Four tips Revenue and Sales executives can apply to be prepared for the possibility of a Recession Four Tips for Sales and Revenue Leaders to Prepare for a Recession

Aug 4, 2022

According to the International Monetary Fund, the world's economy is forecast to shrink by over three percent this year , ranging from 6.1 to 3.2, and decrease again until 2023. Inflation rates are predicted to continue to be high.

There are numerous steps that you can do to ensure your go-to-market team is prepared for the changes that will influence your potential customers as well as the habits of customers' buying preferences.

I had a conversation with the ex-Director for Revenue Operations about this, and you can watch the whole conversation at the bottom of this article. I've also outlined some of the strategies that we talked about.

1. Consider rethinking segmentation in order to find new Growth Opportunities

There's a good chance you're looking at the information from afar in order to assess the degree of your total addressable market (TAM) is shrinking. Depending on your market you might see research studies or publications that make public the expected changes to budgets and technology spending, for example.

In markets that are volatile, they might become outdated when they're issued.

A different way of getting fresher viewpoints is to conduct conversations with thought-leaders from the business and on blogs. What are industry CEOs and advisors posting on LinkedIn about their markets?w

For internal information, on a high level you must be continuously keeping track of your net retention rates along with bookings as well as the the size of your sales. One thing many companies fail to do is remain at an excessive level in their analysis of the market.

There aren't all areas of your TAM will be subject to external forces precisely the same way. There are some sectors are more resilient to recession than others. And if you haven't already found these areas within your ICP it's a great starting point.

There may also be specific countries or locations in where you do business have less impact on recessionary pressures, or by inflation.

Account-based sales companies are often used for having regions of sales defined. If your company isn't local It's possible that you spend less time and effort in sales and marketing efforts dependent on where your customers or prospects are coming from. When a market is more constrained, identifying healthy regions is a major advantage.

Particularly in unstable markets, the condition of particular industries or areas could change quickly. This is why it's vital evaluate the return potential on each investment you make within the fastest timeframe possible.

2. Improve the efficacy of the ROI measurement you use

It's not always possible to anticipate sudden changes in your market, but the main thing to consider is speeding the speed of which you're in a position to assess the effects of your investments today.

  • If you're used to measuring the return on investment of a new purchase within 6 months, switch this to six weeks. What indicators do you have to employ to assess faster?
  • If you have the opportunity to beta test new products over a period of six months prior to making them available to your entire customer base See what you can achieve to take an MVP to production within three days.

Consider how to analyze any moment or investment that you make so that you don't make costly mistakes or be successful more quickly and pivot as needed at a much faster rate.

Another benefit is that you will be able to create value for your clients whenever you can. If you're witnessing your clients reduce their spending, you need to prove that you will remain a valuable source of value to them.

3. The Sales Training Team to handle new prospect Priorities

The value propositions that are successful really well in growth periods might not be as successful when there is slow or even zero growth. Does your sales staff know how to adjust?

As an example, those who have always been the most concerned about the way that the product could help increase revenue for the business could now be more focused on what it does to reduce the amount of time employees spend or other employees.

In general, we'll be seeing increasing discussion about costs and what a company will spend in selecting one option in preference to another. It could be that the company is looking for an ROI that is tangible, rather than the possibility of expansion.

We're is notencouraging your company to reduce the price of your product and thereby entices customers to the idea of devaluing your products.

Sales must be more rigorous than they ever have been in the calculation of ROI as well as educating customers on ways to justify the expense of your product, and on real-world, proven methods to prove can benefit the company.

4. Discover new ways to add Value or Increase

The rate of inflation has been growing all over the world without any signs of slowing. Along with slower expansion trajectories it is likely that you'll see an increase in internal expenses.

You might be placed in a position to must increase the price of your products or discover new methods of making more money from clients who you already have.

No matter what method you choose to use, the key is linking it back to the value.

Give more details about the Value You've Added to the Product

If you choose to increase prices, connect those figures to the extent the product you offer has advanced.

  • If you can, make sure that messages are tailored to provide added value for specific users.
  • Make content for platform upgrades and new features. Which customers may not have noticed.

Offer Training and Case Studies on features that are not used or add-ons.

If increasing costs aren't your best option, consider other options to boost the revenue of your current customers.

Based on our internal data Add-ons, or offer upsells typically represent 30% to half of customer's company. This is a way to be in a position to justify the costs while maintaining the standard deal size that you're trying to achieve however withoutraising the overall cost of your services.

  • Are you able to identify clients who might benefit from the next plan or perhaps a different plan?
  • If you're in the process of making plans for your appointment to renew, how can you come prepared with the proof they aren't making the most of the services offered by your company?

At the end of the day, concentrate on value and be prepared to be flexible

It's a good thing that the periods of sustained growth tend to follow recessions. All you have to prepare for is to be prepared to deal with them.

The companies that are the most well-prepared for the changes to market conditions are those that have the best value positioning. They've invested money in their product in addition to in their relationship with their clients. They're now in a position to show that value.

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