How Great Managers Reduce Sales Anxiety and Drive Confidence

How many sales reps report feeling stressed on a regular basis? Our Voice of the Sales Rep survey reveals the answer: 40%. Sales anxiety is real. Sales managers must be ready to tackle this issue as they hire and as they coach existing team members.

How does the sales profession increase stress and anxiety?

Sales managers can’t afford to make hiring mistakes when it’s time to fill an open position. Even with the best assessment data in front of them, they may struggle to decide between candidates. Some of that indecision may come down to understanding the impact of sales anxiety and stress.

Faiqa Kiran and multiple research associates studied the link between sales performance and social anxiety.

Their findings show that the tendency for sales professionals to develop social anxiety disorder is real. Two different aspects of the job can be triggers. First, there is “sales call anxiety.” This anxiety develops because reps worry that the prospect won’t want to engage with them.

Second, researchers say that “salesperson attachment anxiety” is linked to worries over internal conditions such as a rejection from the boss. When reps don’t receive support from their manager, they are not as productive.

What is the attitude of sales managers regarding stress and sociability?

Out of 22 desirable personal or work characteristics presented in our Voice of the Sales Manager survey, stress management ranked 16th in terms of a quality managers want to see in their team members. Overall, 32% say it is very important. 

Some individuals are better than others at managing stress. When reps are likely to struggle with this aspect of their job, their manager should know. These team members may not be productive in some customer-​facing situations. And if they routinely encounter stress at work, they may leave the organization.

But with the right support and work assignments, these same individuals can become star performers. Managers will need to monitor and adjust stress-​inducing factors both inside and outside the organization to get the best performance out of their team.

Is there a link between neurodivergence and anxiety?

While anyone can suffer from anxiety, the experts note that individuals with neurodivergence are more likely to experience it. In a Manage Smarter podcast, Dr. Matthew Zakreski points out that up to 20% of all humans have some form of neurodivergence. The categories range from ADHD to dyslexia to OCD.

As an individual with neurodivergence and experience in sales, Zakreski offers a helpful perspective for sales managers. You should not avoid hiring these people. Instead, your goal should be to match individuals with roles that draw on their superpowers. Zakreski excelled in positions where he could work on long sales cycles and could build relationships with prospects and clients.

Hiring sales professionals with stress management in mind

When hiring for a sales position, managers often focus on hard sales skills. They need to know whether the candidate excels at identifying the right buyers. Or they may want a detail-​oriented individual who’s good at discovery — one who can pinpoint a prospect’s business problem and craft a solution.

Candidates who score well for these skills may be the same individuals who struggle to handle stressful situations. With a prehire behavioral assessment like TeamTrait^TM, managers see how candidates score for traits like stress management and social awareness. A low score for these traits doesn’t mean that the candidate should be rejected. After onboarding, the manager can use the assessment data to discover the best ways to coach these team members.

How to manage a stressed sales team member

Zakreski also advises that managers can’t let the neurodivergence of a sales rep become an excuse for why the work isn’t getting done. With the first check-​in, managers must communicate the right way. Often it’s about finding the workflow that will allow the team member to succeed.

Managers can optimize the output of an easily stressed team member by paying attention to their needs when it comes to internal meetings. In group meetings, some individuals who attend remotely and have neurodiversity may not want to use cameras. In person, they may also want to walk around the room.

As a manager, you can and should make allowances. Keep in mind that some people with neurodiversity become easily overwhelmed by noise and lights. They may also struggle with being brave enough to contribute during meetings.

Don’t miss out on their very good ideas. Managers can allow these team members to submit their ideas after the fact. And to head off any problems ahead of time, managers should outline what exactly will be covered in meetings in advance.

Many team members suffer from sales anxiety. When the manager has the right assessment data, they can properly coach and train their employees. In doing so, they’ll improve team performance and increase retention.