Responding appropriately not only to Trump's tariff decisions

Not only sales employees, but also managers develop thought and behavioral routines in the course of their professional biography. These are very useful in everyday working life, as they enable quick decisions and actions.

Questioning habitual patterns of thought and behavior

However, the situation is different if the general conditions in the market or company change fundamentally - for example due to

• the advancing digitalization or
• of the numerous new opportunities that AI offers for market cultivation.

Or if, as is currently the case, the (economic) policy of the Trump government and the tariff increases it has announced radically change the (economic) policy framework conditions overnight - at least it feels that way.

Then the habits of thought and action that often guaranteed success in the past often become a stumbling block that prevents decision-makers from doing so,

• analyze the changed actual situation in the required depth and
• to develop new strategies for action on this basis.

Reflect on the current situation and existing routines

As a top decision-maker in sales, it is then often advisable to reflect on your own thought and behavior routines with a neutral person, in addition to the changed actual situation, in order to

• to break the habitual stimulus-response and action patterns and
• to find new solutions to problems that are appropriate to the changed market situation.

As a rule, this "neutral person" should not belong to the same organization as the sales manager, for example, because: Not only individuals, but also organizations develop thought routines that lead to a certain way of analysing, evaluating and solving problems and reacting to challenges. What's more, especially in times of crisis and market upheaval, managers not only have a decision-making role but also a leadership role. This means that they have to provide their insecure employees with support and orientation. To do this, they need a well-thought-out roadmap with new impulses on how the company can react to the changed current situation and continue to achieve the required or targeted sales and earnings in the future - also in order to radiate the confidence and composure expected of them when dealing with employees.

Identify and evaluate the options for action

This is why, especially in times of crisis and market upheaval, sales managers often consult with a business coach with sales and leadership experience in order to

• to draw up a (provisional) roadmap for their employee dialog as soon as possible,
• review and validate their existing ideas on how to proceed and/or
• to discover alternatives and new paths,

because: Experienced sales managers know that experience is a two-sided coin and are aware of the danger of operational blindness and panic reactions to unforeseen events or events whose consequences are (initially) underestimated.

Achieving self-awareness and sovereignty through questions

Socrates already knew that questions lead to self-knowledge, and this is the basis for healthy self-awareness. This self-awareness in turn supports self-confidence, which leads to sovereignty. Accordingly, a (sales business) coach does not train. Rather, he asks a lot of questions and thus becomes an accelerator of insights and decisions that lead to tailor-made solutions to problems or strategies for action for the current situation.

The starting point here is always the current tasks and challenges facing the coachee, i.e. the person being coached, in their company. The options for action and possible solutions to problems are determined pragmatically through dialog, with the coach using his field and sales experience to guide the discourse in a target-oriented direction by asking questions. However, the following applies: the business coach does not decide anything; he only provides insights and decisions.

A sales business coach must therefore have a high level of consulting and coaching method competence in addition to their field and practical experience. They should also be able to change perspectives and roles; in other words, they should be able to slip into the role of boss, employee, customer and, of course, consultant if necessary, so that the proposed solutions to problems are examined from different perspectives and are ultimately well thought out and viable.

As a general rule, the coachee and their concerns are the focus of the coaching process. This also means that the coach can and should sometimes discuss issues with the coachee in a controversial or polarizing manner in order to achieve greater clarity. However, the coach must not be piqued if the coachee

• sticks to his opinion and
• does not accept or implement what he considers to be his "valuable tips and advice",

because: The coachee is and remains the decision-maker who bears the responsibility; the coach is primarily a catalyst.

Pull the coachee out of the problem trance if necessary

In the coaching process, it is not so much what a coach says that matters; what is decisive is what he or she achieves with the coachee. This is why experienced sales business coaches sometimes resort to so-called paradoxical interventions in justified individual cases,

• to provoke contradiction and
• to break through habitual stimulus-response patterns or patterns of thought and action.

For example, if the coachee is clearly in a problem trance and only sees everything in black, which is why they refuse to seriously think about new, alternative options for action that could possibly lead to a solution to the problem.

However, the overriding goal of the sales business coach is to overcome existing emotional barriers in the coachee and thus clear the way for effective and goal-oriented further work.  

Sales business coaching: individually or in a team?

Such business coaching sessions usually take place as individual coaching. However, they can also be carried out as team coaching (up to around four people) - either

• "sorted", i.e. only with managers in sales, or
• interdisciplinary, so that the team also includes, for example, managers from other areas who are involved in service provision and market processing.

However, it can also be interesting and helpful, especially in the case of such "black swans" - i.e. events that cannot be predicted or can only be predicted to a very limited extent - such as the Trump administration's tariff decisions (or, more recently, the coronavirus pandemic or the war in Ukraine), to put together small groups in a controlled manner with representatives from different, non-competing companies so that more perspectives can be incorporated into the problem analysis and development of viable solutions.

To the author:
Peter Schreiber is the owner of the B2B sales consultancy PETER SCHREIBER & PARTNER in Ilsfeld. With his team of experienced sales managers and former purchasing managers, the management consultant and business coach supports companies in the (further) development of their sales strategy and its implementation. More information: www.schreiber-training.de.

Be reflective and don't panic!

The current economic situation, which has changed radically as a result of the Trump administration's tariff decisions (once again, as so often in recent years), demands clever decisions and forward-looking strategies from top decision-makers in companies more than ever. But when do they consciously take the time to take a fresh look at their company and their sales department, detached from day-to-day business? Especially in such tense situations, which (at least at first glance) often require very quick countermeasures, rather rarely!

Such a "time-out" would be important for entrepreneurs, managing directors, managers and sales managers to break out of familiar routines, develop new perspectives and shape strategies with foresight, because: Real change does not come about between meetings and emails, but through targeted reflection in an inspiring environment.

A business coaching session - preferably away from the daily office routine and in a relaxed atmosphere - with an experienced (sales) business coach can be the ideal setting to ...

• ... to gain clarity: Analyze your current (sales) strategy without distraction. Recognize strengths, identify bottlenecks and create a sound basis for sustainable success.
• ... to receive new impulses: Discover innovative approaches as well as unused opportunities and potential that will make your sales more efficient, customer-oriented and future-proof, for example. Develop practical ideas that can be implemented immediately.
• ... to develop individual solutions: Develop customized strategies with an experienced (sales) business coach - precisely tailored to your company, your industry and your challenges.
• ... to develop foresight instead of actionism: Rely on sustainable measures that outlast short-term constellations and trends in order to position your company successfully in the (changing) market in the long term instead of falling back into the usual stimulus-response patterns.

Treat yourself to this kind of time-out from your day-to-day business, which creates the necessary framework for in-depth reflection and a new strategic direction so that you can then

• return to your day-to-day business with a viable roadmap for adequate (re-)action in the changed market situation and
• radiate the confidence, (inner) calm and composure in dialog with your employees, while at the same time showing the determination that they expect from you as their supervisor or leader.

Only then will your organization and your team develop the necessary energy for change that you need to master the current situation and future challenges.