Avoiding Burnout as a Sales Professional
Don't kill yourself for money, get rich while loving life!
Introduction
When you're in sales, it's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle. When a large portion of your pay is performance based, the harder and longer you work means more money. The good news is that there are ways to avoid burnout as a sales professional without sacrificing your productivity or work quality—all you need is a little bit of organisation! In this post, we'll talk about how to set up an effective schedule for yourself as well as some other tips for avoiding burnout altogether.
Set a schedule and stick to it.
Avoiding burnout starts with setting a schedule and sticking to it. If you don't know what your day looks like, take some time to create a calendar or schedule and write down everything that you have going on. This will give you an idea of how much time each activity takes and also show you if there are any gaps in between activities where more work can be done. We went through structuring your day in a previous post.
If your work life is running into your personal life, try scheduling time for each separately so they aren't competing with one another. For example, if you go out for dinner with friends every Friday night at 6pm after work but then get stuck at the office until late trying to finish up tasks by then; this could lead to problems both at home and at work as well as causing stress over needing to get everything done during those few hours per week when most people are spending time doing other things such as sleeping or exercising (and yet another reason why getting these two things balanced takes planning!).
I keep personal events in my work calendar written as "Block" or "Do not book over". These are sacred times and no message no matter how urgent will be responded to. This is during the work day and outside of.
Learn how to say no.
In your business, you have a lot of power. You can say no to anything that doesn't feel right or that doesn't help your goals.
No to things that will cause stress and unhappiness. If someone asks you to do something that would make you unhappy, it's okay to say no! This includes if they ask you to do something outside of your job description or even in your job description but doesn't move the needle towards target
No when someone wants more than what they are getting out of a relationship with you. For example, if a client is asking for one thing but not paying for another service, there's nothing wrong with saying no. The client might try again later on down the road; but in this case at least you know where things stand now—and you should set the standard that more work means more pay.
Don't let your work life run into your personal life.
To avoid burnout, it's important to keep your work life separate from your personal life. It has become standard to get slack messages/emails/calls outside of work hours from both customers and co-workers. You will need to draw a line in the sand, and which point you will not be answering. It is okay during end of Q or busy periods to decide to answer, but reframe your position, it is a favour if you answer, not the expectation!
Those of us who work at home are much more at risk of this, as everything tends to blur together. Set up areas for work and areas for relaxation. Watch this video:
It is a system I use.
Take breaks throughout the day.
Taking breaks throughout the day is an important part of avoiding burnout as a sales professional. When you're feeling tired, it's easy to convince yourself that "just one more call" will make all the difference in closing that sale, sometimes this is true, but If you push yourself too hard without taking breaks this may leave you feeling even more exhausted when you're finished than before—and less able to focus on making those sales calls at all.
Taking breaks should be a regular part of your daily routine if you want to avoid burnout as a sales professional. But how often should you take them? And what should they look like? There are many different ways for employees in any industry to relax and refresh themselves during their workday: going out for lunch with colleagues; reading some articles online; going to the gym. These can help reduce stress levels so that employees can come back into the office feeling refreshed and ready for the next day's challenges instead of exhausted from trying too hard yesterday!
I also like to connect breaks and rewards to achievements, make 30 calls - go chat with the cute girl in marketing etc.
Be honest about what's too much for you to handle.
Workers at the Charing Cross Hospital came up with a framework that shows the process of burnout. As a high performing sales professional, you want and most likely NEED a but of stress in your day, it keeps you at the bleeding edge of what is possible, at your peak performance, but if you go too long without breaks, work too hard without rest & recovery, or take on too much, you may find yourself on the wrong end of the arousal graph below:
Learn to understand your own rate of perceived exertion. A common concept in powerlifting / physical fitness, this can too be used within your personal and professional life. Aim to maintain the 70-80% max workload at all times, avoiding being bored or underperforming, while also avoiding going into your functional reserves that are worn down when hitting 90-100% of your physical capacity to work.
Have a plan for when things go wrong.
As a sales professional, you have to be prepared for the worst. You need to know how you will react when things go wrong with your customers and clients - missing target/losing the big deal. It's important to have a plan for handling this situation. You should answer these questions:
How do I handle my manager
What if the customer raises an objection I haven't anticipated?
What if they keep asking me questions even though they've already said yes?
Get enough sleep, eat healthy, and exercise.
As a sales professional, you should prioritize sleep, nutrition and exercise. Sleep is one of the most important factors in your overall health. A lack of sleep can leave you feeling groggy and irritable, which can affect your ability to perform at work.
Eating right is another crucial part of keeping yourself healthy so you can perform at your best on the job. Avoiding processed foods and sugary snacks will help keep you energized throughout the day. And finally, exercising is essential for managing stress levels and staying physically healthy as well as mentally fit for work commitments throughout the week
Follow BowTiedOx, get jacked stay healthy!
You don't need to work yourself ragged in order to be successful in sales.
It's important to remember that you don't need to work yourself ragged in order to be successful in sales. Setting boundaries, limits, goals and priorities will help ensure that you avoid burnout and are able to focus your energies on meaningful work. You're here to make money to enjoy your life, not to make money as your life.
Conclusion
We hope you found this guide helpful and that it helps you to avoid burnout. We know it can be tough to stick to a schedule and make time for yourself when things get busy, but the more you put into practice what we've discussed here today, the easier it will become!