Many of us do not know how to properly respond to good news we hear and miss the opportunity to support Mental Health within our teams.
For example – Someone on your team shares with you that they just closed a BIG deal that they had been working on for weeks.
What’s the best way to respond?
How you respond in situations like this throughout the day are opportunities to help deepen your relationships with your peers and develop a more supportive mental health environment.
Sales is stressful and at any given time 43% of your team may be struggling with their Mental Health. Capitalizing on these micro positive moments consistently as a team can be an easy way to move the needle and support Mental Health.
Here are 5 possible ways to respond to ensure you’re more mindful of choosing the best one.
1 – Active Destructive
You belittle the news.
“You just got lucky on that one. Plus working with that client long term is going to cause you a lot of stress.”
2 – Passive Destructive
You ignore the news and shift focus to yourself.
“I just closed the biggest deal in company history!”
3 – Passive
You barely acknowledge the news.
“Nice!”
It should be clear that you definitely should AVOID responding to your peer in any of these first three ways.
Here are 2 ways you should respond instead, that will better support Mental Health:
4 – Passive Constructive
You support them, but schedule a better time to discuss in detail.
“That’s so exciting to hear that deal closed. I’m really busy at the moment, but can you tell me more about it later? I really want to hear what happened”
5 – Active Constructive (Best Way to Support Mental Health)
You immediately support them and ask questions.
“That’s AMAZING news! Tell me everything… How did it go down?”
By responding in a constructive fashion and supporting your peer you give life to the story. You help create a positive moment in time where you can both improve your well-being by hearing and discussing some good news.
Now here is what you can do if you really want to make someones day…
Bonus Way to Support Mental Health – Recognition
You recognize and celebrate someones work before they tell you.
“I saw how much effort you put into trying to implement the feedback I gave you on your pitch… that was awesome.”
Sales can feel pretty lonely at times. Especially when we’ve encountered a few deals or calls that didn’t bounce our way.
All it takes is for someone to recognize the effort and growth we’ve made through doing something hard – but failing – that makes the daily grind in sales all worth it.
Today’s Sales Mental Health Exercise
When someone tells you good news today – actively try to respond by being Actively Constructive (#5).
Alternatively – if someone on your team has done something really challenging lately, reach out and let them know you recognize how much effort, learning and growth they are experiencing.
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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 (Sales Knowledge Institute) and Mental Health expertise to improve sales performance through a mix of sales mentorship and mental health best practices. His strategies have helped sales teams improve their sales process, while helping them become more motivated, resilient and better equipped to tackle stressful events within sales.
He is currently delivering these strategies through on-site workshops, coaching and speaking engagements. To explore working with Jeff contact him at [email protected]
