4 Ways to Keep a Positive Mindset When Sales Are Down

Working in sales can be mentally taxing because — let’s face it — you’re likely to hear “no” more often than you hear “yes.” It takes persistence to overcome objections and close deals. It’s also a challenge to keep the pipeline flowing, especially when everyone seems to want to hold onto their pocketbooks.

Whether you work in B2C or B2B sales, staying positive when the market is down can be tough. You’ve got your boss nudging you to get the numbers up while you’re wondering if it’s even possible. And the no’s seem to be coming more frequently than before. Luckily, there are ways to find the silver lining when sales aren’t exactly shooting through the roof. Here are four ways to keep a positive mindset when sales activity is down.

1. Be Realistic About Business Cycles

You’ve heard the saying, “What goes up must come down.” Despite battle cries for continuous growth, sometimes establishing that as a goal sets a team up for disappointment. It may simply be unrealistic given seasonal fluctuations and business cycles. Thinking business activity will always be on an upward trajectory is an unreasonable assumption.

A typical business cycle consists of a period of expansion followed by a slowdown, recovery, and another expansion. Average cycles usually take about 5.5 years to run their course. Knowing where you’re at from a macro and micro level helps you set realistic sales goals.

Say the economy’s teetering on the brink of a mild recession, and it’s January. Historically, your company doesn’t sell as much at the start of the new year in any case. Acknowledging these seasonal fluctuations along with broader economic conditions helps you set achievable targets. Slower periods might also offer the ideal opportunity to work on setting the stage for future growth.

To brainstorm ways to improve, department leaders should create a positive workplace culture amongst their team where employees feel confident to contribute new ideas and solutions. They may suggest ways to improve your lead-generation techniques or referral programs. It could also be a good time to gather and analyze feedback from current clients in order to improve their experiences.

2. Find Out What’s in Demand

Nurturing client relationships during slow periods does more than occupy your time. These conversations can help you discover what’s in demand. Market reports and other outside data sources will also inform you about potential opportunities.

How often do you hear about people’s New Year’s resolutions at the start of the year? Those resolutions could tie into rising demand for some of your product lines. If you’re a snack foods manufacturer, you’ll probably see a jump in products with whole grains and fewer calories.

Your discoveries, though, might be more than seasonal. You could find data to back up permanent improvements to your company’s lineup. It could be anything from new product flavors to enhanced services. Discovering what your market wants but isn’t currently getting can set you up for future growth if you follow through. These discoveries give you something to strive for, which can keep your attitude upbeat.

3. Focus on Top Leads

Some leads will turn into closed sales more easily than others. It may be because the prospects are well qualified or you have a special knack for pitching to that type of potential customer. When sales are slow, sometimes you need to narrow your focus on leads most likely to result in wins.

Look at the patterns of your successful and not-so-successful sales appointments. Was there something different about how you approached the sale? How about the various leads’ characteristics? Say you’re selling interactive whiteboards to school districts and businesses. Perhaps you’ve determined leads with equipment over five years old are most likely to sign a sales contract.

Instead of focusing on every prospect in your pipeline, you narrow them down. You concentrate on leads who have said their existing equipment is at least five years old. While you don’t completely ignore your other contacts, you only spend 20% of your time on them. The remaining 80% goes to those who stand a higher chance of needing your product.

4. Make New Connections

In a global Salesforce survey, 69% of sales reps admit it’s harder to sell now. Supply chain issues and inflation are some of the top factors creating a more challenging environment. In addition, sales reps spend only 28% of their time selling. Their days are taken up by behind-the-scenes and admin work.

Prospecting or lead-gen activities typically consume 8.7% of their day, but there’s also 8.3% that’s considered downtime. One way to use that downtime is to expand your networking activities. When you’ve got more time on your hands, making new connections can keep you going. It enables you to acquire new knowledge, get a pulse on the market, and lay the foundation for future business.

Instead of wondering what to do and mulling over what’s not happening, you’re making things happen. Networking and industry events are a few connection-making possibilities. You can also reach out to your current contacts and see whether they know anyone looking for solutions like yours. They might be able to introduce you and set up initial meetings, especially if you offer them a referral fee. Staying active helps you gain momentum.

Looking on the Bright Side

When the sales numbers aren’t going your way, it’s natural to feel down. You might wonder whether you’re cut out for the job and whether you’ll be able to turn the ship around. Focusing on what you can do during slow sales cycles can keep your spirits up. There are always opportunities if you know where and how to find them.