Stress Management Program for Salespeople

Lynette Williams

The Necessity for a Stress Management Program for Salespeople at the Frank Taylor’s Automobile Dealership

Any human being is vulnerable to stress because various circumstances in life exposes one to various nerve-racking moments. The salespersons at the Frank Taylor’s Automobile Dealership are not left out either when it comes to experiencing stressful situations in the course of their duty. I spoke to each and every salesperson at the company about the pressure they experience at work and found out that they have undergone enormous emotional and physical distress on numerous occasions. In addition, I scrutinized their current medical state. I found that most of them had developed stress-related health problems such as high cholesterol, hypertension and migraine headaches due to the stress they face in their line of work. I also monitored most of the salespeople as they executed their business deals and observed that they portrayed type A personality traits. The salespeople appeared to be very competitive in nature. In addition, they were impatient and had an exaggerated sensitivity to time and constantly multitasked. They showed various physical characteristics such as facial tension, facial sweating, teeth grinding and tongue clicking.

With the above information, I came to a conclusion that the salespersons depicted type A personality traits and hence it was vital to develop an intervention program that would help them deal with the stress and hence make them more efficient in their line of duty.

THE STRESS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

The stress management program for the salespeople at the Frank Taylor’s Automobile Dealership will incorporate both relaxation techniques and exercises. These activities will be carried out at the Company’s new aerobics gymnasium room from Monday to Friday as specified in the table below. Every salesperson is required to attend at least 80% of the sessions offered every week. The biofeedback and counseling sessions are compulsory for every salesperson. The salespersons are kindly required to carry a training suit with them and be in the gymnasium room 5 minutes prior to the start of every session. Kindly note that, in case any salesperson has a chronic or a special physical condition, they will require to obtain a clearing from a physician before commencing the exercises.

The Weekly Stress Management Schedule

DAY

SESSION

ACTIVITIES

MONDAY

1315 hrs to 1400 hrs

Counseling

1630 hrs to 1715 hrs

Counseling

TUESDAY

1315 hrs to 1400 hrs

Qigong

1630 hrs to 1715 hrs

Progressive muscle relaxation

WEDNESDAY

1315 hrs to 1400 hrs

Meditation

1630 hrs to 1715 hrs

Imagery

THURSDAY

1200 hrs to 1400 hrs

Biofeedback

1630 hrs to 1715 hrs

Autogenic training

FRIDAY

1315 hrs to 1400 hrs

Tai chi

1630 hrs to 1715 hrs

Yoga

What the Activities Entail

Yoga: this is an exercise from the ancient Indian culture based on the principle that the body and breathing system have a connection with the mind. The main goal of this exercise is to reinstate harmony and balance to the body and emotions via the various breathing and postural exercises. Additionally, yoga is meant to increase the capability and flexibility for the relaxation of the salespeople. This will make them more patient and less aggressive.

Qigong: This is a healthcare system from the ancient China that combines physical training (isotonic, isometrics and aerobic conditioning) with the Eastern techniques of relaxation. There are numerous forms of qigong. Qigong is performed while lying down, standing or sitting. Qigong is also a medical procedure. This activity will be meant to improve the patience, commitment and the physical conditions of the sales people.

Tai Chi: This is a martial art that originated from China. This activity is characterized by soft, sinuous movements that emphasize on force and precision. This technique entails physical exertion meant to relax the bodies and minds of the salespeople.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation: This is a technique of muscle relaxation that involves tightening and relaxation of muscle groups in succession. This technique is based on the principle that physical relaxation is the natural source of mental relaxation. Through this activity, the salespeople will learn how to relax and take things easy during stressful moments.

