I’m feeling run down and my sales are dropping. Help!

It is well documented that being healthy (physically, emotionally, and mentally) is vital to leading an effective and productive life.

In sales, your health is a critical factor to your success.  Many highly successful sales people I meet are self disciplined in all aspects of their life, ensuring they are fit, healthy and well trained in their profession.

Having a healthy sales career is underpinned by the individual’s healthy lifestyle, and a well managed business which includes good sales support, clear goals and leadership. 

I have written before in a previous post Healthy salespeople, healthy sales about the issues associated with poor health and inconsistent sales, especially the “boozy” culture associated with some sales teams and sales cultures. 

Sadly this stereotype is often the only one portrayed in the media, further perpetuating this type of behaviour. Yet this is not the behaviour we see in healthy sales people and sales teams.

However another issue we see more often now is overwork, especially with some high achieving sales people and teams.

We Australians are known for working excessive hours and for not taking our quota of annual leave. This is not a good recipe for ongoing success as I can attest to myself, having burnout a few years ago from over work. 

It is very tempting in these challenging times to work longer and longer hours, and one could be (almost) forgiven for not taking time off, feeling the need to work more than ever before.

The problem is if you are already overworked and now further distressed by the current business climate then you could be setting yourself up for bigger problems in the future, namely your health.

However the issue of overwork is being further exacerbated in some business sectors by excessive cost cutting, which is leaving sales teams under resourced.  A number of sales people are reporting that they are losing the support people from their teams, or worse still being asked to pick up larger and larger territories when sales people leave and are not replaced.  

The conscientious ones will try to pick up the slack and put in more hours, trying to make up for the lack of resources.  This then leaves them tired and eventually vulnerable to burnout. 

One person I met now has to manage over 300 clients, up from 100, with a full service offering in a complex sales environment which they admitted was impossible. This person is a good operator and takes pride in doing a good job, but now they cannot deliver to the standards expected and are left feeling overwhelmed, distressed and demotivated.

While I know we may have some sales people who are not, and may never, pull their weight and need to go, penalising those who are doing their best to keep sales coming by not resourcing them properly is a recipe for sales and business disaster.

Overwork and lack of support are not recipes for a healthy life, a healthy career or a healthy business.

Burnout due to overwork can be an issue for some high performing sales people in the good times, but let’s not make it worse and create a burnout epidemic by cutting vital sales support such as administration, marketing support etc, or overburdening our sales people because we feel the pressure of tough times.

The one thing you cannot afford to lose in this climate are your effective sales performers.

In these challenging times it may seem counter intuitive to take time out, however regularly taking time out to rest, relax, exercise, socialise, be with family, have a small holiday, and gain perspective, are important to our wellbeing. 

This, coupled with a healthy diet, and being around people with healthy mindsets and “can do” attitudes, are vital to keep us going. I would encourage you to encourage your sales people to look after themselves.

And you could look after them by providing appropriate support and being realistic in your business expectations. 

These approaches are vital to leading a healthy sales career and team.

Sue Barrett is founder and managing director of BARRETT, a boutique consultancy firm. Sue is an experienced consultant, public speaker, coach and facilitator. Sue and her team are best known for their work in creating high performing people and teams. Key to their success is working with the whole person and integrating emotional intelligence, skill, knowledge, behaviour, process and strategy via effective training and coaching programs. Click here to find out more

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