# Sales Burnout Warning Signs Checklist > The 12 early behavioral tells: across withdrawal, output, tone, and attendance: that show up 6-8 weeks before a rep is already gone, with a scoring system that tells you exactly when to step in. Free checklist for sales managers. Topic: [Psychology, Mindset & Productivity](https://www.peerlab.ai/library/topic/psychology-mindset-productivity/). Published by PeerLab in the [Sales Enablement Resource Library](https://www.peerlab.ai/library/). Source: https://www.peerlab.ai/library/sales-burnout-warning-signs-checklist/ ## How to use it Score each of the 12 items monthly per rep based on the last 3-4 weeks only, total the score, and use the threshold table to decide whether to simply check in or move straight into a diagnostic 1:1 using the Demotivated Rep Coaching Guide. ## What's inside - All 12 tells organized across 4 categories: withdrawal, output/CRM, tone, physical/attendance - The 2 "hard flag" tells that warrant an immediate conversation on their own - A 0-30 scoring scale with 3 clear action thresholds - Word-for-word manager check-in opener for a score of 6 or higher - The hand-off point into the Demotivated Rep Coaching Guide's diagnostic questions - Explicit "what not to do" rules covering single bad weeks, sharing the raw score, and waiting too long ### 12 early tells: before the rep is already gone By the time a rep hands in notice, the warning signs have usually been visible for 6–8 weeks. This checklist exists to catch the pattern while there's still time for a real conversation, not an exit interview. Run it monthly per rep, not just when someone's numbers have already dropped: burnout precedes the number drop, it doesn't follow it. ## How to use the scoring Score each of the 12 tells **0 (not present), 1 (mild/occasional), or 2 (clear/frequent)** based on the last 3–4 weeks specifically: not "in general," and not based on a single bad week. - **0–5 total:** Normal variation, no action needed beyond a standard check-in. - **6–11 total:** Early pattern: flag for a 1:1 within the week, using the Demotivated Rep Coaching Guide to diagnose skill/will/circumstance. - **12+ total, or any single "hard flag" item below scored 2:** Treat as urgent: schedule the conversation this week, not next. --- ## Category A: Withdrawal signals - [ ] **1. Missed or shortened 1:1s**: cancels, reschedules repeatedly, or shows up but keeps it purely transactional (numbers only, no real conversation). *(Hard flag if scored 2, this is usually the earliest and most reliable tell.)* - [ ] **2. Reduced peer interaction**: stops joining optional team calls, deal reviews, or informal channels they used to be active in. - [ ] **3. Camera-off / presence-absent pattern**, increasingly opts out of visible participation in meetings they used to engage in. ## Category B: Output & CRM signals - [ ] **4. CRM hygiene collapse**: stale opportunity stages, missing next steps, notes stop being updated even though calls are still happening. - [ ] **5. Activity volume drop without a stated reason**: fewer calls/outreach logged, and when asked, no specific explanation (vs. a rep who says "I'm heads-down on the Acme renewal"). - [ ] **6. Pipeline stops growing**: existing deals may still move, but nothing new is being created; the rep has stopped investing in the future, only managing what's already there. ## Category C: Tone & communication signals - [ ] **7. Tone shift in written communication**: messages get shorter, flatter, more purely functional; sarcasm or cynicism appears where it didn't before. *(Hard flag if scored 2.)* - [ ] **8. Deflecting or minimizing when asked how they're doing**: "fine," "same as always," delivered flat, with no elaboration, from someone who used to actually answer the question. - [ ] **9. Increased complaints about things that didn't used to bother them**: leads quality, comp structure, tooling: not necessarily wrong, but a notable change in baseline. ## Category D: Physical & attendance signals - [ ] **10. Attendance pattern changes**: more sick days, more late logins/logoffs, or the opposite (working unusually late as a sign of overcompensating rather than thriving). - [ ] **11. Visible fatigue or appearance change on video calls**: not a diagnosis, just a data point worth noting alongside the others. - [ ] **12. Loss of a previously stated ambition**: stops mentioning the promotion, the president's club trip, the goal they used to bring up, without replacing it with a new one. --- ## The manager check-in opener (once you've flagged a score of 6+) > "I want to check in: not about the numbers, about you. I've noticed [name 1–2 specific, neutral observations from the list, e.g., 'our 1:1s have gotten shorter and the pipeline's been flat the last few weeks'] and I wanted to ask directly rather than guess: how are you doing, really?" Then move into the Demotivated Rep Coaching Guide's three diagnostic questions (skill / will / circumstance): burnout is a *symptom*, this checklist tells you it's present; the Coaching Guide tells you what's actually causing it. ## What not to do with this checklist - Don't score someone based on a single bad week: burnout is a trend across 3–4 weeks, not a bad Tuesday. - Don't use the score as a performance rating or share the raw score with the rep: it's a manager's early-warning tool, not feedback language. - Don't wait for 12+ before having any conversation: a score of 6 with a hard-flag item (missed 1:1s or tone shift) deserves a conversation now, not a wait-and-see.