Meditation Techniques: These techniques will be meant to put the salespeople in a meditative state. This is a state in which there is a profound focusing and centering of the core of an individual’s being. This state is associated with the quieting of the body, mind and emotions. The main meditation technique that the salespersons will carry out is transcendental meditation (TM). TM is meant to achieve the simplest level of self awareness. TM will help harmonize the minds, emotions and bodies of the salespeople so as to ensure that they are more productive and less stressful. The Herbert Benson technique meant to develop relaxation response is another meditation technique that the salespeople will take a part in. This will involve the repetition of a phrase or a word while seated. The main purpose of this technique is to reduce blood pressure of those salespeople who have the condition.

Imagery: Also referred to as guided imagery, this technique entails the use of relaxing and pleasant images to bring serenity to the body and mind. The imagery involves visualizing a comforting image and controlling breathing, bringing about a deep state of relaxation. Therefore, it will be of great help in restoring the patience and serenity of the salespeople.

Biofeedback: This is a technique whose purpose is to help the salespersons learn to achieve relaxation, modify their bodies’ reactions and control stress responses via the use of monitoring tools that offer information from the body. This technique will involve using of devices to measure the brain activity, heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension and stomach acidity, while the salespeople experiment with postural shifts, thinking patterns or breathing techniques. The feedback acquired from the activities will help identify the processes that accomplish the desired results. This activity will be carried out on a single salesperson at a time. This is the reason as to why more time is allocated for the activity.

Autogenic Training: This technique is based on passive awareness and concentration of the body sensation. This technique involves repetition of autogenic formulas hence focusing on the different sensations such as heaviness or warmth. This technique will be a part of therapy for various conditions affecting the sales people; such as, hypertension and migraine headaches.

Additional Package: Counseling

The Monday counseling sessions are supposed to prepare the salespeople psychologically as they start a new week. Counseling will complement the stress reduction techniques as far as improving the physical and mental conditions of the sales person. The counseling sessions are mandatory for every salesperson at the Frank Taylor’s Automobile Dealership. The topics covered during these sessions will be of great help in improving the productivity of the salespeople by helping them manage and cope with stressful situations better. These topics include:

The difference between goals and purpose. More often than not, salespersons feel that their main goal is to make profits for themselves and their companies. A goal can be accomplished, but a purpose is an ongoing process. Counseling sessions will help the salespeople recognize the need to have a sense of purpose, so as to achieve long lasting success and avoid the stress that comes with money driven motives.
Attitude change. This topic is meant to help the salespeople develop an attitude change towards failure so as to help them handle the disappointment and stress that are associated with failing.
Taking responsibility for own actions and feelings. With this concept, the salespeople will learn how to make an assertive living so as to avoid too much stress.
Planning. This topic is meant to emphasize the importance of planning to the salespeople before carrying out a transaction.
Positivity. One of the most powerful tools that a human being has is mental rehearsal. Therefore, there is need to teach the salespersons on the need to visualize success instead of fear of failure. Positive visualizations and affirmations are crucial tools for the sales and marketing business.
Personal comparison. This concept will help the salespeople develop an attitude of comparing oneself to oneself, but not to other people. The main goal each salesperson should have is to do better tomorrow, than s/he did today. Developing this kind of attitude will be of great help in reducing the stress that comes from self hate due to one comparing oneself to others.
Too much seriousness. Many people hurt themselves emotionally and develop stress related conditions due to taking things too seriously. The first rule of managing stress is not to sweat over tiny stuff. The second rule is that everything is small stuff and easy to handle. This topic will be crucial in creating a positive attitude in the salespersons towards solving every problem that comes their way.

References

Furnham, A. (2008). Head & heart management: managing attitudes, beliefs, behaviors and emotions at work. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Lehrer, P. M., Woolfolk, R. L., & Sime, W. E. (2007). Principles and practice of stress management (3rd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.

Scott, E. (2012). Type A Personality Traits: Characteristics and Effects of a Type A Personality. Retrieved March 7, 2014, from http://stress.about.com/od/understandingstress/a/type_a_person.html

Smith, J. C. (2002). Stress management a comprehensive handbook of techniques and strategies. New York: Springer Pub..

Widiger, T. A. (2012). The Oxford handbook of personality disorders. Oxford: Oxford University Press.