Health of your Sales Team

Life in sales can be a roller coaster. Today you are on top of the world after hitting your sales quota. Tomorrow you will feel that nothing will work after losing your account.  The salesperson’s schedule does not include overtime or holidays. The prospectus may only be available at meetings after business hours or on weekends. Salespeople always go, especially when they are behind their goal. Many experience anxiety, mental stress and exhaustion. It is time to talk about mental health in sales.

What is mental health in sales?

When you are in sales, you constantly feel anxiety about not meeting your quota. You fear an account you’ve worked on for weeks or months might fall out of the negotiation. You think about combining your work and personal life because you are always looking for prospects and trying to close deals. If you don’t manage your daily stressors, they can affect your performance and overall health. Anxiety and depression are common in the sales industry due to the high demand and cross-functional environment.

The chronic feeling of helplessness and constant struggle with the uncertainty of being unable to give birth triggers fatigue, stress and exhaustion. It is a known fact that sales are very emotional, as most employees are expected to be confident, energetic, outgoing, and always on the go. But this does not always happen. Closing a deal can be exciting, but losing an opportunity you’ve worked on for months can lead to depression, affecting your current attitude and mood.

Below are some of the most common mental health problems experienced by sellers:

• Behavioural and emotional disorders
• Clinical depression and anxiety
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Mood disorders.

Most of these medical and mental health problems require Dedicated support, and nursing staff trained to handle such cases are essential to ensure employee well-being. It also helps create a culture where work-life balance is a priority.

A stretched sales team is an ineffective team. Salespeople who regularly experience high-stress levels tend to be less engaged in their work, less committed to their organization and have a lower job and life satisfaction. They are more likely to move from one organization to another. Mental health issues in sales lead to a demotivated sales force Stress-induced failure can put your sales force at high risk of burnout.

Stressed out Salespeople

In sales, the pressure of exceeding absurdly high quotas is too familiar.

The sales sector is a results-driven one. However, it will be complicated to achieve those results if you’re not in a mentally healthy state of mind, he says under the high-pressure.

Some people view sales as “the grind,” “the hustle,” and “overworking” as excellent ways to accomplish your objectives. The mental the health of sales representatives is severely harmed by this culture. Stress for extended periods of time can alter your brain.

Long-term stress has an impact on the brain and can alter your behaviour permanently.

Our nervous system is not designed for prolonged periods of stress.

The output of salespeople is easily quantifiable. Some salespeople experience burnout, which leads to frustration and poor performance. Pressure can build up and result in protracted periods of worry and tension or exacerbate pre-existing mental health issues.

Burnout is imminent when there is prolonged stress without regular rest or relaxation. Even the way your brain functions may change permanently as a result of this.

In today’s customer-centric environment, the fire-and-hire culture won’t work, so if you want to grow your company over the long haul, ditch that strategy. Back up your salespeople

In high-stress sales cultures, managers act as “unqualified therapists” to support their account managers or sales representatives. if the salesperson is depressed or anxious, the ability to close a deal could decrease dramatically.

This calls for a cool head and a likeable, unthreatening demeanour. If you are depressed or anxious about something else, you cannot do or be any of those things. So, to ensure your sales representatives are productive, take every precaution to reduce stress. Consult an Experienced Sales Trainer and Life Trainer on how to manage your mental health.

Tips for maintaining a healthy sales force

• Adequate training and development
• Hold workshops on mental health awareness in businesses
• Cultural education
• Work-life balance -Wellness programs, health awareness sessions etc.
• Establish attainable goals backed by data
• Make corrective action wherever necessary
• Keep lines of communication open