Burnout can be experienced in any type of work, but especially so in sales. Preventing burnout protects your overall health and your career. However, if the way you work changed radically over the past year, your old defenses may not be enough.
How do you know if you’re experiencing sales burnout?
Some of the most common signs include low energy, irritability, and lack of motivation. You feel tired and unable to control your circumstances. More aspects of your work begins to feel routine.
If you’re feeling down and your productivity has dropped, you can recover. Try these 14 strategies for bouncing back from burnout.
Fighting Burnout During Work Hours:
1. Evaluate your expectations. Burnout is often caused by pushing yourself too hard for too long. That was easy to do over the past year. Many sales reps took on more customers, larger territories, and finding themselves having to do more with less. Sales people who have a hard time saying “no” will find that saying “yes” to everything that comes your way limits opportunities for rest & rejuvenation. Look at your to do list and see what you can eliminate or delegate. Focus on your top priorities.
2. Set small goals. Working towards something you want to achieve provides instant inspiration. Big goals is what drives a lot of salespeople, however its the big goals that require discipline over an extended period of time. Break long term objectives down into daily and weekly targets, so you’ll get to experience the joy and relish the achievement.
3. Limit distractions. Burnout makes it difficult to concentrate. Create quiet spaces where you can work at the office or at home. Turn off your phone and stay away from websites and apps where you tend to lose track of time. Block off times of 30-minutes of uninterrupted work. Sometimes its easier to break work down into 30 minute chunks of time rather than looking at a big to-do list for an entire day.
4. Find allies. Do you feel isolated or have more conflicts with your coworkers? Burnout can take a toll on your relationships. Participate in social activities at work when you can. If you feel safe, talk with your boss or a trusted colleague about what you’re going through.
5. Have fun. As burnout takes hold work begins to feel very routine. The jokes you tell customers are no longer funny to you. Remember to have fun! Call some of your past customers that are big advocates and ask them how they’re doing. It’s always a nice shot in the arm to hear how some of those customers are better off after working with you. Pass along a funny joke or an intriguing news story.
6. Pace yourself. How many hours are you working a week? Sales is rarely 9-5. Are you spending your evenings working on reports, sending out proposals, or checking emails? Think about how you can create new boundaries. Parkinson’s Law states that work will expand proportionally to the time you have. Give yourself five hours to complete a project and it will take you five hours. Give yourself, on that same project, three hours and you’ll complete it in three hours.
7. Take time off. It may help to get away from your routines for a while. Over the past year taking a vacation to your favorite destination may not have been in the cards. You stayed home and it became easy to feel as if you haven’t rejuvenated. If you’re short on leave, you could try a spa day at home or check into a local hotel for the weekend.
8. Be patient. Burnout often builds up gradually and it may take a while to turn things around. Give yourself credit for making an effort. Appreciate signs of gradual progress.
Fighting Burnout Outside of Work Hours:
1. Address root causes. While there are many things you can do to cope with burnout temporarily, lasting change depends on resolving the source of your troubles. Is there anything that you’re avoiding that’s the source of longer hours? Did an event happen at work, or maybe the avoidance has more to do with your personal life. Whatever the reasoning may be without addressing the root cause any attempts to overcome the burnout will be temporary.
2. Set boundaries. Remote work blurs the line between business and leisure activities. Try to keep office items out of your bedroom. Let your customers know the hours when you’re unavailable.
3. Sleep well. Go to bed on time, so you can wake up feeling refreshed. Stick to a consistent schedule, even on weekends and holidays. This may be one of the most underrated tips on the list, however maintaining a similar sleep schedule on the weekends only makes the weekdays easier.
4. Work out. As a busy professional and parent it’s easy to allow physical activity to be one of the things that doesn’t get prioritized. However if your health is important to you physical activity relieves stress and gives you more energy. Design a balanced program of cardio, exercise, strength training, and stretches.
5. Learn to relax. Another tip that may fall under the captain obvious moniker. For some, learning how to actually relax is a learned activity. Set aside 20 minutes in the morning for meditation. Take a walk during your lunch break. Managing daily tensions with stress-relieving activities is especially important with the added workload that some have taken on over the past year.
6. Consider counseling. If your burnout symptoms persist, you may benefit from working with a professional therapist. Some employers have extended mental health benefits as a result of COVID-19. If you’re on a limited budget, contact a community hotline to explore low-cost services.
Burnout can seem overwhelming, but you probably have more options than you think. Change your daily habits and ask others for help if you’re struggling. Taking constructive action will help you to regain your balance and increase your job satisfaction.
Catalyst Consulting 