6 Habits for Sales Professionals to Prevent Burnout
I’ve well & truly accepted that when it comes to burnout, my stars were perfectly aligned for an astronomical disaster.
In the post mortem, I cherry picked what worked & developed those behaviours into new professional habits. Habits that compliment my physical & mental well-being initiatives & preserve my emotional energy.
Emotional energy is precious. Few of us take the time to acknowledge when this cup is overflowing. Whoever complains when things are going great, right? In stark contrast, most of us know what it is like to feel emotionally depleted & realise how difficult it can be to feel well again.
Our day jobs should not make us anymore emotionally in-debt than needs be.
If they do, it’s worth going through a supportive process to understand the cause & develop a plan to manage the now, & the future.
My number one priority for work well-being is an alignment of personal values. This is within our control.
However when success is reliant on interactions with others, let’s say complex customer personalities, there is much that is out of our control. The risk, we manage in a reactive manner that precipitates angst, hindering connection.
Today, I swing my focus to daily habits we can adopt through our customer interactions. Habits that enable us to respond in a considered manner rather than emotionally react.
Let’s not unnecessarily leak emotional energy!
Like any new habit, introduction must be a conscious process. A disciplined & structured approach required to autonomously adopt.
With my sale’s professional lens on, here are six professional habits I’ve integrated into my day.
1. Acceptance
Meet your Customer where they are rather than attempt to drag them to you.
Resisting acceptance results in suffering. And suffering haemorrhages emotional energy. If something isn’t working, it will keep not working until there is a change in mindset. For now, we have to let it go. This is how I prioritise preserving the relationship:
Draw a line in the sand & set a timeframe. eg. 2 weeks.
Plan the contingency should events not pan out as you had hoped.
Instigate a conversation to clarify facts. (avoid assumptions)
If amenable, draw up a collaborative plan with alternative time frame.
2. Confident Communication
“They haven’t gotten back to me.” A phrase I hear often.
My response, “What makes you think they should?”
Giving a busy Customer more to think about is rarely a good idea. Particularly if they aren’t yet invested in the buying process.
“Keeping in ball in your court” is a tip I recommend constantly. Rather than inviting your customer to “get back to you”, you take charge of the follow-up yourself. “I’ll touch base in a fortnight.” It enables you to demonstrate you own personal leadership via your follow-up & prevents the customer from adding to their to-do list.
Almost always I find customers are grateful for the gentle nudge.
3. Loosen Your Grip on Perfectionism
Perfectionism can be paralysing, I know full well. For those with a tendency for perfectionism, it is worth noting it’s a documented predisposing factor to burnout. (leaders take note for teams)
“Perfectionism is not a love of being meticulous. It’s about fear. Fear of disappointing others. Fear of failure. Fear of success.” ~ Parker (2021) Burnout.
I learnt to loosen my grip on perfectionism by being kinder to myself. By learning to be more tolerant. By trusting more. By choosing courage & facing fear, rather than allowing it to obstruct progress. And lastly, by no longer being in a hurry. Today, I define success by progress, not outcome.
Lastly, I’ve eliminated the word goal from my vocabulary. I don’t need to add any fuel to my “high achiever” mode. I have milestones based on progress & if I focus my energy on quality growth, the finish line is crossed.
From one perfectionist to another, it’s worth taking a load off. You got this.
4. Manage Energy not Time
I started this about 3 years ago & it’s changed the way I work. I recognise when I’m my most productive & my most creative, adjusting my diary accordingly working in 2 hourly blocks.
I accept my loll about hours, those when my attention span shrinks. And plan an energy boost at the end of this time block.
Energy refers not only to our physical energy. It includes mental & emotional energy too. Noticing these levels & doing what we need to refill those cups in short bursts is a worthwhile exercise.
5. Manage Expectations
Failing to manage expectations of those around us is like yanking the plug out of our emotional energy reserves. The unwelcome surprise sending our brain into a tail spin of reactivity - a gift few are grateful for.
Confirming plans, timeframes & processes with even the most repeatable & mundane activity is a load off two minds. Your’s & the person you are interacting with. It’s a gesture that strengthens partnerships by fostering trust. We are predictable creatures who welcome security of the known.
If you are fearing an adverse reaction to a conversation, much better it occur in a controlled setting when you can plan a considered response. Time is your friend.
Most importantly, managing expectations creates brain space for all. Who isn’t grateful for that?
6. Choose Your Words Wisely
Without being aware, we can be none-the-wiser to the way our words are perceived. Some small “golden” words often the biggest culprits. They can promote defensiveness or reduce our importance in the eyes of our listener.
I’ve written about the five words I avoid most & the reason for doing so here.
While they can be tough habits to break, they are worth their weight in gold once you do. Leaving you feel more empowered through your communications
Bringing intention to our professional habits enables us to bring our best selves to what we do. To be more considered & less reactive. To save our emotional energy for those inevitable times we need it most.
To be prepared for the unexpected.
Peta x
Sales & career performance coach, Speaker, Commercial growth consultant
Author of My Beautiful Mess - Living through burnout & rediscovering me
Order your copy here
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