How To Sell In Uncertain Times: A Playbook For An Uncertain Economy

Forbes

20-05-2025

Proactive steps for B2B sales professionals who are trying to find their feet in turbulent markets
More than anyone, sales professionals know when there is uncertainty in the air. We carry the suspense in our gut when cycles stretch out, clients go dark, and budgets come under review.
Now is one of those times, and then some. In March, McKinsey reported that the U.S. Economic Policy Uncertainty Index had soared to 641, 15% higher than during the COVID-19 lockdowns and nearly 80% higher than its post-September 11 peak.
Beneath the surface, trends that have been brewing for a long time are accelerating. Technology disruption is intensifying, propelled by the double-edged sword of AI. Customer behavior is shifting amid an economy in transition. And trust—across institutions, industries, and interactions of all kinds—is in steep decline.
The market is reconfiguring in ways that feel unpredictable, as some sectors falter and others spike.
Meanwhile, basic questions of how we work remain unsettled. Are we back in the office? On the road, making sales calls? Gathered around a white board? Or still toggling between Zoom and email in a dress shirt, shorts, and flip-flops at the kitchen table? No one knows!
As I consider the environment, as a sales professional, I keep reminding myself: 'be proactive, proactive, proactive.' It's been ringing in my head.
Lately, I've been focusing on the mindsets and strategies that can help sales leaders and teams find their footing amid uncertainty and move toward growth. Here are four that are making a difference in my world:
When the path forward is unclear, it's human nature to drift. We don't want to waste energy swimming when we don't know which way to swim.
And treading water won't work.
Sales leaders should push their teams to reassess their pipelines regularly, but especially now. Not to slash, but to clarify. A proposal from four months ago might already be obsolete. If a client has gone quiet, it's likely they're under pressure. That 'just checking in' email isn't going to break through. The better question is, 'How can I help?'
Reconnect. Ask how their landscape has changed. Reconsider your value in light of what they're facing now. Clients don't expect certainty—they're looking for clarity and support. Offer that, and you differentiate yourself immediately.
Sometimes that might not even mean revising your proposal's economics. You might be able to help the client de-risk a deal in other ways. In one recent case, my team took a stalled proposal intended for one initiative and redirected it to a more urgent client priority, unlocking movement without starting from scratch.
Another way to be proactive: Reconsider your ideal customer profile. The uneven effects of policy and disruption mean your best-fit buyer might have shifted. Stand back and reconsider who needs you most. Success now comes from studying sector-specific pain points and crafting fresh ideas that directly resonate with today's reality.
To lean forward in uncertainty, develop this habit: the 30-10 Rule. Spend 30 minutes each week planning your top priorities, and 10 minutes each day reviewing progress. It's a small discipline that drives intentional action over reactive motion. It's common sense, just not common practice.
Sure, sure. You can tell me: 'I know this.' But are you doing it? The knowing-doing gap will kill you right now.
Today's buyers are more consensus-driven, skeptical, and risk-averse than ever. They're not looking for a pitch. They need a partner who understands the stakes. Salespeople have been striving to reposition themselves as 'trusted advisors' for decades. But now is when you really need to step up and be exactly that.
When fear is in the air, trust becomes your greatest asset. In fact, if you've earned that trust in your industry, now might be when more contacts are reaching out, not fewer.
But beware: uncertainty can breed low-trust sales behaviors. High-pressure tactics, false urgency, or rigid terms undermine confidence and signal desperation. Instead, lead with curiosity. Anchor your outreach in the client's world, around their goals and not your quota. Ask deeper questions: How's demand holding up? What are you up against right now? What are the most significant changes in your company? What would actually make a difference?
Then bring something to the table. Share insights from across your industry to help your clients see a little more clearly into the future. You want them to take your call, because you bring them new ideas and insights; because you help them think. Those who master consultative conversations will find themselves not just closing deals, but forging relationships that generate long-term revenue and referrals.
Sales leaders must reinforce this trust-first approach by adjusting incentives. If your comp plan only rewards activity volume, not customer outcomes, you're incentivizing motion over meaningful partnerships. In 2025, the edge belongs to those who build sustainable connection.
Hybrid work has reshaped the sales experience—often in ways that can reduce connection and morale. Yes, we're more productive in some ways. But other times we're like humans who have retreated to their caves, isolated and eating whatever we find in the fridge. Managers, meanwhile, watch dashboards and Slack threads, trying to understand if anyone is actually working.
We might like this set-up better, but that doesn't mean it's better for us. And for sales? It's likely not great for business either.
The antidote is simple: Reinvest in presence.
Sales isn't just about the number of demos you can do on Teams or Zoom. It's about trust, timing, and human nuance. Even a few in-person touchpoints a year can reenergize a team and build unity. One global sales team I work with recently came together for a single day in Tampa after a long remote stretch. The emotional boost and recalibration of priorities were immediate. The CSO committed on the spot to make it a twice-yearly event.
Here's something worth noticing: some salespeople are flying again, even when Zoom would suffice. Why? Because their competitors aren't. Face time still closes deals.
If you're a leader, consider reallocating a portion of remote work savings to create intentional in-person moments—team offsites, client lunches, informal gatherings. Small investments in connection yield returns in performance, engagement, and loyalty.
AI and other advanced technologies are reshaping entire industries, and that in itself is something sales professionals must navigate. In B2B, the very products and services we sell may be evolving under the pressure of AI. What we offer today may look very different in the near future.
But AI is also changing how we sell.
Used well, it can streamline follow-ups, sharpen targeting, and elevate coaching. Used poorly, it erodes confidence. Some sales leaders now use AI to 'instant replay' sales missteps in team meetings, spotlighting every verbal tic or off-script moment. For sellers— already in one of the few professions where missing your number can mean losing your job—this kind of scrutiny can create fear. Now we fear every word feels like it's being judged by an algorithm.
Leaders must strike a better balance.
Use AI for what it does best: private, skill-building tools like conversation simulators and pitch practice. Avoid weaponizing it in public critiques. Instead, hold human-led post-call reviews rooted in genuine curiosity, ask: What went well on that call? What could have gone better? What did you learn?
In uncertain times, sales leaders should build a culture of coaching that makes everyone feel more confident, not less so.
Uncertainty isn't going away.
But the best salespeople I know aren't chasing certainty. They're building relationships, insight by insight, conversation by conversation.
That's the strategy for selling in uncertain markets for 2025. Show up. Get out from behind the screen. Ask real questions. Share something useful. Coach yourself—your team members, and your peers—through the ambiguity.
Building connection isn't the soft stuff. It's the work.