Sales Doesn’t Stop in a Slowing Economy
If you’re a sales leader or business owner in 2025, you’ve heard the word “recession” enough to last a lifetime. But here’s the thing:
Recessions don’t kill sales teams. Bad leadership does.
The best sales leaders don’t wait for perfect conditions. They know how to coach through chaos, drive urgency without desperation, and keep their teams moving forward—even when the market’s dragging its feet.
So what are they doing differently right now?
1. They’re Coaching the Process, Not Just the Pipeline
Top performers aren’t magical. They’re made through consistent, focused coaching. And in a tough market, reps need more than motivation—they need clarity:
Where are their deals really stuck?
Are they qualifying decision-makers early enough?
Are they leaning into the Up-Front Contract or winging their follow-ups?
At Summit25, sessions like "Qualify to Win" and "Don’t Be a Superhero" emphasized this: Coaching is no longer optional. It’s your sales lever.
Quick Win: Run a weekly 1:1 focused ONLY on qualification quality. Not deal value.
2. They’re Building a Culture of Ownership
When things slow down, average reps blame the market.
High-performing teams? They tighten up:
Clear activity expectations
Accountability to behaviors, not just outcomes
Ownership of next steps on every call
Sandler-trained teams use Cookbooks to make this real. Think: Personal KPI dashboards that reps actually care about. Not just dashboards for leadership.
Hot Tip: Revisit your team’s cookbook and align it with today’s buying reality. Less spray-and-pray, more qualify-and-stay.
3. They’re Re-Prioritizing Margin and ICP Fit
Deals that don’t close fast. Clients who churn after onboarding. Discounts that destroy your margins.
These are symptoms of a deeper issue: selling to the wrong people.
The best leaders are revisiting their Ideal Client Profiles weekly. They’re helping reps walk away from bad fits—because chasing the wrong deals in a down economy is a double loss.
From the Summit: The "Strategic Growth" session hammered this: You don’t need more leads. You need the right ones.
4. They’re Making Objection Handling a Team Sport
If your reps are still surprised by price pushback, ghosting, or urgency delays, you’re not coaching objections. You’re reacting to them.
Top leaders role-play objections before they show up.
Try:
Weekly objection clinics
Peer-led roleplay (builds confidence fast)
Win/loss reviews based on objection themes
Summit25 Nugget: The "Why Salespeople Get Ghosted" session offered objection-based qualification questions that prevent disappearing acts.
5. They’re Driving Action—NOW
Average leaders are planning for Q4.
Great leaders know Q3 is make or break.
If your team is behind, it’s not too late. But they won’t fix it by accident. They need coaching, clarity, and a system that’s proven to work in tough markets.
And if you need help delivering that?
Book Your Sales Leader Strategy Session
You don’t need another pep talk. You need to make this quarter count.
Let’s talk about how we’re helping teams lead with confidence, coach with purpose, and protect pipeline performance—even in a recession.
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