What does losing a sales rep cost?

A sales rep who leaves costs far more than the recruitment fee. Add the manager's time and the revenue lost while the seat is empty and the new hire ramps up, take off the salary you don't pay meanwhile, and with the example numbers below each leaver costs £54,497.

How it is worked out

Every line comes from the inputs above. Nothing is estimated behind your back.

1. Recruitment fee = salary × recruitment %.
2. Manager time = hours spent hiring and onboarding × the manager's cost per hour.
3. Revenue while the seat is empty = annual target ÷ 52 × weeks empty.
4. Revenue lost while ramping = annual target ÷ 12 × ramp months × (100% − ramp productivity).
5. Gross profit lost = the two revenue figures added together × gross margin. We count profit, not revenue, because revenue overstates what the business actually loses.
6. Salary saved = salary ÷ 52 × weeks empty. Nobody is paid while the seat is empty, so it comes off.
7. Net cost per leaver = fee + manager time + gross profit lost − salary saved. Multiply by the number of leavers for the year.

What it leaves out

The calculator is deliberately conservative. It doesn't count the things that are real but hard to put a number on:

• Accounts and pipeline that leave with the rep, or go quiet while nobody owns them
• The time the rest of the team spends covering the patch
• Training costs beyond the manager's hours, such as courses, licences and kit
• The effect on the reps who stay when good people walk

If any of these apply to you, the real number is higher.

The cheaper fix

Reps rarely leave over money alone. They leave when they're behind target and nobody is helping. Welivo puts each rep's performance next to the 1:1s and coaching their manager committed to, and the rep confirms whether it happened. You see who is short with no help while there is still time to act.

Book a 20-minute demo to see it with your own team, or read how manager follow-through is measured.