Looking forward to seeing how these insights shape the year ahead. #Nationalsalesconference #Salesleadership #Teamdevelopment

I practice yoga in my garage in the mornings before work, two or three times a week. I love the 'outside' feeling and it’s even better when it rains! A quick 10-15 minute morning routine is enough to settle my mind and adjust my mindset for the day. The other mornings I swim, and when I swim my mind is more active but I find it helpful to swim to organise thoughts and to plan my day ahead. Next is the dog walk; 30 minutes around the river. Even though I see the same space every day, I love watching the change in seasons and the nature that surrounds it. I feel grateful for my surroundings and for having my best friend with me. And yes, I have to get up early to fit this in and be in my office on time (5.30am).  If I swim, I start a bit later. The loss of half an hour's work is worth swapping for the right headspace. I’m more productive in less time. These daily rituals help me feel prepared and focused for the day, and the tougher the day is, the more critical it is that I don’t miss them. What are your morning rituals? Please share! Now, I did want to attach a picture to this post, but I couldn't quite figure out how to take an elegant photo while performing the downward dog... so... thanks to this cutie for stepping in 🤣 Not my dog, btw! #yoga #walking #dogs #routine

That last-minute rush. It’s a killer for stress don’t you think? When heading into a challenging meeting these are my tactics 👇 I give myself plenty of time (I’m always ready 15 minutes before - I hate rushing). A moment to breathe. Time to pull myself together and step into feeling calm. I aim to look sharp. Dressing well makes me feel like I am in control I’ll admit I spray perfume even before a Zoom meeting, (I may be mad, does anyone else do this 🤣). I treat an online meeting the same way as I would as if I were in person. There is no “top half” dressing with me!  Visualisation is something that helps me. Picturing the meeting outcome being the one I want. It works! What are your rituals before your important meetings? My summary: Time. Space. Prep. Visualisation. You’ve got this! #meeting #prep #professionalism

Are leaders tuned in to performance related challenges? Leaders need to hold focused coaching sessions that truly improve performance. The problem is, they're often not doing this. Nearly half (49%) of employees who left their jobs hadn’t had a meaningful performance conversation with their supervisor in the three months before quitting, according to a Gallup study. This highlights a significant gap in coaching and feedback. Gallup recommends that employees receive coaching at least once a week. Whether it's recognition, constructive feedback, or encouragement, these regular touchpoints can make a huge difference in retention and employee engagement. More importantly, managers need to be alert to the performance-related issues that lead to burnout and turnover. Some key questions to ask: - Is my employee feeling overwhelmed by their workload? - Do they have a clear understanding of what’s expected of them? - Are their deadlines manageable? - How much time are they spending on tasks they excel at? - Are the performance metrics within their control? By staying on top of these questions, leaders can prevent small issues from turning into big reasons to leave. Leaders need to be advocates for their team members more than ever. #leadership #coaching #advice

Don’t let knee-jerk reactions drive your change strategy. In today’s competitive landscape, with recruitment costs soaring, it’s crucial for business leaders to focus on retention strategies rather than just reacting to staff turnover. Too often, I see businesses scrambling for solutions only after a top performer resigns, rather than implementing a proactive, well-thought-out retention plan. Rob Pickering's recent advice on his post about addressing retention before turnover hits the mark and inspired me to post about this too. It's not just about being reactive; it’s about creating a culture where open, ongoing conversations are the norm. The reality is that many employees feel their leaders are too busy to engage meaningfully. While bosses may be friendly and available, This isn’t enough. Are you really understanding your team’s needs and keeping them challenged and supported? A recent survey highlighted that only 28% of leavers had a meaningful discussion with their boss in the months leading up to their departure. It’s clear that high performers, who tend to “just get on with it,” often miss out on the support they need because attention is diverted to problem cases. To get good retention rates as a business, there should be less focus on reactive fixes and more focus on proactive, retention strategies. Genuine, supportive interactions with your team can make a significant difference. Any tips on how to put this into action? #advice #retention #strategy #reactions

Everyone wants to make the best hire. It’s like the gold medal in recruiting: finding a candidate with the perfect mix of skills, who delivers strong results and fits seamlessly into your company culture. With hiring still on a global slowdown and businesses being extra careful with headcounts, quality of hire has never been more crucial. In LinkedIn’s 2024 Future of Recruiting report, talent acquisition professionals ranked it as the number one priority shaping recruitment over the next five years. The tricky part? Tracking and measuring the quality of hire is difficult. No one quite agrees on how to define it. Do you focus on job performance, retention rates, or hiring manager satisfaction? And once you’ve settled on what matters, how do you measure it? Read our blog to learn more: https://lnkd.in/eFCg3u2d #hire #quality #assessment

"We have loads of applications, it's going really well...we should have this filled in no time" Sound familiar? 4 weeks later "By the time we had screened the CV's there were only two or three that were relevant, one cancelled the day before, one didn't show up and one took another job, clearly we took too long, and the candidates lost interest! We've taken time out of the business, neglecting our current team and figures have suffered, and we still have a vacancy!"

It is a surprise to me when I interview a leader or a sales person that doesn't have a Linked in profile. Being active on LinkedIn in today’s world feels like an essential requirement, especially if you work in sales. Rightly or wrongly it says to me that you might not be as tech savvy as required in todays modern selling world. Maybe it's just the type of businesses I work with... Whether it’s for identifying prospects or forming connections and actually selling, LinkedIn is a treasure trove! Of course, there are arguments against LinkedIn, for example the old ‘it’s becoming just like Facebook.’ But, if you’re failing to embrace it, are you being held back? Could your job be much easier if you just got on board like everyone else? Would love to hear some thoughts on this! #linkedin #sales #socialmedia

So many organisations do this the wrong way around! Quick tip: Start with the end in mind. When starting the hiring process make sure you have thought about this: What results do you need your new hire to deliver, and by when? Too often I see the focus being on what type of person too soon. Yes, you need the right person, but you need to set out clear deliverables in the first place. Why? Because: This helps you define what needs to be achieved and identify the specific skills and expertise required. Clear deliverables makes it easier to assess the success of the individual when in the role. When a company isn’t clear on the deliverables, it can be off putting for your new prospective hire, and rightly so. Why would you want to join a company when they aren’t sure what they expect of you? This would be a huge red flag to me! What else would you add before starting a hiring process? #hiring #recruitment #objectives #redflag

“I’ve been incredibly lucky”… ever said this or heard others say it? I popped ‘we create our own luck’ into Google, specifically ‘is this a motivational quote, or a fact?’ Here’s what came up: ‘Fundamentally, luck arises when preparation meets opportunity. This means that you can create chances through intentional choices and behaviors. These strategies can help increase the likelihood of encountering lucky opportunities and achieving success.’ Very applicable in sales, don’t you think? A huge part of being successful in sales is about the intentions and behaviours…. So how can you tell the difference? When an interviewee tells me they were “lucky enough” to (achieve a promotion, win a place on the high achievers trip/secure a huge deal etc) My question is: Were you lucky? Talk me through exactly what you had to do in order to achieve this. It’s a great question to uncover the actions, skills and behaviours that were made to make the achievement happen and also, to eliminate those that did just "get something handed on a plate” or those that might be exaggerating the truth somewhat (yes, it does happen). What’s your ‘go to’ question to get behind the truth of someone who seems very lucky/successful in their career to date? #success #questioning #interview