It’s that time of the week again my friends, let’s gather around for our sales meeting and talk about this week’s main topic – slumps. As media salespeople you have either experienced a slump at some point, or you haven’t been around long enough, but it’s coming.
If you’ve ever watched a great hitter in baseball go through a slump, you know how brutal it can be. The swing looks just a little off. The timing’s not quite there. Maybe the player’s trying to force it, gripping the bat too tight. The fans are groaning with every pop-out or strikeout. But if you’ve been around the game long enough, you also know this: the best hitters always find a way out. Not because they magically change everything—they keep doing the work. They stay confident, they stay prepared, and most importantly, they keep taking swings.
Sales isn’t all that different.
Some weeks, you’re spraying hits all over the field—every call gets returned, proposals turn into closed deals, and the scoreboard looks good. Other weeks? Not so much. You’re taking the same swings, making the same effort, but nothing’s falling your way. Clients go quiet. Budgets shrink. Objections stack up. And before long, the pressure creeps in.
You start overanalyzing every conversation. Questioning your approach. You start doubting yourself. Maybe even wonder if you’ve ‘lost it’.
Sound familiar?
That’s when you have to remember—you’re a professional. And just like a seasoned hitter doesn’t throw away the bat after a bad week, you can’t throw away your confidence just because you’re in a sales slump.
The Slump Is Part of the Game for Media Salespeople
Slumps happen. As I said earlier, it’s not about if—they’re guaranteed. The variable is how you respond.
Look, I get it. In sales, your number is staring you in the face every single day. Unlike some other professions, there’s no hiding when you’re in a rut. But that doesn’t mean you’re failing. Baseball has a beautiful saying: ‘Trust the process.’ It’s a reminder that even if the results aren’t showing up today, the work you’re doing still matters—and eventually, the hits will come.
What you can’t do is change your swing every time things go sideways. That’s when the slump gets worse. Same in sales. When media salespeople start second-guessing every sentence, switching up your pitch just to get a “yes,” or chasing deals that don’t fit—you get out of rhythm. You lose your identity as a seller. And that’s when confidence really takes a hit.
Control the Controllables
One of the biggest challenges in sales—and in baseball—is that you can do everything right and still come up empty. You can make a perfect pitch, tailor your solution to the prospect’s needs, follow up exactly as you should—and still not close the deal. That doesn’t mean you failed. It means you’re dealing with a game of percentages. Stop me if you’ve heard this before but sales is a numbers game. Always has been and always will be.
Just like a hitter can’t control where the ball lands once it leaves the bat, you can’t control every variable in the sales process. What you can control is your approach, preparation, attitude and persistence.
Great hitters keep working on their mechanics during a slump. They watch film. They get in the cage. And They keep their head up and trust their training. As sales professionals, we have to do the same. Go back to the fundamentals. Revisit your value proposition. Review your CNA questions. Practice your objection handling. Stay sharp, even when the results aren’t there—especially when the results aren’t there.
Confidence Is a Choice for Media Salespeople
There’s a difference between arrogance and confidence. Confidence doesn’t mean you pretend everything’s fine when it’s not. It means you believe in your ability to work through the challenge. That belief is what keeps you going. And honestly, it’s contagious.
Clients pick up on your confidence. They can tell when you believe in your product. When you believe in your value. When you believe in yourself. And the moment you let self-doubt start running the show, it leaks into your tone, your delivery, your entire presentation.
If a hitter walks to the plate expecting to strike out, you already know how that at-bat ends. But if they walk up knowing they’ve put in the work, that they’ve hit before and they’ll hit again? That’s when they break out.
Stay in the Box
If you are in a slump, the formula to get out of it is fairly simple: Keep showing up. Keep making the calls. Keep refining your pitch. Stay active. Stay visible. Don’t disappear when things get tough. Talk to your teammates.
All media salespeople go through it. I’ve been there myself. But the ones who make it in this business are the ones who stay in the box. The ones who trust their swing. The ones who know that a dry spell doesn’t erase the talent or the value they bring.
So keep swinging. That next one could be that game-winning grand slam you’ve been waiting for.
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Dave Greene is the Chief Media Officer for Barrett Media. His background includes over 25 years in media and content creation. A former sports talk host and play-by-play broadcaster, Dave transitioned to station and sales management, co-founded and created a monthly sports publication and led an ownership group as the operating partner. He has managed stations and sales teams for Townsquare Media, Cumulus Media and Audacy. Upon leaving broadcast media he co-founded Podcast Heat, a sports and entertainment podcasting network specializing in pro wrestling nostalgia. To interact, find him on Twitter @mr_podcasting. You can also reach him by email at Dave@BarrettMedia.com.
