“Use Sales to Recession Proof Your Business”
episode #764 – September 1, 2022
GUEST: Matt Nettleton
For every ten years you’re in business. There will be two two good years, two terrible years and some average normal years. Use your sales process to manage the terrible years.
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the episode
If you’ve been around business as long as I have—or even half as long—you know the cycles are inevitable. There are highs, there are lows, and the real question is: how prepared are you for the downturns? That’s the heart of this conversation from my archive, with than Matt Nettleton, a sales powerhouse and founder of DTB Sandler Training. Matt’s seen it all, from both the trenches and the boardroom, and he knows exactly how to help salespeople elevate their game. In fact, he’s the reason my own business took off years ago when he was my sales coach.
Here are just a few of the key points from our conversation:
Maximize Your CRM: A CRM only helps if it’s used effectively. Make sure it’s tracking meaningful data and guiding your sales efforts—not just sitting idle.
Follow a Consistent Sales Process: Having a structured sales process moves prospects predictably from strangers to loyal clients. Don’t rely on luck; create repeatable steps for success.
Refine Your Story: Your story should resonate with your ideal clients. Know why customers choose you and use that narrative to build stronger, lasting relationships.
Prepare for Business Cycles: Sales isn’t immune to economic cycles. Anticipate downturns and use the right tools (CRM, process, and story) to protect your business when the market gets tough.
Know Your Target Audience: Understand your “elephants” and “squirrels.” Don’t chase big clients without the right resources, and don’t over-invest in smaller ones. Tailor your approach to fit each customer’s scale.
Be sure to look for some of our earlier conversations with Matt Nettleton.
our guest Matt Nettleton
From the living room to the board room Matt Nettleton has sold a wide variety of tangible products and high-end services. He understands salespeople and knows how to help them become the best they can be. He helps elevate the profession—and the professional salesperson’s view of himself.
To help pay for school, Matt got a start selling vacuum cleaners door to door. Finding immediate sales success, Matt returned to school with the goal of getting into professional sales. Transferring his discipline learned on the college football field into the sales world let Matt succeed in a series of sales positions with one of the largest consumer products companies in the world, Coca Cola. Later Matt sold in the brutally competitive world of residential real estate. In 1999, Matt became a client of Sandler Training, he says it “just clicked” for him and it allowed him to double his personal sales production.
Since 2003, Matt has coached more than 175 companies in a wide variety of industries. He has helped multiple companies grow from $1 million to more than $10 million in annual revenue and has helped clients close more than $2.3 billion in new sales. Coaching people using the “Sandler Selling System” seasoned by personal sales experience and the experience of his clients.