Stress is inevitable when you are working in sales. How you manage it on a daily basis without getting burned out is your ticket to better sales and a successful career.
Don’t be surprised if sales jobs are regarded as one of the most stress-ridden occupations. With the volume of sale and productivity being weighed in each month, or even each week, the feeling of pressure hangs like Damocles’ sword over your head. Stress gets more aggravated when problems at home kick in. It is a known fact that when stress gets hold of us, all the sales knowledge we’ve gleaned through training fly out the window, and we return to our accustomed mechanical responses.
Stress is the emotional pressure that results from the responsibilities placed upon us. Therefore, how can you cope with sales stress to keep you from breaking? To avoid burnouts, blown sales, and sustain a healthy career in sales, you need to be able to recognize stress triggers and how to effectively deal with them. Here are some tips that are practiced by professional salesmen the world over to manage sales stress.
What triggers your stress? You cannot expect to reduce or prevent stress if you don’t know the enemy. Jot down the types of stresses you put up with every day and every week. Study your list of stressors and find out which of these you can gradually take out of the lineup.
Don’t be a control freak. You can’t win if you try to control people and situations. In fact, if you feel you always need to be in control, you are only heaping more stress in your work and your home life. Learn to accept things that you can’t control.
Forget about doing too much at once. Multitasking may sound productive, but it actually weighs you down and slows your progress, diminishes the quality of your work, and brings on more stress. Do one work at a time and get it done fast and efficiently.
Stay away from negative and stressed people. You’re familiar with these people. Just being around them can generate a truckload of stress. Stress is contagious. Be around people who have positive outlooks and stress will drastically go down. While stressed individuals can’t be entirely avoided, associate less with them until you’ve mastered your own stress.
Streamline your tasks. Find out ways that will make your work easier and faster. Seek the help of other positive-minded individuals if you have to or delegate your work to others.
Take short breaks. Concentration drops 20 to 30 minutes after a task gets started. It is important to take short breaks to prevent stress from creeping in and productivity from dropping. A 10-minute break evenly spaced throughout the day can help you stay more in focus and prevent stress from getting a hold.
Take long breaks. If the sale stress gets too unbearable, take advantage of a long weekend or a holiday. Just get yourself unplugged until your stress subsides.
Take time to get some regular exercise. Whether it’s a short jog around the neighborhood or professional strength training at the gym, exercise will stimulate your brain to produce endorphins that will drive every stress and anxiety cause away.
Sales work and stress are an unpleasant combination that can affect your job and your health. However, there are two things you can control at work to stay ahead of the game: how you handle stressful sales work and the quality of your work. We hope you found these tips to reduce stress in sales helpful.
About the Author: Ryan Rivera used to suffer from anxiety attacks for seven years He now dedicates his life in writing articles that will help people in coping with anxiety, stress, panic attacks and depression. For more information regarding these topics, check out his Twitter or Goggle+ account.
