Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

It’s Only Common Sense: Stop Whining About the Market—Outwork It

Whenever the market hiccups or the industry cycle dips, I hear the same tired chorus: “The market is down. Customers aren’t buying. What can we do? We just have to wait it out.”

Nonsense. If you think that by showing up, opening your doors, and waiting for the economy to smile kindly upon you, that success will follow, you are in the wrong business. Worse yet, you’re living in the wrong mindset. Most people don’t want to hear the truth that winners find business in down cycles. Losers blame the economy.

The Myth of the Bad Market
There’s always someone making money. Even in the worst downturns, some people are hustling, landing orders, building relationships, and growing while the rest of the crowd sits around swapping doom-and-gloom stories.

Remember 2008? Half the industry was crying that no one was buying. Yet a handful of companies doubled down. They called every customer, knocked on every door, and pitched every prospect. When the market bounced back, those companies weren’t scrambling to catch up because they were already miles ahead.

So, if your first instinct when things tighten up is to pull back, conserve energy, and complain about “conditions,” you’ve already lost. Business doesn’t reward.

The Economy Is Just an Excuse
I talk to salespeople all the time who tell me, “Customers just aren’t buying.” That’s funny, because your competitor just took an order from one of those same customers. Someone else got the business you said didn’t exist. Someone else made the calls you didn’t make. Someone else followed up, sent the quote, booked the visit, and showed up at the right time.

Hustle beats headwinds every single time.

If you’re in sales (and let’s be honest, every business leader is in sales), you cannot afford to wait for perfect conditions. There is no such thing. Conditions are always imperfect. Customers have an uncanny ability to sniff out the players from the posers. When things are tough, they notice who keeps showing up and who disappears.

When the economy dips and budgets tighten, customers get nervous. They want partners they can trust and that’s built through presence.

Who gets remembered? It’s the one who was calling, visiting, helping,  and offering ideas. Customers reward the companies that show up, not those that sulk.

For example, a client had two suppliers in the same city. One went silent when orders slowed down, so they figured, “Why bother calling? Nobody’s buying anyway.” The other supplier doubled their customer visits. They offered free design reviews, shared cost-saving suggestions, and asked questions that mattered. When the dust cleared, guess which supplier got the lion’s share of business? It was the one that stayed present. It’s common sense, yet too many companies miss it.

Like I’ve said so many times, business is simple. Maybe not easy, but it is simple. Outwork the competition with more calls, visits, quotes, and follow-ups. Do the things others won’t, like calling when you’d rather send an email, or making a personal visit while others are busy whining about gas prices or tariffs.

Rather than expecting sympathy, earn your orders and their loyalty. Get out there, and sell.

Now, I know that markets rise and fall. That’s the cycle. But every salesperson worth their salt knows the real competition isn’t the other supplier. It’s the inertia inside your own company, the excuses that creep in during tough times, the voice in your head whispering, “It’s not worth the effort, no one’s buying.”

Ignore that voice. Outwork it and everyone.

You can’t control the market, interest rates, global politics, or raw material costs. But you can control how hard you work, how often you reach out, how creatively you approach customers, how determined you are to uncover the hidden opportunities that others overlook.

The hidden opportunities are always there. Every down cycle creates openings because of new needs, gaps, and pains that only the hustlers uncover.

The Common Sense Bottom Line

You know how much I like common sense, so remember this advice:

• The market doesn’t owe you anything today, tomorrow, or ever.
• Winners find business in down cycles, while losers find excuses.
• Hustle always beats headwinds.
• Customers reward the ones who show up, and forget the ones who don’t.
• Stop whining and get out there.

That’s it. That’s the playbook.

You can either waste another quarter complaining about the market, or get off your chair and outwork everyone else. The choice is yours. But don’t tell me the market is your problem. The market doesn’t care, and that’s exactly why you have to.

It’s only common sense.

Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Management Group.