Burnout in the dealership profession: A comparative research on sales representatives who sell new and second-hand vehicles

Burnout is a significant issue that negatively impacts employee health. Studies on this topic are increasing across various professions, including teachers, doctors, academics, and nurses. One of the professions where burnout is intensely experienced is sales representation. Burnout experienced by sales representatives (e.g., salespeople, customer representatives) adversely affects job satisfaction, sales performance, organizational commitment, motivation, and turnover rates, making it a critical issue within the sector. Increasing competition, product diversity, workplace challenges, and personal problems today are among the factors causing sales representatives to experience burnout. Although there are studies on the burnout of sales representatives in the literature, no research has been found focusing on those working in the automotive sector. This study was conducted to identify and compare the burnout levels of representatives selling new and second hand vehicles. Based on data collected through an online survey from 399 participants selected using a convenience sampling method, it was found that sales representatives experience burnout in the Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization sub-dimensions of the Maslach Burnout Inventory but do not experience burnout in the Personal Accomplishment sub-dimension. No significant difference was found between the burnout levels of those selling new and second hand vehicles. However, it was determined that field workers experience higher levels of burnout than those working in office settings. Additionally, variables such as working hours, years in the profession, and the number of workplace changes were found to influence burnout levels. The study offers recommendations, including flexible working hours, new job definitions, and strategies to reduce stress and workload. Keywords: Sales burnout, burnout, sales, salesperson, Sales Representatives, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Turkish Automotive Industry