Sales management training or stress management training?

An arresting headline from MarketWatch, dated May 10^th 2022

“Workplace Stress Management Market is valued approximately USD 7.00 billion in 2020 and is anticipated to grow at a rate of more than 8.5 % over the forecast period 2021-2027.”

It wouldn’t be surprising to learn that the market is being driven by stress in the workplace – in the US, it is suggested that 83% of employees are suffering from work related stress. Here, we know that the cost of sick days attributed to stress and mental health, costs employers £70B + each year.

Exacerbated by the pandemic , COVID has been replaced by the Russia / Ukraine conflict and if you live in Ireland and the UK, there’s always the mis-management by Government to keep your emotional barometer of the charts.

The growing stress management market tells us that mental wellbeing in the workplace has greater prominence than ever before in business and in wider society – the problem was there, well before COVID, but the impact of absenteeism on productivity coupled with the Great Resignation and a less tolerant generation following on our heels, companies that wish to thrive in the times ahead need to take a long hard look at culture and their strategies for recruitment and staff retention.

Recruitment of effective business development staff has never been more challenging. Companies that struggle to present their authentic selves, incentivise through bigger salaries, bonuses or both.

In a cultural void, the prospect in turn accepts the first call from the over promising recruitment consultants and the cycle continues.

What they might not teach you in  sales management training 

Recruiting and retaining good sales staff is getting harder and harder and I still think that we are some way from an AI dominated world.

I’ve heard the comment many times recently that doctors who are trained at medical school for 7 years come out as junior doctors and yet sales people get a few days here and a residential there and are expected to perform at the every highest level, day in and day out?

Skills training is one thing. Building resilience is another.

Showing sales staff – or any employee for that matter – how to deal with the nuances and challenges of everyday life, under even modest pressure, is an entirely different thing.

Mental wellbeing is as important as physical wellbeing – or more so.

In a typical top-level GAA, soccer or rugby match, the time each player spends on / with the ball is remarkably short.

A few minutes at best.

What does the player do the remainder of the time?

They think.

They manage their emotions.

They check in with themselves.

They stay ready for the next phase of play.

Yet in training they will spend a disproportionate amount of time in the gym or practicing game skills.

Sport can often be used as a metaphor for sales (or business) where often in both the battle ground is in the head.

How much time are you (or your business) dedicating to the emotional and mental well-being of your employees?

If you spent more time and money, would it make things better or worse?

Strategically, it’s an investment not an expense.

Shift Control – our work takes us to many different types and sizes of organisations across the island of Ireland (occasionally London.)

We focus on training, performance improvement and skills development for teams and individuals – we deliver sales management training and occasionally we help to transform culture in the workplace.

For a no-obligation, free, consultation email info@shift-control.co.uk