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Dear Quota Team

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I’m semi-new to sales, and have only been in the role for just over nine months. Compared to some of the other jobs I’ve worked in my life, this one ranks as one of the best. Basically, I do not want to lose this opportunity, and want to make it work. 

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But I have a problem, and it’s interfering with my job quite a bit. There are some family issues I’m dealing with, including a parent’s chronic illness, as well as a sibling of mine who is severely addicted to alcohol. These aren’t necessarily new problems, but in some ways, they have been getting worse. 

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Technically, these problems have nothing to do with my job, but they make me depressed, anxious, and distracted, which makes it difficult to give all of my energy to my job. Don’t get me wrong, when I’m on sales calls, I can focus. But when it comes to motivating myself to prospect and pushing myself everyday, it gets difficult a lot of the time because my mind is somewhere else and I am worrying about all these other things. Do you have any tips? 

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Distracted in The South 

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Dear Distracted,

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Life can be incredibly stressful, and for salespeople, it can be doubly so. The job requires a huge commitment, and since it’s at least partly commission-based, any distractions can literally cost us income and potential for advancement. 

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Our advice is to get in touch with a therapist who can help you work through some of these issues. Any advice beyond that won’t do justice to the seriousness of your concerns. But we do encourage you to go that route, because taking care of yourself is important, especially when you’re tasked with taking care of those around you. 

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Good luck and we wish you the best.