April 6, 2025 • 6 mins
We are coming off of a week that can only be described as a stock market bloodbath—amping up uncertainty and making selling even harder.
As the new tariffs imposed by the US government were announced, kicking off what is expected to devolve into a global trade war, the Dow Jones plunged by over 2,200 points, the S&P 500 lost more than 10%, the Nasdaq entered into a bear market and more than $6.6 trillion dollars were wiped from the US stock market in two days. These losses compounded in markets all across the globe.
If you were brave enough to take a peek at your 401k, I have no doubt that you felt this pain and at least a twinge of the fear that raced through business communities across the globe.
Uncertainty and a Stream of Bad News
In an instant, everything changed.
Starting today, selling just got even harder. Your buyers are facing uncertainty and a relentless stream of bad news; and where there is uncertainty, your prospects and customers will put off making decisions and doing anything that they perceive as risky.
The penalties for making mistakes can be severe. Mistakes can put their business, company, career, finances, or family at risk. This is why, for buyers, doing nothing–making no decision–is often the emotionally safe choice, even when staying put is illogical.
In Uncertainty Buyers Start Scrutinizing Your Sales Behaviors
In an environment of uncertainty, when buyers feel even the tiniest bit of unease about you, they will not buy from you.
This is the human negativity bias: Negative perceptions have a greater impact than positive perceptions when it comes to decision making.
Buyers will be scrutinizing your every behavior, word, and action. They will not be looking for what you are doing right, they will only see what you do wrong. Anything negative will stick out like a sore thumb.
Their negative perceptions about you cause distrust. Your good intentions don’t matter because buyers are judging you based on their intentions, not yours. If they don’t trust you, they will not buy from you.
You Must Sell Better During Times of Uncertainty
To win consistently, during times of uncertainty you must sell better. You need to bring your A-Game into every sales conversation.
You must commit to executing the sales process as perfectly and faithfully as humanly possible. No mistakes. No shortcuts. No mediocrity.
You must sell as if there is no margin for error. When the stakes were lower, buyers may have given you the benefit of the doubt and agreed to move forward even when they are still unsure. But not now. To close the sale, you must be perfect.
There is No Sales Easy Button
Of course, with the suddenness of this massive economic disruption it is human nature to seek out Jedi mind tricks to make things easier.
I’ve got some harsh news for you. There isn’t anything easy about selling in a crisis of uncertainty. Nor are there mystical Jedi mind tricks that will help you set appointments on prospecting calls, handle objections, or close the deal in this environment.
If that’s not what you wanted to hear, I’m sorry. Money Monday is a no-pander zone. Here you’ll only hear the brutal truth.
And the truth is that no technique, no move, no play, no gambit will save you from failure should you get lax with the basics and fundamentals of selling.
When you show up and throw up, rush headlong into sales calls without planning, pitch rather than discover, challenge before understanding, fail to build emotional connections with stakeholders, and ask for the sale without earning the right, you'll hit the brick wall of objections at maximum force–and people will not buy from you.
If you take shortcuts in the sales process, you will experience stalled deals, prospects will ghost you, and competitors will eat your lunch. Your income will drop along with your reputation which can put your career at risk when the stakes for failing are highest.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:05):
This is Jeb Blunt, and it's Money Monday
on the Sales Gravy Podcast.
Make money, money, money,
money.
Make money, money,
Money.
Money makes the world go round. I'm a
talk around town. Remy gave me the sound.
Red pockets. I need a screw Welcome back.
It's Monday, and what a Monday it is.
(00:26):
We're coming off a week that can only
be described as a stock market bloodbath.
As the new tariffs imposed by the US
government were announced kicking off what's expected to
devolve into a global trade war, the Dow
Jones plunged more than 2,200
points. The S and P five hundred lost
more than 10% of its value, the Nasdaq
entered into a bear market, and more than
(00:47):
$6,600,000,000,000
were wiped away from The US stock market
in just two days.
And in stock markets all across the globe,
these losses compounded.
If you were brave enough to take a
look at your four zero one k, I
have no doubt that you've felt this pain
and at least a twinge of the fear
that raced through business communities across the globe.
(01:08):
In an instant,
everything changed.
Now selling has always been hard, but starting
today, it just got even harder.
Your buyers are facing uncertainty and a relentless
stream of bad news.
And where there is uncertainty,
your prospects and customers
will put off making decisions and doing anything
(01:29):
that they perceive as risky.
You see the penalties for making mistakes in
this environment can be severe.
Mistakes can put their business, career, finances,
or company at risk.
And this is why for buyers doing nothing,
making no decision
is often the emotionally safe choice,
(01:50):
even when staying put from a business standpoint
is illogical.
It's also important to understand that in an
environment of uncertainty,
when buyers feel even the tiniest bit of
unease about you, they will not buy from
you.
