Got Stress? If your sales reps are under pressure and burning out, try these tips to get them back on track.

Stress serves its purpose in our lives. Say you're on safariin Africa, and a lion makes its way into your campsite. Making abeeline for your Land Rover certainly makes good sense, and thestress of such a situation allows humans to sort throughfight-or-flight options. But in the workplace, stress can createreps who are fretful balls of nerves. Employee stress matters tomanagers because daily anxiety wears down a salesperson'sability to perform at the top of his or her game and can lead tocostly mistakes.

JordanFriedman is a health-education trainer and author of TheStress Manager's Manual. Friedman explains that stress candull the three essential tools for selling: energy, focus andeffective communication. "It's the sales executive'sresponsibility to create an environment in which players can worktogether in harmony to reach goals," he says.

If your reps are showing signs of burnout and fatigue on thejob, here are a few steps toward assuaging workplace stress:

• Understandtriggers. Sales pros get beat up on a regular basis."The salesperson faces more rejection and refusal, more nosand more short-tempered customers than any other profession,"says Bryan Flanagan, director of corporate training at Ziglar TrainingSystems in Addison, Texas. Flanagan points out that reps arealways facing a deadline and a deliverable-every month, quarter andyear-end. "A salesperson must be mentally and emotionallytougher" than folks in other professions, according toFlanagan.

• Supportstress-relief programs. Consider picking up the tab for gymmemberships for your team. Look for fitness centers with classesand activities including yoga, Pilates, weight training and cardiomachines. Or bring in a health guru-perhaps a yoga instructor for alunch-and-learning session to educate employees on the benefits offlexibility and breathing exercises. Yoga is a discipline thatnearly everyone, in any shape, can practice. Encourage employees toparticipate in regular fitness sessions to relieve tension andfoster greater creativity-crucial for selling.

• Offer mental-healthbenefits. The American Management Association's"2003 Survey on Health and Wellness Programs" found thatjust 33 percent of organizations sponsored stress-managementprograms. Demonstrate that stress management is a real priority atyour company by offering employees a mental health benefit withtheir insurance coverage. Many insurance plans offer employees thechance to meet with a counselor for a certain number of visits eachyear at a reasonable co-pay amount.

• Use fun and low-coststress busters. DEAR stands for "drop everything andrelax," a tactic recommended by Flanagan. Here's how itworks: The sales manager sets a specific time and makes anannouncement that it's time for DEAR. Reps then take a fewmoments to extricate themselves from the phone, do some stretchesfor good ergonomics, take a quick stroll, or shoot the breeze withco-workers. Flanagan also encourages a "bad call of theday" contest, in which sales reps share their most onerouscall, and the team votes on who wins a gift certificate to a localrestaurant.

Jordan Friedman offers the following ideas for effective stressrelief in the ranks:

• Sleep well.Restful sleep boosts reps' concentration and energy. Reps whoget quantity and quality sleep function well the followingday.

• Get moving.Running, swimming, stair climbing, racewalking-do anycardiovascular undertaking that elevates the heart rate for 15 to30 minutes, two or three times per week.

• Have an emotionaloutlet. Talk with a relative, friend or counselor tocommunicate feelings about work and personal life.

Kimberly L. McCall (Marketing Angel) is president of McCall Media &Marketing Inc. and author of Sell It, Baby! Marketing Angel's 37Down-to-Earth & Practical How-To's on Marketing, Branding& Sales.