By Mark Roberts
Recently there has been a great deal of buzz about sales team burnout. I’ve been leading and coaching sales teams for a long time, (36 years to be exact) and I have a great deal of empathy for sales teams. As a sales leader, part of preventing burnout is creating a positive, engaged culture that prioritizes training, teamwork, and support. But how do you turn a group of salespeople into a team that sticks around? I thought it would be interesting to share some of my ideas, and I welcome your thoughts in the comments!
Over the years, I’ve seen sales teams brag about their work-hard, play-hard culture, clocking 65+ hour weeks to hit their number. Add in countless communication channels, a new generation of employees with different needs, days traveling, on average 11 sales tolls in their tech stack, and the additional load of CRM and reporting, it’s no wonder that burnout is in the news. So, what is burnout? Burnout is a reaction to chronic stress. Some indicators that members of your team are burning out are a marked increase in complaints about how hard it is to close a deal, lacking focus, tasks go unfinished, tempers flare, balls dropped, and team members frequently articulate their pessimism.
In addition to worrying about your team from an empathetic perspective, sales burnout threatens your bottom line. DePaul University conducted a sales effectiveness survey and determined that the average cost to replace a salesperson is $114,957, and the average sales turnover rate per year is 28%. Considering all sales leaders need to accomplish with training, onboarding, and recruitment－failing to address burnout will cripple your organization. In 2013 I shared many sales organizations are precariously positioned over a salesforce sink hole. (I’m not sure if people believed me back then but in a recent meeting a sales leader shared, she experienced 35% turnover in her sales team this year!) Sales stars leaving your team is a huge threat to achieving sales plan this year and arguably next when we consider the ramp up time of their replacements.
Prevent Burnout By Clearly Defining Roles and Responsibilities
Do your salespeople know, outside of hitting quota, what is expected of them? I ask because Gallup conducted a poll and found that only 60% of workers strongly agree that they know what is expected of them.
From day one, regular communication and a defined set of KPIs ensure that employees understand priorities. Some managers are uncomfortable with giving feedback, but they need to get past it. Sales reps want and need feedback to improve. If salespeople don’t understand roles and responsibilities of them, they are likely to burn out quickly. Managers who make sure to outline business goals and communicate how salespeople are measured stand to get better results. Weekly 1:1s work well as a communication channel, but so does a casual drop-by chat.
Define and Communicate Success Beyond Quota
Quotas are created to drive performance. However, with the advent of big data and CRM sales, leaders can identify problems faster and course correct. Additionally, they can identify the ideal prospect or track activities the top sales performers conduct and duplicate them. Of course, quotas should carry significant weight but developing KPIs using strategic goals tie the salespeople to the big picture corporate objectives. Some KPIs I’ve used are opportunities at each stage, calls, and meetings scheduled, webinars conducted, workshops conducted, demos scheduled, proposals sent, etc. Your CRM and other sales analytic reporting can help you keep an eye on territory issues that can inform your sales strategy, such as client profitability, vertical profitability, margins, etc.
Offer Professional Development
Hitting quota isn’t the only motivator for your team. Understanding corporate goals and a sense of purpose and belonging are essential. I’ve found when salespeople have opportunities to improve, they feel valued, which means, again, managers need to hold weekly check-in meetings.
Did you know that sales leaders only spend 20% of their time helping their reps? Here are some ideas for improving your coaching efforts:
● Communicate sales strategy and how it related to corporate goals.
● Offer suggestions to manage workload.
● Be available. Have an open-door policy.
● Team the more senior reps with junior reps or new hires.
● Measure salesperson activity, discern best practices, and share them with the team.
● Foster a two-way-street feedback channel. Show the team that everyone can improve!
● Bring in third-party trainers to help shore up your team’s weaknesses and close common skills gaps.
Celebrate Wins with the Team
Back in the day, (many years ago) I closed the biggest deal that had ever been closed in that channel. The purchase order was well into the six figures, profit margins exceeded 55% and I was very excited. The morning we received the PO and signed the contract, I bumped into the CEO in the elevator. I told her about the deal, and after a few questions, she told me I didn’t sell them enough other products and services we offered…. Really?
Don’t do this.
Lack of recognition is a source of burnout. Salespeople feel seen and valued when their efforts are recognized. Offer congratulations during team meetings or send all-staff emails. Small acts of support and recognition build resilience when facing the daily demands of sales. Ask your salesperson to make a short video on how they identified the customer problem and solved it. Share this video throughout your team and save it for your sales training program.
Attention: Sales leaders…
How do you motivate your team?
What are your top tips for coaching?
Do you have salespeople who are showing signs of burnout?
This post was written to sales leaders. However if you are a salesperson concerned you are feeling burned out let me suggest an excellent article that shares symptoms of burnout and how to get back to the top of your game again. Don’t just hope it goes away.
