Powerful Women in Sales Share Their Values and Motivation To Navigating Headwinds

This is part 4 (and final) of our series about how the most powerful women in sales focus on different areas of their work and business management to win, even in an economic downturn. This post compiles their best practices and recommendations in the area of values and motivation.

When times get tough, the tough get going. That’s the saying, right? But where do they find the motivation to do so? And what happens when they not only have to pump themselves up, but also inspire their teams? 

It’s all about finding their ‘why,’ which is rooted in their values.  

Sales leaders must lead with their values to motivate themselves and their sales teams to do what’s needed for success. Maintaining team and seller resilience is a constant challenge, but even more so in times of an economic downturn. 

So how do top sales leaders show the way forward with their values and enable individual and team resilience, as we’re looking ahead at another going getting tough?

Wisdom for Economic Downturns

A few of our 100 Most Powerful Women in Sales (1-50 / 51-100) shared their thoughts:

“Although the economy may be uncertain, what is certain is that by increasing your sales velocity, win rate, and deal size, you can overturn your personal downturn. Move forward with the same discipline, heart and tenacity as always. And when it comes to objections, I always say “The reason they won’t do it is the reason they must do it.” – Shari Levitin, Levitin Group, CEO

“Break everything down into micro goals and enjoy the small wins, including conversations, meetings booked, email replies, demos booked, networking, learning new skills, overcoming objections, etc. You don’t have to meet your full blown quota to ‘achieve’ your sales goal, as long as you’re giving it 110%. Remember what you can control and what you can’t. As long as you’re making intentional choices to succeed, you’re an achiever in my book.” – Jillian Bruno, RocketReach.co, Manager, Sales Development

“All you can control are your actions, not the outcome of those actions. So I try my best not to attach my self-worth to the outcome of my work. But the truth is that 84% of sales reps missed their quota in 2020, and now in 2022 we’re in another kind of economic downturn. Think of worthwhile tactics to help move the needle: going wider in your scope of outreach, sending out surveys for direct feedback to support use cases, running business justification workshops, and following up consistently. But the bottom line is not attaching your personal or professional happiness to the outcome. My advice? Do your best, don’t stress, and ignore the rest.” – Risa Khamsi, Stack Overflow, Account Executive, SMB

“Repeatable success lies in our ability to master the way we drive, not how we feel when we reach the destination. You can master ‘driving,’ but I’ve never seen someone master ‘arriving.’ Habits drive our results –– not vice versa.” – Gabrielle Reyson, UserGems, Senior Account Development Representative

“A mutual understanding of the circumstances with all prospects is the first step. Be empathetic and patient. Although this can be difficult, it will land more trust and understanding with prospects to move forward – leading to stronger communication and future upsells.” – Gabrielle McLay, Vidyard, Account Executive

“Economic downturns are an opportunity to reveal true pain a company might be facing. If what you’re selling can help relieve that pain, then there’s still an opportunity to make that sale. Don’t overthink it. Economic downturn or not, keep pushing and you WILL see results.” – Yaalit Pereira, Vidyard, Account Executive, EMEA

“In situations where there are big trends that we can’t control, it can be easy to deflect any accountability externally to what’s going on around us. Focusing on what we can control is the best way through. That control may take the form of dials, outreach, calls or continuing to level up your sales skills.” – Kelly Marberry, LinkedIn, Sales Leader and Account Executives LinkedIn Sales Solutions

This is the fourth and final in a four-part blog series celebrating Women in Sales Month. We asked some of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Sales their thoughts on selling during an economic downturn. We gathered up all of their learnings and included them in our new eBook: Hard Times? Double Down! Top Women in Sales Reveal Their Secrets to Navigating a Downturn.

Series tracker: 

• Part 1: Why People and Relationships Are Key For Sales in the Face of a Potential Recession 
• Part 2: Planning for Sales Success While Facing an Economic Downturn? These Mindsets and Habits Can Help
• Part 3: Looking for Ways to Do More with Less? We Asked Top Women in Sales to Share Their Strategies Ahead of the Downturn