One thing you can count on in your sales career is that there will be both times of feast and times of famine.

The question becomes: How do you respond to both?

• Is it business as usual for both, or
• Do you adjust your strategy and actions?

As a sales coach and trainer for many years, here’s what I see:

The First Reaction in Lean Times 

When lean times come, most sales organizations start by cutting spending. One of the first things to go? Training.

But is that really the most effective thing to do?

Think About This… 

If you were training for the 5K run in the Olympics and they delayed the event, would you stop training? Of course not.

So why do sales organizations cut training that, most of the time, has a positive ROI? Whether it’s product training or skills training, it’s more important than ever to train when times are lean.

Why?

• It prepares you and your clients/prospects for when the turnaround comes.
• And as experience has taught me, it always comes back around.

Rolling with Market Ups and Downs 

For some, adapting to market changes comes easily. For others, it can be paralyzing.

Fortunately, you can predict who on your team will fall into each group.

How? Personality Styles. 

Looking at my Four People Personality Styles, there are:

• Two styles that are more aggressive – When markets are down, they take action and are proactive.
• Two styles that are more passive – They may try to ride out the downturn and avoid action.

Personality Styles: A Key to Sales Success 

Personality Styles help us understand our prospects and clients, but their benefits start with us.

We need to understand our own style so we can adjust our strategy to meet what’s happening in the economy.

A Smart Move in Tough Times 

Many companies hunker down when:

• Inflation hits
• Layoffs occur

But actually, this is the best time to invest and be proactive to stay ahead of your competition.

I experienced this when I sold computers years ago.

• While we hunkered down, Sun Microsystems ramped up and took several of our customers.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ): The #1 Sales Skill 

Understanding your Personality Style is a huge step toward improving your Emotional Intelligence (EQ) – the #1 business skill needed today, especially in sales.

According to Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, EQ is:

• Your ability to recognize and regulate emotions in yourself and others.

EQ Starts with Self-Awareness 

Self-awareness means understanding your own strengths and weaknesses.

When you understand this, you can leverage your strengths to adjust during lean times.

Focus on Strengths, Not Weaknesses 

Marcus Buckingham and Don Clifton, in Now, Discover Your Strengths, shared that:

• We should focus on our strengths because that is where we have the greatest power.
• Trying to improve a weakness will never be as effective as leveraging your strengths.

Use Your Strengths to Be Proactive 

Lean times = A time to prepare your customers for the future.

Here’s How You Can Use Your Strengths to: 

✔ Get organized and creative
✔ Solve problems
✔ Become a visionary
✔ Be energetic and pragmatic

Develop Your Strategy 

Take your strengths and develop a proactive strategy that works for you.

Do you know your Personality Style and its strengths?

If not, you can take my assessment below to improve your self-awareness and move forward.

Here’s to great selling!

Stu