Avoid Sales Burnout: Lessons Learned from Death of a Salesman

Arthur Miller's 1949 play "Death of a Salesman" is about what happens when a salesman, Willy Loman, fails to accept the changes happening within himself and the society around him. A self-centered man who fails to appreciate his wife, he also suffers from an inability to acknowledge his own limited success. The play demonstrates how a person’s self-perpetual denial can impact those around him, and include them. Ultimately, Willy’s tragic end is the failure to realize the American dream (and a really bad case of sales burnout).

Arthur Miller said in 2001 that Willie Loman's situation was more common than it was when he wrote the play: “A lot of people are eliminated earlier from the productive life in this society than they used to be.” And today, with constantly changing technology, a sea of competition, diversity of platforms, multiplicity of mediums, and spheres of social networking, as well as the relentless drive to do things faster and faster, all are putting unbearable pressures on salespeople.

Read the top advice for new sales reps. Read this blog.

Today, many men and women in sales are avoiding the mirror, believing, like Willy, that their inability to achieve their ideal of financial success is somehow a reflection of their own self-worth. To learn from Miller’s play and avoid Willy’s fate, today’s salespeople should be aware of the following problems listed in this Criteria for Success article, which include:

1. Not successfully overcoming self-limiting beliefs
2. Focusing on the self instead of the buyer
3. Too focused on their own agenda versus the client’s objectives
4. Not learning from each other and not sharing best-selling practices
5. Not working effectively with the management and other parts of the company to get the support needed
6. Not using internal systems, such as CRM systems, to effectively manage the sales pipeline and process

An article in Forbes offered the following as being among the signs of sales burnout:

1. Exhaustion: Feeling tired all the time—emotionally, mentally, or physically—and not having any energy, or being completely spent.
2. Lack of Motivation: Not feeling enthusiastic about anything anymore or lacking internal motivation. It may be harder to get started in the morning, and it may feel like you have to drag yourself to work.
3. Frustration: You may feel disillusioned and fighting the feeling that your work doesn’t matter. You might be more pessimistic than usual about your work and your contributions.
4. Interpersonal Problems at Home and at Work: Experiencing more conflicts with others, such as getting into arguments or withdrawing, and talking to coworkers and family members less frequently. You’re there physically but not mentally.
5. Not Taking Care of Yourself: Drinking or smoking too much, being sedentary for long periods of time, poor eating habits (eating too little or eating too much junk food), or lack of sleep.

If you are experiencing sales burnout or feeling stressed about the world in general, Forbes included the following as suggestions for what to do about it:

1. Take Relaxation Seriously: Meditation, listening to music, reading a book, taking a walk, or visiting with friends and family—designate time for it. If music helps you reset, these apps for music make it simple to cue calming playlists during breaks.
2. Cultivating a Rich Non-Work Life: Find something outside of work to be passionate about that's challenging and engaging—i.e., a hobby, sport, fitness activities, volunteering in the community.
3. Unplug: Don't let work stress seep into family and vacation time—set boundaries by turning off cell phones at dinner and delegating certain times to check email.
4. Get Enough Sleep: Research suggests that having fewer than six hours of sleep per night is a major risk factor for burnout—poor sleep can have negative effects on job performance and productivity. It can lead to fatigue, decreased motivation, and impaired mental function.

In Willy Loman, Arthur Miller gives the audience — and certainly today’s salespeople — someone with whom they can relate. This is someone who fears being left behind in the rapidly changing times. So, today’s salespeople should heed Miller’s warning — take care of themselves, remain in step with the times and in tune with others. Avoid tragedy (and sales burnout) and enjoy prosperity instead.

Reach out to us here at Koncert today to see how to help your sales reps, SDRs, and BDRs make their job less stressful and reduce their chance of sales burnout with the combination of a multi-channel sales cadence, including email, phone, video, text, and social touches, and sales dialers. Simply click here or give us a call at 800-955-5040.