In a Sales Funk? Here Are 5 Ways to Get Out of It

“I just had a 3 hour call with a potential customer!” I enthusiastically told my manager on a Monday morning.?

It was 2011, and I had just joined the Google advertising team in July after a four year career working in ticket sales with the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings. About two months into the role as a New Business Account Executive, I felt like I finally had a prospect on “the hook,” and could not wait to tell my sales manager.?

“Oh yeah?” he replied with a smile, leaning back in his chair. “Tell me more - what did you talk about?”?

“Well, first, I set the agenda letting them know that I wanted to ask him questions about their marketing goals, challenges, budgets, and their timelines,” I said proudly. “And right after, they agreed to go through that with me, he just started asking a bunch of questions, and I think I really nailed them all!”?

“What questions did they ask?” my sales manager asked with an inquisitive tone.

I reflected quickly and said, “They asked me about, um—everything! How Google AdWords [now “Google Ads”] works, what a TrueView In-Stream skippable ad looks like on YouTube, and how the ads auction worked!”

“Wow - that’s a lot of ground to cover,” my sales manager replied.

“Yup - I sent them a bunch of PDFs when I was on the call, too! We also watched a couple videos together about advertising with Google, and I think it went really really well!” I smiled.

“Cool! What’s the next step?” my sales manager asked.

“Not sure exactly.” I paused. “They said that they’ll get back to me after reviewing all the information but they said that I should plan on them doing something with us.”?

Spoiler alert: they never called back.

As a stickler for follow up, I called and emailed most every other day for the next three weeks.?

I tried calling other people within the organization (read: multi-threading).?

I? sent a snail mailer to their home office.?

Crickets.

I felt this feeling before. I was in a sales funk.

I wouldn’t hit my quota until after my third quarter into the role.

I knew I had to swallow my pride and make changes in order to see a difference in my results. The “lone wolf” sports sales experience just wasn’t going to cut it at this level, and looking back, I’m so grateful I learned this lesson early in my tech sales career.

Look, it’s 2023, and I know it is a tough and challenging sales environment out there for everyone. I feel it. The team I support sees it. My leadership knows it.

Now more than ever, companies are scrutinizing their investments in almost everything to keep their businesses afloat, looking where they can get any additional value and ROI. (Thanks, Captain Obvious.) However, the real challenge here for us as sales professionals doesn’t rest with what isn’t in our control - it’s about having a mindset to take action and make the most of the opportunities that are made available via prospecting, deepening customer relationships, and, candidly, consistently putting our best efforts forward to make something happen.?

If you find yourself in a “sales funk” in this climate (you’re not alone, I promise you!), here are 5 ways to get out of it:

1. Get in the game. When I knew that things weren’t working, I turned to my peers, specifically those colleagues that were absolutely crushing their sales targets. I asked to join their customer calls to shadow and co-pitch with them. I had those same colleagues take a look at my proposals and discovery methods to see what was working well, and what I needed to change (I knew I didn’t have to change everything). Huge shoutout to Alex Nichols-Vinueza , Jon Fraser , and Michael Nutall for being there for me then (and now).?
2. Ask for help. A lesson learned the hard way. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness - it’s a sign of strength and clarity to know that something was going sideways in our approach. Whether you’re in sales or not, as a professional, no one is going to tell you to ask for support - only you can do that. Thanks for modeling this for me early in my career Scott Simpson , Ana Owczarzak , and Suneth Weerakoon .?
3. Keep showing up. Most of you might already know my relationship between showing up and following up (blog post here). But if you’re in a funk right now, showing up can be just damn hard (I remember the phone being just….so……heavy when I was struggling.) Show up anyway. Modify your morning routine. Engage with your teammates. Find success in something outside of work and then bring that momentum of success into your work and with your prospects and clients (trust me, people know when you’re “hot” and when you’re not.)
4. Be extra diligent in the follow up. If it feels like new sales opportunities are few and far between right now, it’s critical that we follow up on the opportunities that are uncovered and present themselves. Ask ourselves (and really, our prospects and customers) “What are the next steps?” and build a timeline for action (btw, even if the “timeline for action” is a “no” on the other end of line - that’s a good thing. Don’t waste time - there are other people to call!)?
5. Choose your mindset. Every morning we wake up, we have a choice on what attitude we bring to the office (or remote office.) Listen to that song that gets you pumped up. Call that friend in the morning that lights your world up. Share a compliment with a colleague and make their day. While we think sales is a logical step-by-step process, it’s actually quite emotional, and our emotions and mindset can dictate the successes we have (or not).?

The economy will always be volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous, and in a challenging sales environment, sometimes you’ll win, and sometimes you’ll learn.

But if you keep doing the things that will make you successful - eventually, you will be.

Let’s get after it.

KL