Sales leaders can often be hesitant to invest into Mental Health and wellness initiatives for their teams. In my experience, the hesitation often comes from the uncertainty surrounding two primary questions:
- Do wellness initiatives actually work at improving Mental Health in sales?
- What impact will a wellness initiative have on my team?
In this post, we’ll explore some of the latest data on this topic and answer these questions. If you’re looking for a TL/DR answer: Yes wellness initiatives work and the impact they have on areas commonly overlooked in sales can be huge.
Do wellness initiatives work for sales teams?
According to the World Health Organization, the potential ROI from investing into better Mental Health support is huge. Their data showed, every $1 invested into scaling up treatment for depression and anxiety leads to a $4 return in better health and ability to work.
There are also significant risks and downsides for companies who neglect Mental Health and wellness initiatives. For example, according to one recent survey, 70% of employees said they would quit if another employer offered better policies to reduce burnout.
You’re probably thinking…
But those are average workplace numbers, what about sales specifically?
Well in the 2021 State Of Mental Health in Sales report we completed with UNCrushed, we found a a strong positive correlation between wellness initiatives and Mental Health.
Among salespeople who felt strongly that their company was prioritizing burnout and wellness initiatives; 63% rated their Mental Health as Good, Very Good or Excellent. This was over 2X higher than salespeople working at companies who felt like wellness and burnout initiatives were being neglected.
Within these sales organizations that were least focused on wellness and Mental Health; only 26% of salespeople rated their Mental Health as Good or better.
This connection between wellness initiatives and Mental Health is an important finding because our data also showed a correlation between Mental Health and sales performance.
Among salespeople who rated their Mental Health as Very Good or Excellent; 70% rated their sales performance as Very Good or Excellent. This was over 3X higher than salespeople with the worst Mental Heath, of whom, only 22% rated their sales performance as Very Good or Excellent.
Though we cannot claim “causation” with this data, there is a strong correlation between Mental Health and sales performance that shouldn’t be overlooked.
As Mental Health improves, sales performance increases significantly.
What impact do wellness initiatives have on sales teams?
Now that we have macro understanding of the impact wellness initiatives have on Mental Health, lets look at the impact they have on a smaller scale.
In August 2021, I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with a sales team at a large software company. Over 150 salespeople went through the 5-Week program I created to improve sales performance through better Mental Health.
Here is the data from the feedback form following this wellness initiative:
- 100% of those who responded rated the material shared during the program as useful.
- 100% of those who responded would recommend the program to a friend.
- 87% of those who responded felt more comfortable talking about Mental Health with their team.
- 84% of those who responded thought what they learned would help them perform better.
- 76% of those who responded felt more equipped to manage stress levels and Mental Health.
Overall the program received a 4.8 out of 5 star rating.
The feedback form also captured messages from sales reps and leaders that moves beyond the data. These comments help deepen our understanding of the impact a wellness initiative can have on Mental Health in sales.
Some Sales Leader Comments:
This program was such a big help to not just my mental health, but the mental health of my team. Not only are people feeling less stressed at work, but they feel more open to talking about mental health in general. I give this program an A+! – Inside Sales Manager
“I really enjoyed the program and believe every company should invest in a program like this. Not only do I have lifetime tools to use, I feel like I can better navigate my thoughts and mindset after going through this program.” – Team Lead
“We absolutely loved the program as it brought something to the forefront that is rarely discussed in the workplace. The mental aspect of a sales job is one of the most important factors between success and failure and the power of having a positive mindset that Jeff brought to his presentations are extremely important.” – Inside Sales Manager
Some Sales Rep Comments:
” Jeff and The Sales Health Alliance program helped to normalize the ups and downs that a rep can feel working in sales. Since attending his program I have already felt more balanced emotionally in my day to day activities at work. I look forward to continuing to implement these plans and processes.” – Account Executive
“Mental health is very important, but this is the first time I was able to put language around why mental health in sales can be so difficult.” – Account Executive
“I have struggled and still do with Mental health and it was very instrumental for me to learn not only from Jeff tools but learn from others how they deal with their challenges.” – Account Executive
“Real power comes from being able to be honest with ourselves and understand what we do or say or act that can create negative feelings. I absolutely feel more empowered to perform in my role at a higher level and with more confidence and less fear having spent time with Jeff and his presentations. Thank you so much!” – Account Executive
Next Steps
I understand that this post may be perceived as super salesy.
I assure you that the purpose behind sharing this data is less about winning a new client and more about sharing how impactful wellness initiatives can actually be.
Prioritizing Mental Health and Wellness in sales works.
We can no longer consider these topics an afterthought if we truly desire peak performance from our salespeople. Learning how to effectively manage stress and have vulnerable conversations need to be top of mind for sales leaders and teams.
If this post has inspired you to explore this topic with your own team, feel free to explore some of the training options the Sales Health Alliance provides by clicking the link below.
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.
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