Slowdown in orders?

When orders dry up, many companies start looking for explanations. The economy is slowing down, investments are being postponed, purchasing decisions are taking longer, and competition is driving down prices. All of that may be true. But it doesn’t help much. Because weaker demand does not automatically mean there are no more orders in the market. Often, the winners are those who follow up earlier, more clearly, and more consistently. This is exactly where it becomes clear whether a sales team is actively working or merely reacting to demand.

If you are looking for new orders, you do not necessarily have to find new customers first. In many companies, sales opportunities have long been lying dormant. They are in the CRM system, in visit reports, in trade show contacts, or in the list of former contacts.  These are opportunities that have neither been won nor lost. The prospect stops responding, the salesperson does not want to push or the matter is forgotten. That is why a lull in orders is not just a market problem – it is also a test of sales discipline.

Reviving forgotten opportunities

A well-organized follow-up process starts with a simple question: Which opportunities from the past six to twelve months have not been definitively lost yet? After that, it is not the quantity that matters, but the order in which you tackle them. It makes sense to start with the opportunities where the order volume is particularly high. At the same time, the sales team should assess which customers are a good strategic fit for the company and for which proposals a concrete need was already apparent. The call should not start with, “Have you made a decision yet?” That sounds like pressure and rarely yields good answers.

A calmer approach is better: “We had discussed your project back then. I wanted to check in on the current status.” Even a lost customer is not automatically lost forever. What led to the parting of ways two or three years ago may no longer be an issue today. Contact persons change, expectations evolve, and some of the new provider’s advantages lose their appeal in day-to-day operations faster than expected.

Re-engaging does not have to be particularly creative or spectacular. Often, a simple, honest reason is enough: “It’s been a while since we last spoke. That’s why I wanted to check in. I’ve had an idea that might be of interest to your company.” The same applies to lost projects and old trade show contacts. Not every project was definitively scrapped. Some were merely postponed. Many trade show conversations were not unsuccessful – they simply took place at the wrong time. Those who systematically reconnect with such contacts significantly increase their opportunities.

Do not just manage existing customers

When it comes to revenue growth, many companies focus first on new customers. Yet additional orders are often closer at hand than you might think. Those who speak regularly with existing customers learn earlier about investments, personnel changes, or current challenges. This leads to new projects, referrals, or follow-up orders. Even a company’s most important customers can contribute far more than just revenue. They experience market changes firsthand, monitor investments, identify new developments, and recognize early on where opportunities or risks are emerging. Those who regularly engage in strategic discussions gain insights that cannot be found in any market study.

In practice, however, contact is often limited to specific occasions. Calls are made when a delivery is due, a complaint needs to be handled, or a new quote is available. This comes at a cost: Important developments at the customer’s end are often only noticed once a competitor is already in the picture.

Additional orders rarely result from trying to sell something else. They arise because salespeople recognize connections that no one has addressed before. Which tasks does the customer still handle on their own today? Which services are they not currently using? Which departments are not even familiar with the provider yet? Questions like these often reveal potential that has been overlooked until now.

Customers who have filed a complaint in the past deserve special attention. Many salespeople feel relieved after a complaint is resolved and the case is closed. Yet that is often where a particularly interesting conversation begins. A personal phone call asking whether the solution is working consistently signals commitment and provides more honest feedback than any standardized email survey. 

Using relationships as a sales channel

When acquiring new customers, many companies focus on target customer lists, campaigns, and market analyses. Existing relationships tend to take a back seat. Yet it is precisely there that opportunities often lie – opportunities that are more easily accessible than establishing a new contact. A typical example is former contacts. People change companies, or take on new responsibilities. A job change can sometimes open the door to a company that was not even on the radar before.

When reestablishing contact, you should not  immediately turn it into a sales pitch. It makes more sense to show genuine interest in the other person’s new situation. What tasks are they currently working on? What challenges are on the agenda? Such conversations provide starting points for further dialogue.

Existing customer relationships are also often underutilized. Many companies have multiple locations, subsidiaries, or affiliate companies. Those who have already worked together successfully have a reference there that carries more weight than any advertising message. This does, however, require tact. Instead of asking directly for contacts or recommendations, you should first clarify whether similar challenges exist at other locations or in other divisions of the company. This often leads to valuable opportunities for discussion.

