There’s quite a bit of speculation about the prospect of an economic downturn, if not a full-blown recession. On-again, off-again tariffs and global tensions are hitting many industries hard. One thing is clear: We’re seeing the end of one of the longest expansionary phases in recent history.
According to Harvard Business Review, companies that weathered downturns successfully in the past (and even prospered) had three things in common: They acted early, had a long-term perspective, and focused on growth, not just cutting costs.
This post reviews these four factors as well as the value of resilience to help you recession-proof your sales organization.
Sales Success Factor 1: Act Early
Companies that proactively recognized the threat ahead of the 2008 recession achieved six percentage points higher total shareholder return in the downturn than companies that did not.
Now is the time to begin “building a moat” around your organization and safeguarding it from uncertainty. Businesses that are prepared for a recession and view it as an opportunity are able to put distance between themselves and the competition.
Assess Your Customers
Evaluate your current customer base to identify which accounts are most vulnerable to economic shifts. Categorize customers by risk level and develop retention strategies for high-value accounts.
Refine Your Value Proposition
In a recession, buyers become more value-conscious. Work with marketing to articulate how your solutions deliver measurable ROI and help customers reduce costs or improve efficiency.
Revise Forecasting
Traditional forecasting often fails during economic shifts. Implement scenario planning with best-case, likely-case, and worst-case projections to prepare your team for various outcomes.
Sales Success Factor 2: Take a Long-Term Perspective
A Harvard Business Review study found that companies with a longer-term perspective achieved four percentage points higher annual growth during the downturn as well as two percentage points higher total shareholder return.
A long-term perspective means equipping your sales team with the skills to adapt to any selling situation. Consultative selling skills prepare sales professionals with the skills to build lasting customer relationships and to mine current accounts for upsell/cross-sell opportunities.
The ultimate competitive advantage is your team’s selling skills. Sales training isn’t a once-and-done initiative. To improve your team’s selling skills—and keep them elevated consistently and long-term—you must plan and execute sales training and development over time.
The key is to create a plan that aligns with your organization’s goals and consistently reinforce both the goals and the plan.
Invest in Relationship Building
Train your team to become trusted advisors rather than transactional sellers. Upskill your sellers on handling difficult conversations. During economic uncertainty, customers gravitate toward partners they trust to help navigate challenges.
Develop Account Management Expertise
Existing customers represent your safest revenue stream during a downturn. Implement strategic account management processes that help identify expansion opportunities and protect against competitive threats.
Create a Continuous Learning Culture
Establish regular skill development sessions focused on consultative selling, business acumen, and financial literacy so reps can have meaningful conversations about business outcomes.
Reassess Compensation
Consider adjusting incentives to reward behaviors that build long-term value, such as customer retention, strategic account growth, and solution selling rather than just new logos.
Sales Success Factor 3: Focus on Growth, Not Just Cost-Cutting
To prosper during economic uncertainty and gain a competitive advantage, your organization must pursue efficiencies and focus on revenue growth.
The sales results you’ve been experiencing in recent years may have been driven more by the uptick of the economy, and less by your sales team’s skills.
When the economy falters, you can’t afford to have your sales team be anything less than excellent. They must make the most of their time by following a dedicated sales process. And they must have the skills to consult with buyers, negotiate effectively, and close business even in a slowed economy.
Target Counter-Cyclical Industries
Identify sectors that typically remain stable or even grow during downturns. Healthcare, education, government, and essential services often maintain spending when other industries pull back.
Refocus on Pain Points
During recessions, solving critical business problems becomes more compelling than nice-to-have improvements. Train your team to identify and address urgent customer challenges that deliver immediate value.
Develop Flexible Models
Explore alternative pricing structures—like subscription models, pay-as-you-go options, or outcome-based pricing—that lower upfront costs for customers while maintaining your revenue stream.
Optimize Your Sales Process
Eliminate inefficiencies in your sales cycle. Map your current sales process to identify bottlenecks, unnecessary steps, or areas where deals stall. A streamlined process will help your team close more business with fewer resources.
Enhance Negotiation Skills
Economic pressure often leads to discounting. Invest in sales negotiation training that helps your team maintain margins while still providing value to price-sensitive customers.
Sales Success Factor 4: Strengthen Your Team’s Resilience
Beyond the three factors identified by Harvard Business Review, sales leaders must focus on building team resilience to weather the emotional challenges of selling in a downturn.
Focus on Mindset
Recessions create psychological barriers for sales professionals. Implement regular sales coaching sessions focused on maintaining a positive, solution-oriented mindset in the face of rejection.
Celebrate Small Wins
Recognition becomes even more important when results are harder to achieve. Create systems to highlight progress, not just outcomes, to maintain momentum and morale.
Be Transparent
Uncertainty breeds fear. Share your recession strategy with the team, explain the rationale behind changes, and maintain open communication about company performance.
Retain Top Performers
Your best sales professionals will be targeted by competitors. Create individualized retention plans for key team members that address their specific needs and career aspirations.
The Bottom Line: Sales Success in Uncertain Times
Times of uncertainty can be an opportunity for the prepared to strengthen their long-term competitive advantage.
As a sales leader, it’s your responsibility to ensure your organization is as strong as possible for any sort of economic disruption. The first step of your preparation should be laying the foundation with exceptional selling skills.
However, true recession-proofing requires a holistic approach that combines skill development, strategic planning, process optimization, and careful resource allocation. By implementing the strategies outlined above, you’ll position your sales organization to not just survive an economic downturn but to emerge stronger and with increased market share.
Find out how IMPACT Selling® can equip your sales team with the sales process and skills to outsell the competition when the stakes are high.