This is the human negativity bias where negative
perceptions
have a greater impact than positive perceptions when
(02:12):
it comes to decision making.
Buyers are scrutinizing your every behavior, your words,
and your actions. They are not looking for
what you're doing right. They are looking for
what you are doing wrong, and anything negative
sticks out like a sore thumb.
These negative perceptions
can lead to distrust.
And in this environment, your good intentions
(02:34):
don't matter.
Even though you think and feel that you're
trustworthy,
buyers are judging you based on their intentions,
not yours. And if they don't trust you,
they will not buy from you. And this
is exactly what you need to come to
grips with right now.
You see, to win consistently during times of
uncertainty,
you must sell better.
(02:55):
You need to bring your a game into
every sales conversation.
You must commit to executing the sales process
as perfectly and faithfully as humanly possible. No
mistakes, no shortcuts, no mediocrity.
You have to sell as if there is
no margin for error.
Look, when the stakes were lower, buyers may
have given you the benefit of the doubt
(03:16):
and agreed to move forward even if they
were a little unsure.
But not now.
To close the sale today, you must be
perfect.
Of course, with the suddenness of this massive
economic disruption,
it's human nature in sales to seek out
secret techniques and Jedi mind tricks to make
things easier.
But I've got some harsh news for you.
(03:38):
There isn't anything easy about selling in a
crisis of uncertainty,
nor are there mythical Jedi mind tricks or
techniques that will help you set appointments on
prospecting calls, handle objections, or close the deal
in this environment.
If that's not what you wanted to hear,
well, I'm sorry because
Money Monday is a no pander zone. Here,
(03:58):
you will only get the brutal truth. And
the truth is that no technique, no move,
no play, no gambit will save you from
failure should you get laxed with the basics
and fundamentals of selling in a time of
uncertainty.
When you show up and throw up, rush
headlong into sales calls without planning, pitch rather
than discover, challenge before understanding,
(04:19):
fail to build emotional connections with stakeholders,
and ask for the sale without earning the
right,
you'll hit a brick wall of objections at
maximum force and people will not buy from
you.
If you take shortcuts in the sales process,
you'll experience stall deals, prospects will ghost you,
and competitors will eat your lunch.
(04:40):
Your income will drop along with your reputation,
which can put your career at risk when
the stakes are failing are the highest.
Sales outcomes in this environment of uncertainty are
predictable
based on how you leverage, execute, and advance
opportunities through the sales process.
When you faithfully execute each step of the
sales process, you create certainty for your buyer,
(05:03):
lower the risk of moving forwards, set yourself
apart from competitors,
and bend win probability in your favor. You
will close more deals and make more money,
and that is the truth, and it's a
guarantee.
Jon Kabat Zinn once said, you can't stop
the waves, but you can learn to serve.
So what I want you to do right
(05:24):
now is go to Amazon, Barnes and Noble,
Audible, or Spotify,
and get my book, Selling in a Crisis.
It's available in hardback, Kindle, and audio.
I wrote and recorded this book to be
your companion, to help you stay motivated and
sell more in moments like this.
I've included 55 short, easy to consume lessons
(05:44):
where you'll find inspiration
and confidence to rise above all of this
negativity,
catch your wave, and take control.
And what I want most for you to
remember is that no matter what's happening in
the economy,
you are always in control of your actions,
your reactions, and your mindset.
So at the end of the day, when
it feels like it's time to pack up
(06:04):
and go home,
take control
and always make one more call.
I'll see you next time on the Sales
Groovy Podcast.
Survival of the fittest. You could sink or
swim. I've been broke. I ain't never going
back again. I need some sea notes, some
cheddar, and a stack of ends. I need
a bowl of dough. I don't need no
Facebook friends.
(06:25):
I need a packet of snaps, a handful
of fanny wops, a rubber band on my
green backs. Look, doll, don't be playing with
my paper. I need every rare scent. That's
why I brought my little scraper.
This is Jeb Blunt, and it's Money Monday
on the Sales Gravy Podcast.
Make money, money, money,
money.
Make money, money,
Money.
Money makes the world go round. I'm a
talk around town. Remy gave me the sound.
Red pockets. I need a screw Welcome back.
It's Monday, and what a Monday it is.
(00:26):
We're coming off a week that can only
be described as a stock market bloodbath.
As the new tariffs imposed by the US
government were announced kicking off what's expected to
devolve into a global trade war, the Dow
Jones plunged more than 2,200
points. The S and P five hundred lost
more than 10% of its value, the Nasdaq
entered into a bear market, and more than
(00:47):
$6,600,000,000,000
were wiped away from The US stock market
in just two days.
And in stock markets all across the globe,
these losses compounded.
