How to Get Out of a Sales Slump: Proven Sales Strategies for Consistent Revenue Generation
Kevin Lawson and Sean O'Shaughnessy discuss practical strategies for breaking out of a sales slump, drawing on sports analogies, Joe Girard's car-selling philosophy, and personal reward rituals. They emphasize that repetition, routine, and small wins are the foundation of sustained sales performance. Both hosts also distinguish between how individual salespeople and sales leaders should approach slumps differently.
Summary
In this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, Kevin Lawson and Sean O'Shaughnessy tackle the topic of sales slumps using sports as a central metaphor. Kevin opens by noting that just as athletes experience slumps and banner years, salespeople face similar cycles. He points out that in sales, a 30% close rate is considered Hall of Fame-worthy, mirroring baseball's .300 batting average benchmark, which reframes slumps as a natural part of a high-performance career rather than a sign of failure.
Sean introduces the example of Joe Girard, a legendary Detroit-area car salesman who reportedly sold 10 to 15 cars per day by himself. Girard's personal philosophy was that on days when he didn't feel like selling, he would start with the easiest possible action: calling his mother, who was guaranteed to answer. This small, low-stakes win was enough to build momentum for the rest of the day. Sean connects this to the broader principle that professional athletes use pre-performance rituals and superstitions to anchor themselves mentally before high-stakes moments, arguing that salespeople benefit from similar routines.
Kevin elaborates on the concept of 'practice makes easy,' arguing that repetition of simple tasks builds the kind of automatic competence that allows salespeople to perform even on low-motivation days. He also distinguishes between the challenges faced by individual salespeople versus sales leaders. While salespeople need to focus on personal routine and grinding through the basics, sales leaders must 'own the goal' even when their team, marketing, or operations are underperforming. He stresses the importance of next-step obsession and consistent coaching as tools for leaders navigating team-wide slumps.
Sean then introduces his personal reward ritual as a proactive strategy to avoid slumps altogether. Rather than waiting for an end-of-year recognition event, he argues that salespeople should create their own milestone-based reward systems. He shares that he personally buys a special, expensive bottle of tequila every time he closes a deal above a certain threshold — and only then. This ritual, he argues, keeps motivation alive during difficult stretches by giving salespeople a tangible, personal goal to chase in the near term. He encourages listeners to identify their own equivalent reward, whether it's a handbag, a collectible, or anything personally meaningful.
Key Insights
- Sean argues that Joe Girard's practice of starting each day with a guaranteed easy phone call — calling his mother — was the psychological trigger that allowed him to sell 10-15 cars per day, suggesting that micro-wins are the engine of sustained high performance.
- Kevin claims that in sales, a 30% prospect-to-close ratio is the equivalent of a baseball Hall of Fame batting average, reframing slumps as statistically normal rather than signs of individual failure.
- Sean contends that professional athletes' use of pre-performance superstitions and rituals is directly applicable to sales, arguing that repetitive routines make high-pressure selling actions feel automatic and reduce the psychological resistance that causes slumps.
- Kevin distinguishes between the salesperson's challenge (personal routine and grinding basics) and the sales leader's challenge (owning the team's missed goal and compensating for operational failures outside their control), arguing these require fundamentally different responses.
- Sean argues that waiting for end-of-year company recognition is an ineffective motivational structure, and instead advocates for self-imposed, deal-triggered personal rewards — such as his own practice of buying a specific expensive tequila bottle only upon closing a qualifying deal — as a more immediate and personally meaningful incentive system.
Topics
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