Another, often underestimated approach involves suppliers, collaboration partners, and other companies within your own network. They know the markets, monitor projects, and speak regularly with decision-makers. This yields insights and contacts that would be difficult to access through traditional sales channels. Relationships are no substitute for sales. However, they ensure that conversations happen more quickly and start from a stronger foundation.

Reading the market more closely

During downturns, many sales teams focus more intensively on the same customers, even though those customers are currently investing very little. This is understandable, but not always wise. Some industries continue to spend money even in difficult times. Depending on the offering, these include sectors such as healthcare, energy, public sector clients, critical infrastructure, or certain technical services.

What matters is not the general list of industries, but a specific question: Where is the pressure to act high despite the economic downturn? To answer this, the sales team needs to monitor the market closely: job postings, investment announcements, personnel changes, new locations, or complaints about competitors. All of these are signals that can lead to opportunities for conversation in the short or medium term. It is also worth taking a closer look at competitors’ customers. Not because the goal is to poach them in the short term. Rather, what is interesting are changes that indicate a possible switch in providers.

In practice, spontaneous switches rarely occur. They are often preceded by specific developments. Collaboration stalls, delivery deadlines are not met, contact persons change, or the customer’s expectations are no longer fully met. Such changes create opportunities for conversation that did not exist before.

Equally important is the issue of contract terms. Many salespeople only address this once a renewal has already taken place. By that point, the decisive course has often already been set. Those who inquire early on, however, gain a realistic sense of the timeframe for potential decisions.

A straightforward question like “When does your current agreement expire?” is entirely legitimate. It signals interest in the customer’s procurement process and helps both sides assess whether and when a more in-depth discussion makes sense. Successful sales depend not only on knowing the right contact person. It is equally crucial to recognize the right moment.

Improving your own sales quality

Not every sales opportunity depends on the market, competition, or economic conditions. Often, the quality of the sales effort determines whether an inquiry turns into an order or not. One example is face-to-face meetings.

Today, many interactions take place via email. This saves time and avoids awkward situations but important information is lost in the process. Doubts, uncertainties, priorities, or “political” conditions within the customer’s company usually only become apparent during a direct conversation.

Your own visibility is also underestimated. An outdated company profile, limited up-to-date content, or a lack of customer reviews may seem insignificant at first glance. For potential customers, however, such information is often among the first points of contact. Even before a conversation takes place, an impression of timeliness, competence, and trustworthiness is formed.

Differences become particularly evident during price discussions. Providers often come under price pressure when the specific benefits of their service for the client are not sufficiently tangible. The discussion then revolves around percentages, even though other questions are actually at stake: What risks are reduced? What costs can be avoided? How much time is saved? What additional benefits are generated?

Experienced salespeople therefore do not immediately respond to price objections with concessions. They first try to understand what lies behind the objection. Is the customer comparing the offering to a competitor’s? Is information missing? Or has the added value of the proposed solution not yet been communicated sufficiently?

Valuable insights also come from areas that, at first glance, have little to do with sales. Employees in customer service, back office, technical support, or accounting experience customers from a different perspective. They identify problems, needs, or trends that do not always come to light during a sales conversation. AI can also help develop new perspectives or challenge existing ways of thinking. Ultimately, however, sales remains a human interaction. Someone has to initiate the conversation, show interest, ask questions, recognize connections, and build trust. This is precisely where part of the competitive advantage lies – one that even modern technology cannot replace.

Conclusion

Companies have no influence over the economy. They can control neither investment cycles nor political conditions. However, they do have influence over how consistently they pursue existing market opportunities. Additional orders do not necessarily result from spectacular sales initiatives or costly campaigns. Often, it is the obvious things that make the difference: a forgotten quote, a former customer, a postponed project, an overlooked contact, or a conversation that never took place.

When the economy comes under pressure, it becomes clear just how resilient a sales system really is. While some companies scale back their activities and focus primarily on cost-cutting, others make targeted investments in customer relationships, market monitoring, and sales quality. The crucial question, therefore, is not when the market will finally start moving in a positive direction again. The crucial question is which companies will make good use of the time until then.