If you were brave enough to take a
look at your four zero one k, I
have no doubt that you've felt this pain
and at least a twinge of the fear
that raced through business communities across the globe.
(01:08):
In an instant,
everything changed.
Now selling has always been hard, but starting
today, it just got even harder.
Your buyers are facing uncertainty and a relentless
stream of bad news.
And where there is uncertainty,
your prospects and customers
will put off making decisions and doing anything
(01:29):
that they perceive as risky.
You see the penalties for making mistakes in
this environment can be severe.
Mistakes can put their business, career, finances,
or company at risk.
And this is why for buyers doing nothing,
making no decision
is often the emotionally safe choice,
(01:50):
even when staying put from a business standpoint
is illogical.
It's also important to understand that in an
environment of uncertainty,
when buyers feel even the tiniest bit of
unease about you, they will not buy from
you.
This is the human negativity bias where negative
perceptions
have a greater impact than positive perceptions when
(02:12):
it comes to decision making.
Buyers are scrutinizing your every behavior, your words,
and your actions. They are not looking for
what you're doing right. They are looking for
what you are doing wrong, and anything negative
sticks out like a sore thumb.
These negative perceptions
can lead to distrust.
And in this environment, your good intentions
(02:34):
don't matter.
Even though you think and feel that you're
trustworthy,
buyers are judging you based on their intentions,
not yours. And if they don't trust you,
they will not buy from you. And this
is exactly what you need to come to
grips with right now.
You see, to win consistently during times of
uncertainty,
you must sell better.
(02:55):
You need to bring your a game into
every sales conversation.
You must commit to executing the sales process
as perfectly and faithfully as humanly possible. No
mistakes, no shortcuts, no mediocrity.
You have to sell as if there is
no margin for error.
Look, when the stakes were lower, buyers may
have given you the benefit of the doubt
(03:16):
and agreed to move forward even if they
were a little unsure.
But not now.
To close the sale today, you must be
perfect.
Of course, with the suddenness of this massive
economic disruption,
it's human nature in sales to seek out
secret techniques and Jedi mind tricks to make
things easier.
But I've got some harsh news for you.
(03:38):
There isn't anything easy about selling in a
crisis of uncertainty,
nor are there mythical Jedi mind tricks or
techniques that will help you set appointments on
prospecting calls, handle objections, or close the deal
in this environment.
If that's not what you wanted to hear,
well, I'm sorry because
Money Monday is a no pander zone. Here,
(03:58):
you will only get the brutal truth. And
the truth is that no technique, no move,
no play, no gambit will save you from
failure should you get laxed with the basics
and fundamentals of selling in a time of
uncertainty.
When you show up and throw up, rush
headlong into sales calls without planning, pitch rather
than discover, challenge before understanding,
(04:19):
fail to build emotional connections with stakeholders,
and ask for the sale without earning the
right,
you'll hit a brick wall of objections at
maximum force and people will not buy from
you.
If you take shortcuts in the sales process,
you'll experience stall deals, prospects will ghost you,
and competitors will eat your lunch.
(04:40):
Your income will drop along with your reputation,
which can put your career at risk when
the stakes are failing are the highest.
Sales outcomes in this environment of uncertainty are
predictable
based on how you leverage, execute, and advance
opportunities through the sales process.
When you faithfully execute each step of the
sales process, you create certainty for your buyer,
(05:03):
lower the risk of moving forwards, set yourself
apart from competitors,
and bend win probability in your favor. You
will close more deals and make more money,
and that is the truth, and it's a
guarantee.
Jon Kabat Zinn once said, you can't stop
the waves, but you can learn to serve.
So what I want you to do right
(05:24):
now is go to Amazon, Barnes and Noble,
Audible, or Spotify,
and get my book, Selling in a Crisis.
It's available in hardback, Kindle, and audio.
I wrote and recorded this book to be
your companion, to help you stay motivated and
sell more in moments like this.
I've included 55 short, easy to consume lessons
(05:44):
where you'll find inspiration
and confidence to rise above all of this
negativity,
catch your wave, and take control.
And what I want most for you to
remember is that no matter what's happening in
the economy,
you are always in control of your actions,
your reactions, and your mindset.
So at the end of the day, when
it feels like it's time to pack up
(06:04):
and go home,
take control
and always make one more call.
I'll see you next time on the Sales
Groovy Podcast.
Survival of the fittest. You could sink or
swim. I've been broke. I ain't never going
back again. I need some sea notes, some
cheddar, and a stack of ends. I need
a bowl of dough. I don't need no
Facebook friends.
(06:25):
I need a packet of snaps, a handful
of fanny wops, a rubber band on my
green backs. Look, doll, don't be playing with
my paper. I need every rare scent. That's
why I brought my little scraper.
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