Layoffs. Restructuring. AI taking roles once held by humans. It’s the current reality for many sales leaders in 2025.
Recent workforce shifts—such as Microsoft’s AI-driven sales division changes—have shown sales managers that survival in this climate means doing more with less, and doing it better. For those managing teams in Chicago or Northbrook, the challenge isn’t just retaining clients—it’s preserving morale, maintaining performance, and rebuilding trust.
When cuts happen, reps are left wondering: “Am I next?”
This post outlines how Sandler-trained leaders can coach, stabilize, and inspire remaining team members when headcount drops but quotas don’t.
The Emotional Aftershock of Layoffs
After layoffs, survivors often suffer:
Fear of job loss
Loss of team cohesion
Confusion around priorities
Resistance to increased workloads
Unchecked, these emotions stall productivity.
But sales managers can counter this with clarity, coaching, and structure—core Sandler leadership tools.
Sandler Strategy 1: Use Up-Front Contracts to Rebuild Trust
Set clear expectations with your team about what’s changing—and what isn’t.
"Can we agree that over the next 30 days, we’ll focus on X accounts, with weekly check-ins to keep things clear and collaborative? If something feels off, we’ll talk about it."
Up-Front Contracts reduce ambiguity and open safe channels of feedback.
Sandler Strategy 2: Anchor on Behavior, Not Emotion
Emotion is inevitable post-layoff. But performance recovers when behavior becomes the focus.
Create behavior-based scorecards:
Daily: Outreach volume
Weekly: Qualified discovery calls
Monthly: Referrals and advancement milestones
This empowers reps to win each day and regain control.
Sandler Strategy 3: Make Time for Coaching, Not Just Managing
Restructuring creates time scarcity. But your top ROI task is coaching the survivors.
Role-play objection handling (clients may bring up layoffs)
Debrief wins and losses
Reinforce growth, not just pressure
Layoffs don’t have to erode your team’s confidence or capability. With Sandler tools and behavior-based leadership, you can guide your team through the storm.
