If you’ve ever found yourself in a sales slump, you know it can feel less like a “slump” and more like a deep, dark pit. We’ve all been there—your numbers aren’t where you want them to be, and you feel stuck. The worst part? That feeling of shame that creeps in, making you want to hide from your team and your clients. Sound familiar? If you’ve ever been in this “Sales Pit of Despair,” don’t worry—you can get out of it.
Here’s how.
Step 1: Identify How You Fell In
Before you can climb out, it’s essential to figure out how you got there in the first place.
The reasons are often clear once we stop to assess, and they tend to fall into a few categories:
1. Inconsistent Effort Sales is simple in theory: activity drives results. Yet, for many OOH salespeople, prospecting consistently is a challenge. Whether it’s avoiding cold calls or neglecting follow-ups, inconsistency leads to the dreaded slump. In OOH Sales Mastery sessions, we teach that there are only two reasons salespeople fail—one of them is inconsistent or insufficient prospecting. When you’re not regularly putting in the effort, the pit is inevitable.
2. Burnout Maybe you worked hard last quarter but didn’t see the results you hoped for. When our expectations don’t match reality, frustration builds, and momentum grinds to a halt. It’s like those New Year’s gym crowds that disappear by February—without seeing immediate results, it’s easy to lose motivation.
3. Cruise Control When things are going well, it’s tempting to let up. This is often when salespeople become vulnerable. You might think, “I’m ahead of my targets—I can ease up for a bit.” The truth is, when you take your foot off the gas, you risk losing momentum, and before you know it, you’re sliding into a slump.
4. Self-Sabotage Some salespeople unconsciously create setbacks to manufacture urgency. They wait until they’re backed into a corner—stressing themselves and their managers—only to rally with a burst of motivation. Sound irrational? It is. But it happens more often than you’d think.
Step 2: Take Action
Once you’ve identified the cause, it’s time to act. The biggest barrier to action is often overthinking. Many salespeople get stuck in “paralysis by analysis,” endlessly planning without actually doing. They wait for the perfect moment, the perfect pitch, the perfect strategy—but that moment never comes. The solution? Stop waiting for perfection. Get out there, make the calls, have the meetings, and trust that action—even imperfect action—beats inaction every time.
Step 3: Let Go of the Shame
The last thing you need when you’re already in a slump is to beat yourself up over it. Slumps don’t mean you’re a bad salesperson or a failure. They happen to everyone, from athletes to artists to OOH salespeople. The key is to stop internalizing the slump as a personal failing. You’re not stuck in the pit because you’re not good enough—you’re stuck because you’re human. So, stop kicking yourself while you’re down, and start focusing on getting back up.
How to Avoid Falling In (as Often)
While slumps are inevitable at times, there are ways to minimize how often you fall into them. One of my favorite quotes by Jim Rohn sums it up perfectly: “We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.”
The top performers in any field are consistently disciplined. They hold themselves accountable and don’t let short-term discomfort derail their long-term goals.
At the end of the day, your success in OOH sales comes down to the things you control. Will you choose the pain of discipline today or the pain of regret tomorrow? The choice is yours.
Need help with sales skills or coaching to take your out of home company to the next level. Learn more about OOH Sales Mastery at oohmastery.com or Contact Dan Nausley at dan.nausley@sandler.com, 423.702.5579.
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Lisa & Dan Nausley and Reggie Piercy of Sandler Chattanooga have developed the OOH Sales Mastery Program after more than a decade of training/coaching thousands of OOH Operators across the country in sales, leadership, and executive coaching.
