Have you noticed how stressful the start of a new year is for sellers?
Quotas are reset, expectations have been raised and many of us can’t seem to shake off the holiday inertia that is making us sluggish.
As a result, many of our fellow sellers are starting off 2023, feeling overwhelmed and anxious.
This means the big question I have for you is…
Do you know how to help them feel less stressed?
If you answered “No”, then you’re not alone.
Thousands of sellers and leaders that I’ve worked with don’t know what to do when their peers are feeling stressed.
To make life a little easier, I’ve included 3 of my favorite Stress Less strategies for you below.
Stress Less #1 – Help them reset their body.
Sales puts a lot of attention on potential outcomes that may or may not happen.
Uncertainty about the future fuels anxiety, which causes many sellers to lose touch with what they’re feeling in the present moment.
Shoulders tense up.
Breathing becomes shallow.
Heart rates pump faster.
Regardless of what challenges our peers are facing, helping them reset their body is priority number one.
Action item: Take the focus off of future outcomes and ask them to identify where their body is holding onto stress. Common places might be the shoulders, chest, the face or in and around the stomach.
To make this easier, try sharing this 6-minute progressive relaxation technique that will guide them through releasing uncomfortable tension from their body.
A breathing exercise like this one (Inhale for 4 seconds, Exhale for 6 seconds) can also slow down their heart rate and reset their nervous system.
Stress Less #2 – Provide them with choices.
High levels of anxiety can feel paralyzing because in this state, sellers will often believe the worst possible outcome will happen with 100% certainty.
As a result, the only choice they feel like they have is working more.
Action item: Help your teammate feel more empowered by providing them with additional choices.
Here is an easy script you can follow to do this effectively:
“What do you need right now?Do you need me to listen or to provide advice?I also understand this might be a difficult question to answer right now, so we can always start by going for a walk or getting you a glass of water if you think that might help.”
Providing them with additional choices can help them feel less guilty taking a break, while asking them what they need, versus telling them what to do, will help them feel supported.
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Stress Less #3 – Help them label their emotions.
Emotional Illiteracy is defined as being unable to put our emotions into words. This creates a scary feeling of being unsafe in our own skin.
When someone tells us their “anxious” or “stressed”, these are usually catch all terms that indicate someone is having trouble communicating what they’re experiencing emotionally.
Sellers may say they’re feeling anxious, when in fact they could be feeling a mix of fear, guilt, shame, embarrassment, envy, bitterness and jealousy.
All at the same time.
Action item: Help them pull apart their “anxiety” or “stress” and label each emotion (this Emotions Wheel will help).
Then give them time to sit with each emotion individually and journal about what might be causing them.
As the authors of Big Feelings pointed out:
“Strong emotions that cause a physical sensation in your body last about 90 seconds. Pause and sit with those emotions, otherwise they’ll continue to loop.”
This means emotions like any experience, have a beginning, middle and end. Knowing there is an end and how to get there can make all the difference.
If you enjoyed these strategies, you’ll love my upcoming book Stress Less, Sell More (Out February 1st) which has 220 MORE ways to maximize your mental performance in 2023.
About The Author
Jeff Riseley is currently the Founder of the Sales Health Alliance and Mental Health Advocate. With over a decade of sales experience – Jeff understands the importance of Mental Health in achieving peak sales performance.
Jeff combines his sales and Mental Health expertise to improve sales performance through mental health best practices. His strategies have helped sales teams become more motivated, resilient and better equipped to tackle stressful events within sales.
