Burnout is a big concern for sales managers, and it is a significant threat to your sales team’s success. Sales Managers might not realise that they have the power to prevent burnout.
When you think about all those cold calls, all the unanswered emails, the constant rejection and the constant need for more leads, it can take its toll on any human. Over time, this can lead to burnout.
Although we expect some turnover, staff want higher wages or they want a promotion. It’s natural that they may look elsewhere if your organisation can’t give it to them. Good salespeople are worth holding on to, even when they hit a rough patch, and it may be a case of giving them time to rest so that they can get back on top or letting them move on.
Here are five ways to spot burnout in your team:
1. Mentoring
Sales can be emotionally draining. Having someone that your team can vent to, seek advice from and get support when they need it, will help your team continue to strive. A mentor shouldn’t be the salesperson’s manager. They should be someone that a salesperson can turn to when a call doesn’t go well, have them listen to the call and offer objective advice. A good sales manager will check in to make sure that their team is connecting with their mentor.
2. Right Tools
Salespeople need to have the right tools to do the job. If your salespeople don’t have the right tools to do the job or streamline non-selling tasks, it can lead to burnout.
Automating repeatable processes, like administrative work, will take the pressure off the sales team and free them up to focus on meeting deadlines and their sales targets. Ask your team if your CRM system meets their needs or if other administrative tasks could be automated or outsourced. Look at how to relieve some of the pressure they feel so that they don’t get burnt out.
3. Professional Development
It can be hard to make time for professional development. Sales is a fast-paced career; it can be easy to focus on what needs to be closed and the targets ahead. If your reps are focused on their monthly target and not learning new sales techniques or mastering their core sales skills, they are setting themselves up to burn out.
To create a culture where professional development is a key requirement, have the sales team attend a quick weekly or fortnightly training session. Keep it to 30 minutes; make it relevant to what you are selling and what your team is experiencing.
4. No motivation
Burnout is motivations arch-nemesis. If you have a salesperson that is burnt out, they are demotivated, switched off and indifferent to deals not closing. Keep an eye on performance metrics to determine whether it’s a case of the employee not being able to meet your performance requirements or if they are just flat. Either way, you need to have an honest and open chat with them to find out what is going on.
If they feel like they’ve reached a point where they can’t push anymore, you have a few options; they can take time off to rest, work on a performance plan or move on.
5. Negative
Nothing is more destructive in a sales environment than negativity. Some people can mask their negativity with sarcasm. In a sales environment, a certain amount of venting is acceptable; sometimes it benefits the whole team to vent it out and get back to the job. But if you have a team member that seems to be perpetually negative, it may be a sign of burnout.
Talk to the team member first, address their issues, take action if possible. Then talk to the rest of the team, see if others are feeling the same and if it can be addressed. The end results will be a healthier, happier work environment.
We understand the demand for quality leads and the need for your team to meet those demands. We are here to help and add value by finding tangible, highly qualified leads where we have secured a date and a time for an appointment. These individuals are in your target audience, at the right decision-making level and have an interest in your solution. Taking away this pressure from your Sales team allows them to focus their time on closing deals and generating revenue.
If you are considering outsourcing your appointment setting, contact us by email info@integrileads.com or phone (+353) 00353 87 3932630. Follow us on LinkedIn for all of our latest updates.
