These last few weeks it seems the amount of people posting statuses about vacationing has skyrocketed. Good for them – I’m jealous. Throughout the year, we all look forward to our vacations because we want a break from the daily grind. Day in and day out we work hard Monday through Friday, and get burnt out from the repetitiveness and stressors of work. Vacations allow us to change up our routines and result in us feeling refreshed and ready to get back to work when we return.
This theory reminds me a lot of what happens when inside sales reps get burnt out. It’s crucial to recognize when they are reaching their limit and to make a plan to switch up their days so they can, in a sense, feel charged and refreshed like we do after vacationing.
Sometimes, the inside sales reps that may fall into this category don’t always come out and say they want a change. As a result, it’s important as a sales manager to recognize behaviors and know when the right time is to change their routines. Something to look for is a rep who might not be excelling like they used to when it comes to hitting their quotas and their numbers have reached a plateau. Maybe they are showing up a little later than usual to work and leaving earlier instead of staying late like you were accustomed to seeing from them. Perhaps their overall attitude is no longer as positive as it used to be. Or, maybe they’ve just been with you for a long time. All of these are typically red flags that your inside sales rep might be getting stuck in their routine – or worse, just burnt out in general.
So how can you be proactive about fixing this problem? Here are some ideas that you can use to get your reps feeling recharged and back to their old selves:
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Offer them the opportunity to switch the product, service, or project they are calling for
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Give them the ability to support and work alongside a different outside sales rep
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Have them call a different territory
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If you call internationally, switch their hours so they can come in earlier in the morning and get out earlier to enjoy more of the afternoon out of work
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Delegate more tasks to them to help out the team, whether you have them add value to your training program or have them help you with reporting. (You will be surprised how excited your reps get about taking on more responsibilities.)
These are all great ways to keep your reps engaged when they feel stuck in the same regime. Sometimes it’s just time to recharge the batteries. Outside of having them take a vacation, what are some ideas that you would add to the list?
