"The market is slowing down."
Anyone in business development or leadership has heard this one so many times.
It is usually the first thing a sales rep says when they miss their target. It is a convenient shield. It shifts the blame from their lack of activity to the economy.
It usually means that the company has had a downturn in sales. Rather than taking responsibility for the numbers it is easier to blame the market conditions.
Here is the truth about sales.
It is easy to make money when the market is booming. When budgets are high and companies are desperate to buy, you don't really need sales skills. Most salespeople can simply take orders and pass it off as making a sale.
They confuse catching rain with making it rain.
But when the leads run out or the inbound requests slow down, that is where the real salespeople shine.
The Difference Between Order Takers and Hunters
When the "market slows down" the order takers panic. They sit by their inbox hitting refresh. They complain to marketing that the lead quality is low. They waste time on administrative tasks, a problem we highlighted in The Always On Sales Myth.
Real salespeople do not wait for the phone to ring.
They do not wait for demo requests.
They do not wait for marketing to save them.
They get on the phone. They generate their own demand. They make things happen without being asked.
This is the core philosophy behind our SDR Sales Training. We teach reps that they are in control of their own paycheck. If you rely on inbound leads you are gambling with your income.
Immunity to the Economy
If you know how to cold call you will never have a "downturn" again.
The market might be tight but businesses still have problems. If you have the skill to get a prospect to open up about those problems you can still book the meeting.
You must be able to help them uncover the impact of those problems. As we discussed in The Sales Translator, most objections are just surface-level noise. Even "no budget" usually just means "you haven't found a big enough problem yet."
If you can find the pain you can find the budget.
This is why we focus heavily on problem-centric selling in our Account Executive Training. It allows you to sell regardless of the economic climate.
A Note for Sales Leadership
If you are in sales leadership and you are sick of hearing this excuse, you need to look at your culture.
Are you allowing your team to hide?
If you accept "the market is slow" as a valid reason for missing quota you are part of the problem.
We proved that the phone beats the noise in our recent Case Study. While your competitors are pulling back on spend and blaming the economy, you have a massive opportunity to take market share.
Get your team dialling.
If they do not know how to dial, train them.
Ready to build a team that thrives regardless of market conditions? Our SDR training program and AE coaching teach your team how to generate demand, uncover real problems, and close deals when everyone else is making excuses.