By Caryn Kopp, Chief Door Opener®, Kopp Consulting, LLC, a proud Sponsor of the 2025 WPO Entrepreneurial Excellence Forum
This year’s Enterprising Women Conference was buzzing with talk about massive policy shifts affecting businesses across the board. Business leaders are feeling the pressure- revenue targets are harder to hit, margins are shrinking, and some are simply struggling to stay afloat. Even businesses that thought they’d be immune are feeling the heat, as changes ripple through their clients and prospects.
Think Market Changes Won’t Affect YOU? Think again.
- One business owner who, for over 25 years, has offered disability consulting says,” We had more contract cancellations in the last six weeks than we earned in the last six months.”
- A business which sells exclusively to the government is now considering the commercial market.
- A business owner who imports retail items from China is frantically hunting for lower priced vendors to maintain margins.
- A marketing agency focused on the tech industry is facing budget cuts from its largest clients.
- A female business owner who recently won a large RFP learned part of the selection discussion was ensuring she didn’t win because she was a diverse supplier.
These are just a few real-life scenarios for business leaders who entered 2025 with high hopes and are now wondering how to make their numbers.
What Can YOU Do to Protect Your Business?
Focus on what you can control: sales. Focus on finding new customers and aggressively building (or rebuilding) your sales pipeline. Recognize that sales has changed. Buyers who can and will spend are out there, but you’ll need to adapt to reach them. Success may require reimagining your sales process and doing something different. Inbound leads and referrals may no longer bring the kinds or number of buyers you need.
Let’s face it: relying on salespeople who’ve been coasting or merely fulfilling existing orders won’t cut it. Order taking versus real business development likely won’t be enough.
Creating new relationships with economic decision makers is more important than ever. A few sequenced emails or mass Linked In messages isn’t enough to engage prospects in conversations about opportunities. Businesses which adapt to effective methods of selling directly to economic decision makers ahead of their competitors will win.
Business Survival Kit – A High-Impact Action Plan.
- Rethink Your Target – Make a new list of prospects who need to know you. Recognize they may also be in distress, looking for ways to pivot and adapt. If prospects on your list don’t attend events and people in your network don’t know them (so they can’t introduce you), reach out directly.
- Refine Your Sales Message –Effective sales messages (voicemail, live dialogue, 1:1 email and LinkedIn message) must include language so meaningful that decision makers say “yes!” If your current sales language isn’t hitting the mark, we can help refine it.
- Eliminate Your Top Sales Objection – Track the objections your prospects voice. There are ways to eliminate them if you know what they are!
- Place the Right Sellers in the Right Roles – Not all great sales hunters are great Door Openers. And, if they are, they’re likely too busy closing sales to open more doors. Pair the right closers from your team with the right Door Openers® from our team (our U.S.- based senior level business developers land prospect meetings FOR you) and watch the magic happen!
- Maximize Time for Maximum Results – It’s shocking when business leaders explain how much a new client is worth to them and how little time their teams spend pursuing prospects. If your team lacks the time or talent to open new doors, you can outsource this part of sales to a trusted, experienced partner. Learn how having a Kopp Door Opener® can help your business, https://koppconsultingusa.com/contact-us/.
Sales Fixes Everything.
In challenging times, sales can be your lifeline. Take action, adapt to the new landscape, and make this year your best yet!
About the Author
CARYN KOPP is the Chief Door Opener at Kopp Consulting, whose Door Opener® Service is the gold standard in executive level appointment setting. Caryn is an internationally recognized speaker and author of the best seller, Biz Dev Done Right. She is a 16-year WPO member, 3x Inc 5000 winner and has been named Sales Outsourcing Provider of the Year. Reach her at ckopp@koppconsultingusa.com.