Tweet

Leading a healthy sales career

Written by: Sue Barrett

Article Overview: 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 individuals healthy life style, and a well managed business which includes good sales support, clear goals and leadership.

Leading a healthy sales career

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 individuals healthy life style, 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 stereo type if 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 burn out.

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.

Burn out 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, socialize, be with family, have a small holiday, gain perspective are important to our wellbeing. This coupled with a healthy diet, and being around people with health 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.

Remember everybody lives by selling something.

Related Articles
  12 Steps Toward Greater Career and Life Fulfillment
  The Focus on Fitness Franchises
  Focus On What's Right
  How To Dramatically Boost Your Chances Of Having A Successful Career
  Create an Outrageously Healthy Environment at Home

Article Tags: australians, boozy, burnout, business climate, business sectors, challenging times, cost cutting, critical factor, cultures, excessive hours, healthy life style, poor health, productive life, quota, sales career, salespeople, stereo type, successful sales, taking time, time off



Related Forum Posts
Re: How to Promote a MLM Business? - I have to agree with several of the previous posts here. Having your own site so that you can get it ranked is a big one. Also, as stated above, using a "passive" recruiting style works really well. Leading by example, people will naturally want to follow you over time if you prove yourself a leader. Bottom line, if you are promoting your opportunity or products, you are losing sales. About 85% of the population hates to be sold. Promote YOU, build relationships and let the business fall in place after that. Bill
Setting up a Patents Brokerage service - Hi Members, I currently run a website called patentsforsale.co.uk which is a site where buyers and inventors exchange mails and discuss the sales of inventions. To augment this service I am thinking of starting a company offering patent brokerage service. This will involve finding potential investors to buy patents and other intellectual property rights, hence charging a comission on a successful sale. This could mean earning quite healthy commisions and am looking for individual who have experience in the patent industry as well as business and sales to work with me to get this business started. Look forward to suggestions.
Patent brokerage venture advice - Hi Members, I currently run a website called patentsforsale.co.uk which is a site where buyers and inventors exchange mails and discuss the sales of inventions. To augment this service I am thinking of starting a company offering patent brokerage service. This will involve finding potential investors to buy patents and other intellectual property rights, hence charging a comission on a successful sale. This could mean earning quite healthy commisions and am looking for individual who have experience in the patent industry as well as business and sales to work with me to get this business started. Look forward to suggestions.
Patent brokerage venture - Hi Members, I currently run a website called patentsforsale.co.uk which is a site where buyers and inventors exchange mails and discuss the sales of inventions. To augment this service I am thinking of starting a company offering patent brokerage service. This will involve finding potential investors to buy patents and other intellectual property rights, hence charging a comission on a successful sale. This could mean earning quite healthy commisions and am looking for individual who have experience in the patent industry as well as business and sales to work with me to get this business started. Look forward to suggestions.
Patent Service - Hi Members, I currently run a website called patentsforsale.co.uk which is a site where buyers and inventors exchange mails and discuss the sales of inventions. To augment this service I am thinking of starting a company offering patent brokerage service. This will involve finding potential investors to buy patents and other intellectual property rights, hence charging a comission on a successful sale. This could mean earning quite healthy commisions and am looking for individual who have experience in the patent industry as well as business and sales to work with me to get this business started. Look forward to suggestions.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Purchasing Real Estate using the SBA 504 Loan

Earn More Money - Easy Home Business Ideas

Resistance to Change and How to Deal With It

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.