Sales & Marketing recap: Attracting talent amid the Great Resignation

‘Focus on retention first and foremost,’ Cover 3 Consulting CEO says

(Photo: FreightWaves)

This fireside chat recap is from FreightWaves’ Sales & Marketing Summit on Wednesday.

FIRESIDE CHAT TOPIC: The Great Resignation and attracting sales talent in 2022

DETAILS: Employees are resigning at record rates as jobless claims return to pre-pandemic levels. Kevin Hill, executive publisher at FreightWaves, and Adrian Chapman discuss how freight sales professionals are evaluating companies and how companies are attracting and retaining top freight sales talent.

SPEAKER: Chapman is the owner and CEO at Cover 3 Consulting LLC.

BIO: Chapman is the founder and host of the “Recruiting Stories” podcast, which has interviewed leaders around the country about how recruiting has impacted their journey.

An athlete his whole life, Chapman learned the value of recruiting early. He was a college football and track athlete, graduating from Minnesota State University. With 10 years of experience recruiting and a lifetime of competing, Chapman strives to help transportation organizations build championship teams for a higher purpose.

KEY QUOTES FROM CHAPMAN:

“Wages to compete are driven up because we have a limited workforce. This is economics. People see themselves valued more by the marketplace sometimes than they do by where they are, and that’s why you suddenly see a lot of this Great Resignation business.”

“Flexibility is probably one of the big ones. Sure compensation is certainly one that I see. One that I see that people don’t talk a ton about is just mission. People want to know that what they’re doing is meaningful.”

“It’s not living to work. It’s working to live.”

“Focus on retention first and foremost. … Talk to your people. Go have conversations. Try to understand what are their long-term goals? What are their short-term goals? And how do we fit in with that?”

Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Alyssa Sporrer.

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Alyssa Sporrer

Alyssa is a staff writer at FreightWaves, covering sustainability news in the freight and supply chain industry, from low-carbon fuels to social sustainability, emissions & more. She graduated from Iowa State University with a double major in Marketing and Environmental Studies. She is passionate about all things environmental and enjoys outdoor activities such as skiing, ultimate frisbee, hiking, and soccer.