9 Stats That Prove Your Mood Can Impact Sales Performance

Long hours, aggressive targets, difficult prospects. For many salespeople, it's all in a day's work. But it's also a recipe for stress, frustration, and low morale — which, when left unchecked, can quickly affect sales performance.

It's no surprise that sales is a tough game, making it essential for sales leaders to keep their team's morale high. To get there, you need the right strategies to make a real impact.

Here, we'll discuss everyday stresses facing sales reps and cover six tips to effectively boost your sales floor's mood.

How Mood Impacts Sales [Stats]

• Sales teams with high morale were found 21% more profitable and 17% more productive.
• Highly engaged salespeople achieve a 20% increase in sales.
• Emotional intelligence is responsible for 58% of professional success.
• Salespeople with high EQ bring 2x more revenue than those with low to average emotional intelligence.
• 80% of customers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products and services.
• 75% of long-term job success depends on people skills, while only 25% on technical knowledge.
• 64% percent of customers say providing an excellent experience strengthens their loyalty.
• 61% of buyers have a positive sales experience when the sales rep isn't pushy or aggressive.
• Customers are most motivated to make purchases when they see the sales rep as a trusted adviser who boosts their confidence.

What is affecting salespeople's moods?

As a leader on your team, it's essential to understand the common day-to-day stresses and challenges facing your sales reps. Here, we'll cover three leading sources of stress:

1. Burnout.

Sales is a tough grind. It involves long hours, constant rejection, and an "always-on" attitude — and keeping that pace is stressful. It's no surprise that 67% of salespeople feel close to a burnout.

While stress can be beneficial for some, too much of it can be harmful. The solution is striking a balance between work and rest. As a sales leader, it's essential to recognize signs of burnout, routinely check in with your team, and provide support.

2. Ineffective sales training.

Would you ever coach a sports team without a playbook? Probably not — after all, it defines how to win games and outlines important strategies and plays. Sales training is no different.

Setting up your team for success is paramount, yet most organizations take an informal approach to training — and it usually ends once someone finishes onboarding. Maybe this is why 26% of reps are unhappy with their training.

If your sales team is struggling to meet a standard, it's time to ask yourself some tough questions. For one, are your new (or junior-level) employees starting on a solid foot? Could your more seasoned employees benefit from continuous coaching? What areas (prospecting, nurturing, etc.) need the most improvement? These questions can guide your training and coaching initiatives.

3. A toxic work environment.

43% of salespeople feel their work environment is toxic. This plays a huge role in how much your salespeople sell, how productive they are, and how long they stay with your company.

If your sales culture has gone sour, the worst thing you can do is stand by hoping for things to resolve themselves. In other words, a healthy sales culture doesn't happen organically. As a sales leader, it's up to you to set the tone for others to follow.

Now let's cover six tips for boosting your team's overall morale, confidence, and productivity.

6 Tips for Boosting Your Sales Floor's Overall Mood

1. Get to know your reps.

There's no one-size-fits-all approach to boosting morale. You have to spend time with each rep to unearth their individual needs, goals, and sources of motivation. This takes time, but you get better results if you know what levers to pull.

2. Lead with empathy.

Sales reps are more than the number of deals they close. Yet, they're often encouraged to leave their feelings at the door.

According to a 2021 global survey, 74% of employees say they are more effective at their job when they feel heard. Being in tune with your team's feelings is an effective way to adjust expectations and get to the heart of issues.

Additionally, empathy is also critical when it comes to correcting behaviors. For example, suppose a sales rep misses their quota by the end of a quarter. Rather than pointing fingers, use empathy to uncover the roadblocks that caused them to struggle — and guarantee they have the resources to perform better next quarter.

3. Shift the focus.

Relentlessly focusing on closing deals can dishearten even the most high-performing sales reps. Take the pressure off by creating smaller goals that ultimately lead to a larger one. Daily or weekly targets are a great way to build confidence in the short term and help your team break out of a funk.

For instance, a daily target might include completing a certain number of calls per day or moving several deals to the next pipeline stage.

4. Make time for team-building.

Team camaraderie is an essential — but often overlooked — element of employee satisfaction and morale. It increases collaboration, productivity, and even happiness. In fact, research by Gallup shows that people who have strong friendships at their workplace are 50% more satisfied with their work.

Team-building can take many forms, from a monthly team lunch to a learning workshop. Prioritizing such activities within the workday is a powerful gesture that shows your team you value their well-being just as much as targets and metrics.

5. Share the playbook.

Your team is your most valuable asset. They should have the knowledge, tools, and resources to succeed — not just when they first begin, but throughout their tenure. Consistently poll your salespeople to see if they get the training and guidance they need.

It's equally critical to consider the career goals of each rep and provide opportunities to help them move towards them. This shows investment in your team's short and long-term goals.

6. Acknowledge smaller wins.

It's easy to celebrate the big wins. However, recognizing the smaller, week-to-week wins is just as important for building confidence and morale. Take notice whenever someone reaches a smaller goal, comes up with a great idea, or excels in a certain area. These moments encourage everyone to keep striving for more.

Back To You

When morale tanks, so too does sales performance. It's why effective sales managers value their team's well-being just as much as targets and metrics. If your team's morale is slipping, start by implementing the tips above and routinely check in with your reps to stay ahead of any potential fires.