In this blog, I will share with you the shocking impact that difficult, uncontrollable situations can have on our mental health and how this can impact salespeople’s effectiveness. I will reveal some solutions to the individual’s effectiveness and how they can get build a can-do attitude and a resilient mindset.
Firstly, let us look at the facts on how difficult times impact the mental state of people:
- Higher proportions of young people age 18-24 are affected(47%) compared to the adult population overall (26%)
- The proportion of people reporting financial concerns was young people age 25-34 (41%) than for the overall adult population (29%) (stats from mentalhealth.org.uk)
- 75% of Generation Z left a job partly because of mental health issues compared to 20% of the general population (Harvard Business Review)
In summary, we can see that young people have received the most blows to their mental health and have experienced increased anxiety during these difficult times. They have seen their parents struggle through a prolonged recession. This started in 2008 that was shortly followed by the fear of Brexit and now COVID-19. Everything really does come in threes! We have seen over twelve years of challenges in total! Therefore it is understandable that it is harder than ever now to have a positive mindset after such a long period of uncertainty and economic instability.
How does the current situation specifically impact the mindset of salespeople?
Most salespeople (especially the younger age group) embrace a team environment and thrive from a work-hard, and play-hard ethos. They benefit from small doses of office banter with a ‘get our heads down and compete with each other’ focus. When you surround yourself with like-minded people or people in similar roles you feel you can bounce ideas off each other and get support. You can pick each other up when you are feeling low, you receive an injection of positivity when someone gets an order or has a new idea that works well. When this is face-to-face it is easy, it’s not quite so easy when you are working remotely. Covid-19 has forced many businesses to deploy people remotely, so they are working from home. They can feel lonely, isolated, and easily distracted by negative thoughts or uncontrollable disruptions.
How can salespeople stay positive and develop a can-do attitude during difficult times?
Focus on what you can control and not what you cannot control
If you cannot control it then assess how you can manage it or overcome that challenge. Why waste mental energy going into a spiral of doom when you do not need to? When was the last time you watched the news and there was anything positive? The media thrive on whatever gets the most views or readership, inevitably most news is bad news in the current climate. They tell you how bad everything is but cannot provide a solution. This instils a negative mindset.
‘Fear and depression can make you feel powerless. Additionally, your anxious brain and depression can conspire against you to highlight how your life is worse and limited’ (Kevin Foss MFT, Psychology Today).
Working remotely is difficult and it is easy to focus on the negatives, however, there are many positives. If you are still working and your company is surviving, or even better thriving during these difficult times, then that is the first tick in the box.
I have listed some positives here:
- No travel time so you get an extra lie in bed or can get some exercise, walk the dog or whatever you want. Assess how this has positively impacted your personal life.
- You are treated with respect and trust; this gives you more empowerment than you had in the office
- Less stress – no need to commute each day so you can be productive, feeling full of energy and positivity due to not having to travel to and from work
- Potentially there is less competition as, some businesses, unfortunately, will not survive these difficult times or they may not be able to supply goods or services to customers when they need them, which means they are more open to new suppliers and you could gain more business from existing suppliers that use multiple suppliers.
Keep connected and inspired by other people
Do not disconnect from people just because you cannot see them in person. Create some regular or scheduled calls or meetups on Zoom or live sessions with like-minded people. These people can be work colleagues and community groups of people with similar aspirations or roles. Take time to get a daily dose of inspiration or learn something new.
When you learn something new it is exhilarating and makes you more employable because it enhances your skills. Employers love people who invest in their own learning and development. You can never stop learning if you want to always take yourself out of your comfort zone. Be at the top on the sales league table and maximise your bonuses. Ensure you invest time in gaining sales training as well as improving your communication and influencing skills. Ensure you surround yourself with like-minded people and join communities with common goals.
Genzy Talent Academy provides a wide range of training courses for all the skills you need to skyrocket your success in sales or gig work. Affordable membership is available so you stay connected and supported pre and during your sales career.
This article has been written by Debbie Sweeney, Founder, industry expert, and trainer at Genzy Talent Academy. Follow Debbie for more top tips to help you become more successful in life, sales, and gig work.
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Other resources:
- https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/research/coronavirus-mental-health-pandemic- May 2020
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/stronger-fear/202003/how-stay-positive-during-the-pandemic