Sales team burnout, discontent on the rise

When Monday morning rolls around and members of a company’s sales team seem to slowly meander into the office with no smile and eyes half-shut, some employers might attribute it to a long weekend that ended too soon. But if that demeanor continues throughout the week, employers might want to take note.

?About 5 percent of all employers are in tune with employees,? said Cathleen Hight, owner of Superior-based Hight Performance Group Inc., a consulting firm that specializes in business performance improvement. ?Salespeople are covering more territory. They don’t always have the resources they need. Most companies in the past year have been trying to do more (work) with less (employees).?

The number of employees experiencing low motivation and job burnout is on the rise, particularly in the sales industry, said Barbara Truan, owner of Boulder-based Renaissance Management. Nearly one-third of all new employees are looking for another position within the first year of employment, she said. Red flags most employers don’t notice include lower sales volume, lack of energy or friendliness around the office, lack of efficiency, less interest in the product and attendance, she said.

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?The key that turns the wheels of motivation is the same key that can turn an employee’s engine off. Two-way communication (between the employee and employer) is the key,? Truan said. ?Money is important, but it isn’t the only thing.?

Annette Smith, manager of marketing communications for Boulder-based Exabyte Corp., has seen two distinct signs of burnout in her company’s salesforce: Employees who often call the office with mundane questions or, if they work outside of the office, they don’t communicate with the main office for a few weeks.

?Whatever they do that’s not their normal character is a good sign they are getting burned out or frustrated or whatever,? she said. Smith works with about 50 salespeople worldwide, including the dozen front-line support staff in the Boulder office.

Although a number of factors can contribute to lack of motivation, money is not necessarily the driving force resulting in a successful sales staff. Some employees are motivated by freedom, while others need to be micromanaged. One employee might see money as a motivating factor while another is seeking job security and longevity. Knowing an employee’s needs before hiring them and having the ability to address those needs can assist the employer in setting goals for that employee and avoid burnout.

?Salespeople are more motivated by the monetary side of things more than anything,? said Karen Martin, owner of Flight Trak Inc., whose company distributes software to corporate aviation departments. ?They need to see that their hard work is going to end up giving them a reward.?

Although added monetary compensation would be desirable, Smith said, conditions are different now since there is less money to distribute to a sales staff. Companies are buying less products from other companies. Sales revenues are down in many industries, and downsizing has, once again, taken a front seat.

?Every dollar has to count,? Martin said. ?If employee communication is open in both directions, if they feel management is being straightforward and can have some input if something goes wrong, then that’s a fair amount of the motivation.?

Martin and Smith advocate the importance of intangible rewards such as working out of the home, providing flexible work hours and knowing that customer feedback is being heard. Martin frequently employs the services of Boulder-based Sales Partnership, an outsource sales company that typically contracts with high-technology firms.

?Keeping people motivated is critical,? said Sales Partnership President Fred Kessler. ?If you don’t invest in your salespeople, they will leave you. And I don’t blame them.?

One way to keep a sales staff motivated is to keep them informed as to where the income is spent, Kessler said. They also should receive periodic training and technical support, as well as appropriate compensation in the form of money, stocks options or other incentives such as vacations or baseball game tickets. While this employee is on vacation or at a ballgame, they can think about where the bonus came from and how they achieved it. That, he said, builds company loyalty.

Smith has found, however, that the greatest motivating factor is to provide the staff with needed tools such as current product information and technical training. Sales associates also need to establish camaraderie with fellow workers ?to share war stories,? she said.

Incentives offered by Electronic Data Systems Inc. include time off to volunteer with area organizations associated with the company as well as periodically bringing in motivational speakers. The Plano, Texas-based information technology systems company with offices in Broomfield, Louisville and Longmont also offers generous incentive packages, said EDS spokeswoman Joni Goheen, such as time off for holidays and vacations.

Although incentives such as vacations were given in the past, Smith has found that Exabyte sales employees appreciated a break from their normal routine. For example, if the sales associate spent a lot of time away from home, they might appreciate working closer to home for a while.

But no matter how much effort a company might put into motivating its sales staff, turnover will happen. Hight believes that when the economy changes by the end of the year and business picks up, a large number of unmotivated or burned-out sales staff will be hitting the streets, looking for a position in a company where they receive better incentives — not only additional money.

?Money is more of a satisfier or dissatisfier than a motivator,? said Hight. ?Employees want to make a difference ? be part of a team ? (receive) recognition. If these are in place, then (an employer can) add money.?