Early Warning Signs of Burnout

by Ann Barr
 

Recently I spoke with the manager of a very successful telephone sales department. He told me that his top telephone sales person - who makes from 75 to 100 outbound calls every day, and consistently sells between $75,000 and $100,00 a month in imaging supplies each month - had become ill and was recovering at home.  Her doctor – after learning about her daily work schedule - diagnosed her condition as the result of burnout.

      Burnout is not something to be taken lightly.  It can affect all areas of the victim’s life.  Anyone who has worked very hard, put in a huge effort and been successful in telephone sales for more than a year, could be a candidate for burnout. 

     The definition of burnout, from Webster’s College Dictionary:  “The termination of effective combustion in a rocket engine, due to exhaustion of propellant,” and (more appropriate to telephone sales) “Fatigue, frustration or apathy resulting from prolonged stress or overwork or intense activity.” 

Symptoms

     Are you wondering whether or not you could be a victim of burnout?  Here are some of the symptoms:

          l  Constant exhaustion

          l  Forgetfulness

          l  Boredom

          l  Impatience

          l  Irritability

Profile of a Burnout Candidate

          1.)  An over achiever who has an extremely full schedule and has
                a difficult time saying no when asked to do more.

          2.)  A person who does not delegate.  They do almost everything
                themselves because they want things done right and on time.

If the burnout victim is a telephone sales person, the signs of telephone burnout are obvious.

Warning Signs

   1. Finding every possible excuse NOT to make phone calls.

 

   2. Inventing tasks that will not leave time to make outgoing calls.

 

   3. Leaving the office to call on customers that don’t really need to be called on.

 

   4. Becoming physically ill.

If you find yourself experiencing these four symptoms, take a day away from the telephones. Update your files or work on composing a good targeted e-mail message to your customers or an effective direct-mail letter, but get away from the telephones for one full day.  Better yet:  take two full days away from the telephones.

Burnout Factor

     One habit of chronic workaholics can be a factor in burnout:  Eating lunch at your desk.  Everyone needs a break during the day.  If you are brown-bagging it or ordering lunch in and eating at your desk, make it a practice to get out of the office for 15 or 20 minutes and take a walk to recharge your mental batteries.

 Make it Easier on Yourself

An effective way to reduce stress while making outbound telephone sales calls:  Make half of your phone calls standing up. 

Reasons:

1.  Standing will reduce the fatigue that comes from sitting too long, by boosting blood circulation to your back and legs.

 

2.  Physically, the voice sounds a little different when you stand up; also, you will feel more in control and your voice will sound better.

 

3.  If you feel tired - and sound tired - standing up while making phone calls actually seems to give you more energy and you will feel and sound more energetic.

How Many Calls?

How do you learn how many phone calls can result in telephone burnout? By on the job experience, and trial and error.

Each person is different; I've known sales reps that can make 50 to 75 phone calls a day, 5 days a week - and not burn out.

On the other hand: Unless your time is managed very well, you may not have the time to check on back orders and update files in order to keep accurate records if you are making 75 calls a day. And not everyone can sound as cheerful, positive and energetic on the 75th phone call as on the first call.

The number of calls you make during the day depends upon the other duties and responsibilities you have.

The person who has numerous responsibilities other than placing outbound sales calls usually cannot make 50 to 60 outgoing calls a day, although I've known a few people who do all of this and more without burning out.  (If you are a sales manager and there is a person like this in your office, make sure you reward this valuable employee – with a good compensation plan and recognition.)

If a telephone sales person spends a great deal of time calling different vendors during the day for product information, pricing and availability, daily phone calls may not reach above the 20 to 30-call level.

If your main responsibility is to make outgoing telephone calls, input orders into the computer and you have few back-order or delivery problems, you should be able to complete between 45 and 75 calls every day. But get up, walk around and take a short break once every hour to avoid feeling stressed out.

Perspective

If you try too hard to be successful at the expense of other areas in your life, it may only be a matter of time before you burn out.  If you keep your goals in perspective and follow the recommendations in this article, you can prevent burnout and still be successful.

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Ann Barr is a consultant and sales trainer who has

written eight books on sales and marketing
available on her web site www.sellingsupplies.com