The game of sales is well known for patiently building pipelines, smashing down customer barriers and experiencing massive wins on a cyclical basis. Hitting a quarterly quota can feel superheroic and watching a revenue tracker spill over can feel like smashing a home run at the bottom of the ninth.
With so many moving parts for sales reps in play every day, it can be easy to get caught up chasing that next big victory while an overwhelming month or a quarter zips by. But that means it can also be harder to recognize when a rep has hit a slump.
After all, slumps can be difficult to pinpoint because their causes can vastly vary. Market downturns, point of contact turnover, economic uncertainty and even plain bad luck have all played into almost every sales rep’s hands at one point. In fact, two-thirds of business-to-business companies experienced sales slumps over this past summer, according to an August study conducted by sales engagement platform SoPro.
The important fact for salespeople to remember is that almost every successful salesperson hits a slump — and recognizing it is the first step to recovery.
“It’s hard to challenge the cognitive distortions we tell ourselves when in the midst of it, but it’s essential to recognize that none of it is going to help you hit your goals,” said Nelanne Chartier, sales development representative at Crunchbase. “The first step in recovering from a slump is to shift your mindset.”
According to Chartier, it’s essential to remember that a slump doesn’t define who you are as a salesperson, or a human being. And while it can be appealing to hyper-focus your personalization strategies to remedy a floundering sales pitch, a rep is better off asking a leader for help and powering through to the next potential opportunity.
“Perfectionism has a sneaky way of turning into procrastination: Don’t let it keep you from picking up the phone,” she said.
Built In San Francisco sat down with Chartier to learn more about her experience with sales slumps and her best advice for transforming their side effects into a thing of the past.
Crunchbase is a company insight platform shaping how companies and people connect.
As a salesperson, how do you know when you’re in the midst of a sales slump?
It’s hard to notice at first but it sneaks up fast. In my case, I went from hitting and exceeding my ramp quota feeling confident as a new sales development representative (SDR) to suddenly missing quotas.
It creeps up on you when you see other folks on your team booking meetings. Suddenly you’re looking at the last week of the month and realize you’re too far behind to catch up. The natural overachiever in me really struggled with the idea of failure — but most importantly, I didn’t let it become my identity.
Most importantly, I didn’t let it become my identity.”
How did you ultimately recover from that slump?
The number of salespeople who have never missed quota is slim to none — slumps happen to everyone, including the best. It’s important to remember data is your friend. Dig deep into what your peers are doing differently, what kind of accounts they are breaking into, and what emails get replies. Use data to see where you are falling short. What does your open rate look like? Your reply rate? When is the best time to dial?
That being said, don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis. It’s easy to get sucked into hyper-personalizing an email or spending hours trying to perfect your pitch.
Most importantly, don’t be afraid to reach out to your coworkers or your manager for help, especially if you are a new rep. Having a second set of eyes can help bring awareness to things you may not notice.
If a salesperson notices that a colleague is currently experiencing a sales slump, what role can they play in helping them get back on track?
This can be tough because sometimes folks don’t want unsolicited advice, and offering help can make them feel inadequate. It’s important to choose your words wisely: Focus less on what they are doing wrong and more on what has been working for you. Inviting them to work on a new sequence together or to listen to your cold call can be a good place to start.
