Those people who truly know me know I love Stoic philosophy. It is another thing to employ this in my life, however. Sometimes the stresses of life get in the way, and the calmness you aspire to devolves into chaos and acting more rashly than you probably intended. In this industry it is likely that you may:

• Deal with an unreasonable customer
• Deal with an unreasonable desk adjuster
• Be called out for an emergency water mitigation project
• Need to crash out an estimate
• Have an employee call out because they are sick

This will all happen prior to me getting my peanut butter and jelly sandwich with Flaming Hot Cheetos for lunch. This starts the mental health struggle we all deal with. The question becomes, how do you deal with it all?

Pressure is Inherent, Stress is Not Inevitable 

I’ve been fortunate to be a part of both the smaller and larger companies in this industry, but the struggles do not change; they just get bigger. 

The onus is on each of us to seek help when we need it. We must be responsible for our mental health. That does not mean we will not feel pressure; pressure is inherent. We all have pressures, but the problems start when we do not address the problems. Failing to address the problems leads to stress. Stress can manifest with many different tangible health risks.   According to the Mayo Clinic, stress can lead to:

• Anxiety and depression
• Sleep problems
• Blood pressure spikes 
• Heart disease, heart attack, and stroke 

They go on to list upset stomach, pain or tension in muscles, loss of sexual function, irritability which can lead to over- or under-eating, withdrawing from people, and drinking more alcohol. 

In short, stress is a killer.

Turning Awareness into Action

I want to tie the first part of this to the second part and provide some solutions first for the technician leader, and then for the owner or more advanced leader in the organization. Sales folks, I have not forgotten about you either.

Technician Leaders: Asking for help is Not Weakness

You are not weak for asking for help. Speak with your supervisor/owner and discuss the challenges. They may have an order of attack for you, or they may be able to take something off your plate. You are not expected to be superhuman. If you do not relay this information to your leaders, they will not know. Eventually, they will think you are slacking and you will believe that the owner only cares about money and does not support their people. These leaders are not mind readers. You need to drop the ego and have the conversation.

Owners and Advanced Leaders: Serve First, Lead Second

When your people come to you with their concerns, you need to take it seriously. It is important to understand that there is no such thing as a bulletproof employee. Some of us are a bit older. I am Gen X and come from the “rub-some-dirt-on-it generation.” Early on, I had the idea that I needed to just shove the feelings down and it would be fine, because real men did not need to talk to people. We would just tough it out because we could “take it.” 

A few years later, I found myself talking with a mental health professional that helped me understand that the problems I had were not unique to me and could be treated through talking to people and being more transparent about my needs and my mental health. We must consider the people that support us in the mission of growing this business.  

A leader must FIRST serve their people. If they need support, you need to take it seriously and investigate the situation.  

The Socratic Method

Asking questions is a great place to start. Start by trying to understand their situation before plowing into solutions. The Socratic Method is a proactive approach to asking questions. It helps people find the solution to their own problems and leave them better equipped in the future to solve their issues.

Sales Professionals: Seen, Heard, and Understood

I promised you that you would not be forgotten. If you’ve never been a salesperson, business developer, account manager, or whatever fancy titles that are given, then some of this will not make sense. In our industry, business development reps are trying to create awareness that will drive future needs. 

Whether it’s cleaning or restoration needs, we are trying to create urgency of need, whether the target prospect knows it or not. Now let’s be real. When we hire a new salesperson with no industry experience, it will take between six and nine months for that person to start generating business with some regularity and a year to be able to pay for themselves. If they have industry experience and a book of business, this will speed up some, but not as fast as some leaders think it should. That salesperson needs to be able to tell them why they can trust your company over the company that has given them good service in the past. This can take a while to move these past customers of the sales representative to the new company. 

The Unique Challenges Sales Face

First, how do we support business developers who often make 200 or more calls before getting a single opportunity? Seasoned sales reps will understand this happens, but new reps can take this as personal rejection or failure. As leaders we need to continue to make sure that they are marketing high-value contacts and that they understand this is not an indictment on them. I understand this may feel like a pain for leaders, but we have a responsibility to lead with integrity and help our team members with those doubts that all business developers deal with.

Next, we must understand that the budget is important, but so is the activity. As I alluded to prior, salespeople should be led by activity early on, more than the budget. If you start hanging a budget over their heads from day one, they will feel uneasy and tend to press customers harder. Pressing customers may be very unwelcome and may impact the lack of opportunities that come in the future. No one likes a pushy salesperson. Maintain a culture that supports team members that will support your customers

Finally, salespeople do not become lazy. Once you cut corners, you are done. This will impact the way you look at yourself and what you do. Give all that you can, whenever you can, to help all that you can. You can support people by doing your best, but if you start to cut corners, you will also notice a lack of respect for yourself. 

Building a Strong Support System

Mental health goes deeper than what many of us think. We have the idea that mental health is someone else’s issue, but I am fine. Please make sure that you talk with people. Leaders, be aware of these needs when people come to you. Just as you leaders need to seek help, you need to be able to offer help.   

My Rules for Who Can Help You

My rules for who can offer you help, either leaders or technicians:

• People you trust
• People who will invest in you without looking for anything in return
• People who will be honest with you, even if it hurts

My mother has always told me, “The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.”  Mom is a bit of a wordsmith at 75 years of age. It is serious though. You must be willing to listen to the people who care most for you and are invested in your success. I am fortunate to have family, friends, and members of my team that will do this for me.

A Final Thought

One last thing: stay off social media, and if you can’t, do not use it to argue with people. Protect your health by focusing on things that are lovely and can build you and others up. You are worth so much more than what you can even fathom, and at the very least you can know that I am a fan of yours because you chose a crazy life of service and put your needs firmly on the backburner to support others. For that, thank you!