In a hyper-competitive industry filled with giants, we need Millennials with superior sales acumen. But as wise leaders, we also have a responsibility towards the well-being of our up-and-coming sales leaders.

My husband, Gordon, and I, love to go on long motorcycle trips. Right now we are on the road again to witness the gorgeous explosion of red, orange, and yellow on the maple trees of Vermont. Yes, we are ‘leaf peepers’, as some of the locals call us!

I’m the passenger and Gordon is the driver. I’m always worried that it might be too stressful for him to do these long distances. He just laughs and says, ‘This is the good kind of stress!’  But there’s a different kind of “bad” stress that’s affecting the sales performance of our up-and-coming sales leaders.

What are you doing to help your Millennial Sales Leaders to beat workplace burnout?

The world of sales is extremely stressful. In a hyper-competitive industry filled with giants, we need Millennials with superior sales acumen. But as wise leaders, we also have a responsibility towards the well-being of our up-and-coming sales leaders. Maximizing productivity and minimizing workplace burnout at the same time?  That sounds like a paradox!

There are three hidden sales weaknesses that negatively impact your up-and-coming leader’s sales results:

• An unhealthy need to be liked by their prospects stops them from uncovering their client’s genuine business needs.
• Struggling to contain their emotions during difficult sales calls causes them to lose their stay-in-the-moment listening advantage.
• The inability to talk about money with prospects. This sales weakness disrupts your Millennial sales leader’s journey to discovering the connection between purpose and product.

As business leaders, you should use strategies to inspire your salespeople to sell with passion and purpose. The connection between what they are doing each day and how that serves a higher purpose is important. It enables your Millennial sales leader to take market share and grow – even during a market downturn.

But, with all the talk about strategies to boost our emerging sales leader’s performance, do we know what’s happening on the inside? Out-of-control stress is a debilitating challenge for many Millennial sales leaders. An article on Gallup reports on the findings of a recent study of nearly 7,500 full-time U.S. employees. They found that 28% of Millennials claimed to experience frequent or constant burnout at work, compared with 21% of workers in older generations.

How might you assist your Millennial sales leader to deal with high-stress sales scenarios?

The impact of workplace burnout on your sales growth

In small doses, stress can propel your Millennial sales leader to perform under pressure. It keeps them on their toes during a presentation and sharpens concentration. However, beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful. It can cause major damage to health, mood, productivity, relationships, and quality of life.

Workplace burnout might impact your emerging sales leader’s performance in different ways. Here are some of the telltale signs.

They are more likely to:

• take a sick-day;
• leave their current employer; and/or
• develop a mindset that focuses on coping with problems rather than discovering creative solutions for the challenges they encounter in their work.

How do we accomplish our growth goals without sending our Millennial sales leader to the point of burnout?

• Create a Psychological Buffer. Your emerging sales leader needs support and frequent communication.  You want him or her to know that, even if something goes wrong, you are in their corner. The Gallup article reports that employees who strongly agree that they feel supported by their manager are about 70% less likely to experience workplace burnout on a regular basis.
• Connect your company vision with a higher purpose. Understanding the meaning and purpose of their work is important to Millennials. In Millennials Matter I provide tips and tools to make the connection. Show them how the work they are doing is making a difference beyond the company’s growth goals. This connection transforms a stressed-out sales mind to a selling-with-meaning-and-purpose mindset.

• Celebrate Small Steps. Your up-and-coming sales leader needs attainable goals. If they feel overwhelmed by their targets, they are more likely to succumb to workplace burnout.
• Reflect regularly (daily/weekly/ monthly) on the skills they’re strengthening and the knowledge they’re gaining. Celebrate their successes, and then talk through the next steps they can take. This process gives them the opportunity to report their progress to you. Then you can encourage them and collaborate on more potential next steps.

“Outstanding insights that are applicable to anyone with Millennials in their life. While focused on the traditional sales market, the insights in the book apply to all people and all industries.” ~ Shari Levitin, Sales Strategist Writer.

Use your experience to show your up-and-coming sales leader how they can sell with passion and purpose. This solid foundation will connect their ordinary work with a higher purpose.

At the same time, it maximizes their sales acumen and  they will be better equipped to deal with high-stress situations that might lead to workplace burnout.