How To Manage Work-Life Balance As A Salesperson
On a general basis, salespeople and 'work-life balance' aren't two things that go together. When you have a career whose performance is based purely on hitting targets—targets that are based on making deals—your week doesn't fit into the norm of your typical position.
This is something most people know when entering the sales world and for most, they're committed to putting in more hours than the average to reap results. Luckily for them, the rewards are incredible, with many salespeople earning plenty to become financially free to buy a house, travel the world, or get their dream car. But what happens when the weight of the role gets in the way of you even enjoying these things?
Burnout is a common thing in any industry, but sales has one of the highest risks. According to a study, 67% of sales and business development professionals were close to burnout because of long working hours and workload (Sales & Profit). Sales has its ups and downs and it definitely requires someone resilient enough to cope... but the stress shouldn't ever get to the point where it's constantly overwhelming you and disrupting your personal life.
But now we get to the difficult question that many salespeople have: "Work-life balance or success at work?"
And unfortunately, many salespeople don't know how to do both.
Prioritise Mental Health
Your mental health is far more important than anything else.
It should be your top priority, never something to push under the rug. A career should never take away your personal family time, time to rest, or mental clarity.
But that’s not all. If you’re someone with high ambitions for your career, prioritising your mental health enhances your performance at work. If you're constantly stressed and overwhelmed, your productivity will inevitably suffer.
Create a Schedule
One of the hardest parts of being a salesperson is balancing all your responsibilities and managing the time each of these things takes.
Yes, overtime is necessary at times, and you may find yourself on a roll where you don't mind working a bit later. Or you've finally been able to secure that client call at 6 PM, so you're going to want to take it.
But if your reasoning for working late is simply because important tasks always end up spilling over till the end of the day, it's time to rethink how you manage your day.
Time management and planning are beneficial but often ignored by salespeople. This is understandable given how fast-paced things can be and how a salesperson's day is rarely linear. However, some tasks are linear, such as:
Organising your CRM
Responding to emails
Following up with prospects
At the start of the day, you probably have an idea of what needs to be done, but often, these tasks get pushed back or not prioritised properly, leading to a frantic end of the day.
Create a rough schedule or priority list for the day/week to give you an idea of what needs to be done, when it needs to get done, and how long you should spend on each task. You can use a notepad or a performance management system like Asana or Trello to track tasks, deadlines, and priorities easily. This reduces the stress of potentially forgetting something you'll have to catch up on later.
A study by Development Academy found that people who “deal with whatever seems most important at the time” feel their work is under control only 1 day a week or not at all, making it the least effective time management strategy (Zoom Shift)
Take Your Annual Leave
On average, you probably have around 28 days of paid annual leave, but that doesn't mean you take them all.
69% of employees don’t take all their annual leave (HR Review)
28% of American employees didn’t take annual leave purely to demonstrate dedication to their job and not be seen as a ‘slacker’ (BBC)
The sales industry is notorious for heavy hustle cultures, leading employees to forgo the time off they need due to the pressure to be 'on the ball.' This pressure can come from an employer, but often, it comes from within. Whether it's worry about how others perceive you or fear of failure, you need to realize how valuable time off is.
Working nonstop, even when feeling burned out, doesn't benefit your career; it only makes things worse. Burnout leads to increased chances of mistakes that can cost you deals. It's better to take the time off and perform at your best level.
Set Boundaries
Now you're taking your annual leave, but you're still non-stop replying to emails. What's the point? For many salespeople, work isn't confined to set hours, and if you're needed, you're going to give your time. This can be good for those who manage their days effectively, but if it leads to never being able to switch off and enjoy time with loved ones, it's unsustainable.
Set boundaries to take time away from work. Some ideas include:
Not checking emails after a certain time in the evenings
Properly handing over tasks to someone else when on annual leave
Not replying to every message while on leave so people know not to contact you
Setting up an 'out of office' response
This allows you to relax when you're supposed to be relaxing. Boundaries may look different for everyone, so find what works for you.
Find a Balance That Works for You
And don't expect that balance to look identical every week. There's a common belief that there's a "perfect" work-life balance, but in reality, it's not one-size-fits-all. Don't think your balance has to look like everyone else's. Your work style and stress tolerance will differ from others.
For example, one person may prefer working less in the evenings to avoid burnout, while their colleague may be more productive during evening hours. Both can achieve a good work-life balance if it suits their individual needs and doesn't cause stress.
Take time to figure out when you're most productive and optimize those periods. Maybe early mornings work best, or evenings fit better due to personal obligations. Understanding your peak productivity times helps you manage the constant demands of sales.
No day looks the same, so don't expect it to. Letting go of the pressure to have identical days makes it easier to manage unexpected tasks when they arise.
- Written by Arun Sutton
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