The relation between sales and mental health has always been fairly controversial due to the nature of the job. 
Sales representatives are continuously exposed to a wide range of stressors, which makes them an easy target for issues like burnout, anxiety and depression. 

Statistically, over 40% of sales people experience mental health problems, and if we consider entry-level roles the percentage is even higher (above 50%). On top of that, the best performers seem to be as exposed as the rest of their team, if not more. 

In this episode of the Stepsero podcast we are joined by Jeff Riseley, a people leader with extensive experience in the field of mental health.

Based on his own research, Jeff shares interesting insights about the triggers that sales people commonly experience. Among these, “micro management” and “missing the target” top the list of stressors, while “getting rejected” seems to be the last concern on their minds, likely due to the levels of resilience that professionals in the front lines build over time.

What can leaders do?

According to Jeff, it makes sense for leaders to avoid approaching the whole organization at once. Sales teams are used to being evaluated on specific indicators, therefore making it easier to measure the effect that improvements on their mental health have on performance metrics.
A good way to go about this is by focusing on two main areas:

• Self-care – by building healthy habits around sleep, nutrition, and self-esteem, among others.
• Stress-management – by helping individuals respond to stressful situations in a mentally healthy way. In this regard, leaders can help employees navigate strong emotions and rebuild themselves from the ground up.