One Good Day: 3 Disciplines That Cut Through the Noise of Market Uncertainty
One good day at a time.
There's nothing more inspiring than a comeback story. We love watching someone rise from the ashes, clawing their way back after being knocked down. But let's be honest—very few of us start at the top, stay there, and ride off into the sunset. Success isn't a straight line. It's more like a zig-zag trail of wrong turns, course corrections, unexpected detours, and if we're lucky, progress.
Sound familiar? It should. It's the Hero's Journey: dream, struggle, victory.
Today, business leaders aren't recovering from a single crisis. Instead, they're navigating a storm of uncertainty—tariffs, inflation, supply chain issues, global instability. Planning feels like guessing. Confidence feels harder to come by. Many industries are shifting. Buyers are hesitant. Teams are stretched thin.
But if you're in sales—or leading a team—it's time to rally. To rediscover your drive. To dig deep and plan your comeback. Not by overhauling your life, but by winning...one day at a time.
It seems simple. Just have one good day. Then do it again. That's the path to building momentum, which is the first ingredient of a great comeback.
1. Start Your Day With Purpose
Henry Ward Beecher once said, “The first hour of the morning is a rudder for the rest of the day.” He was right. Yet too many of us hand over the rudder as soon as we wake up—scrolling email, reacting to social media. That’s not steering. That’s drifting. Instead, lead yourself before you lead your day. Move your body. Reflect. Read something that sharpens your mind or encourages your heart. This is your foundation. When you start strong internally, you show up stronger externally.
2. Stay On The Right Side Of The Trouble Line
In Sandler, we teach the difference between “Pay Time” and “No Pay Time.”
Pay Time is when prospects are available—when selling can actually happen. No Pay Time is everything else.
Draw a line down the middle of a sheet of paper. On the left, list tasks like email, CRM updates, and proposal formatting. That’s No Pay Time. On the right, list activities like prospecting, first calls, and closing meetings. That’s Pay Time. The line in the middle? That’s the Trouble Line.
If you’re doing No Pay tasks during Pay Time, you’re living on the wrong side of the trouble line and giving away your most valuable resource: selling hours.
3. Do Your Real Job: Prospect. Sell. Service.
Every business has three core jobs. They are:
- Prospect - Treat it like oxygen. It's not optional. The minute you start picking and choosing when you feel like prospecting, your pipeline begins to die.
- Sell - Having appointments isn't enough. You have to run a process. Are you qualifying effectively? Are you uncovering real pain? Are you having discussions about investment ranges, timelines, and various individuals who may be involved in the decision?
- Service - Yes, take care of the client. That's a given. But don't let service become an excuse for avoiding the other two. Over-servicing is often just disguised as prospecting avoidance.
Momentum happens when you're disciplined in all three.
Your Comeback Starts Today
Forget next quarter. Forget next month. Just win today. Define what your good day looks like. Then live it. Then do it again tomorrow.
That's how comebacks are made.
Have one good day. Then repeat.
Robin Green
Robin Green is the President and Owner of Ascend Performance, Inc., a certified and award-winning Sandler Training Center in Richmond, VA. He specializes in helping companies of all sizes to develop the Attitudes, Behaviors, and Techniques that will help them reach new levels. Robin is a keynote speaker and podcast host. You can reach him at robin.green@sandler.com. He helps companies and motivated individuals with sales, management, and customer service training.
