Why I Don’t Believe in Blaming The Economy. Here is My Take.

Boom! Import tariffs are up. Rising uncertainty is increasing global tensions. The economy is shaking again. As a result, Customers get anxious and keep everything on hold. Salespeople don’t like this. Many get nervous. Some become de-motivated, depressive even.

I have been through several financial crises as a Sales Director and learned what helps and what doesn’t when leading sales teams. At crisis times, people look up to leaders; they are waiting for advice, and you should give it to them. And doing so will generate money. Let me share my top tips for selling when everyone blames the economy.

Don’t blame the economy.

I have always been surprised by how much economic headwinds influence salespeople’s confidence. They look at their sales targets, realise the gap is getting bigger, and see their commission cheques shrinking. Basic (wrong) human behaviours bubble up in these situations, like blaming someone or something else. In this case, they blame the economy for not achieving their budget. In my view, blaming the economy is like condemning the lottery companies for not winning the jackpot. Blaming anything or anyone will not help you reach your sales targets.

Focus on what you can control.

I told my teams: Instead, focus on what you can control. First, you have a choice: Sit back and do nothing, hoping for the best. Or… be proactive with a focused plan. That’s also true for your customers and prospects.

As a salesperson accountable for reaching your targets, you are in charge of:

1. Which prospects to target
2. What agenda you will drive at these meetings
3. How you will prepare for your meetings
4. What you will share to change your prospect’s perspective

So, focus on those four enablers.

Here is the thing: your competitors’ sales reps are in the same situation. The state of the economy is also slowing down their portfolio growth. So,

If the pie is not getting any bigger, you better get a bigger piece of the pie.

Your focus is on winning customers from your competitors’ sales reps. This means you must be more effective and create more value for their customers (=your prospects) than they do. As simple as that. Selling with the Buyer’s Perspective, mindset, and skill set addresses all four enablers.

1. Which prospects to target

It’s less useful to target struggling customers who find it challenging to make ends meet. Unless you can help them with immediate top-line growth at a reasonable investment. This can be done by, for example, exploring the idea of entering different markets. Your Customers would be keen to understand how that works.

The industries with rosier forecasts are at the other end of the spectrum. You only have to Google or ChatGPT the question to see what industries expect growth despite the current economic situation:

• Healthcare
• Technology.
• Renewable energy
• Electric vehicles
• Pharmaceutical
• Digital Educational services
• B2B E-commerce
• Specific manufacturing
• Financial services
• Architecture

Hence, segment your prospect list around industries that grow. This saves time and provides focus. Insights that work for one customer in a particular sector will probably work for another customer in the same or similar industry. If you have missed the article about Pipeline Shuffle then review it here.

2. Drive the Customer’s Agenda

Focus on the main value of your meeting: your business idea helping their company with additional growth. This is on anyone’s agenda when the economy is at a halt. Send the agenda before the meeting and ask if they want to add something else. This has two benefits: the purpose of your call or meeting is very clear, and your stakeholder comes prepared. Despite sales leaders and managers recommending their salesforce to do this, many still do not. I told my sales managers to drive this at their team meetings. You will see how well prospects react. Review the what and how about Agendas here.

3. Prepare from the Buyers Perspective

Prepare and Apply the Selling with the Buyer’s Perspective approach where you help your prospects grow their business.

Undoubtedly, companies prefer to do nothing when the economy is uncertain. They will react with comments like: “It’s not the right time” or “Come back in six months”. Share with your stakeholders that common sense applies:

If someone loses, someone else gains.

That’s how economies work and keep things in balance. But is your Customer ready to gain or choosing to lose? Help them focus on what they can control, and you will help them with this as you have done for other Customers. At the start of the meeting, you want to build credibility. Therefore, demonstrate you have done your homework: show what you know, verify that understanding, and ask strategic questions about their current growth strategy. That’s the right time to share your business growth idea.

4. Share your insight

Your idea needs to be backed up by third-party research related to trends and risks in their industry. Use AI to help you; review my recommended process for this here. Hold on to selling your solutions until your stakeholder shows interest in your idea, sees the value and wants to know what needs to change and how.

In conclusion

Be confident that you have the experience to help customers grow their business. They need you when economic headwinds challenge them. And as a sales leader, stop procrastinating to train your sales force. The world is changing, and Customers and buyers are changing, so selling needs to adapt again. You cannot blame the economy.

===========================================================

Subscribe

If you find this article helpful, share it with your colleagues. And don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t done so. Follow my blog for hundreds of insightful articles on Selling with the Buyer’s Perspective.

Are you leading a sales organization?

If you want to know more about how I can help your sales organization Sell with the Buyer’s Perspective, send me a LinkedIn DM.

Your next career move starts here. 

Don’t miss out on critical opportunities to advance your sales leadership career in 2025. The 2025 Career Trends Guide will give you five emerging career trends that top sales leaders use to land senior sales leadership roles.

Download the 2025 Career Trends Guide by Jeanette Botha and position yourself for your next sales leadership role.