This is our first article in 2025, and it is about this time each year that everyone starts making predictions about how they feel that the year will pan out. We are at a little bit of an advantage as we have the insights of over 600 sales leaders and salespeople across NZ and Australia who contributed to the Mood of the Sales Leader survey carried out last month.
We can’t give away too much just yet, as the annual Mood of the Sales Leader Report will be officially released at the end of January. But ... here are a few things that we can feel comfortable saying.
Firstly, from a business and sales perspective, 2024 for many companies sucked. In fact, it sucked more than any other year that I can remember. I can’t comment too much on 1987 as I had just become a teenager, and I had other things that seemed more important at the time. I do remember my mother saying to me “be kind to your father as he has lost a lot of money today”. My memory was that I heard her, acknowledged it and then shifted my attention back to the TV that I was watching.
Whilst the general sentiment for 2025 is more positive, it is clear that we still have some obstacles on the road ahead. As a country we are not out of the woods just yet but there are definitely some good signs of improvement. At Indicator we are not allowed to use the words “green shoots”, a bit like the word “pivot” after the covid Hooha!
What I think was quite interesting in 2024 according to the Mood of the Sales Leader results was there were many companies that bucked the trend to be very successful even when they were anomalies in their own industries. Why and how did they achieve that growth given the background of tough economic times? For some it may have been pure luck or good timing, but others made strategic moves that allowed them to succeed (Survey contributors made reference to offering new products or services, opening up new markets, being more aggressive in the sales and marketing functions, investing even more in training, development and sales technology).
One thing I can guarantee however is that we all have opportunities to improve and that starts with the mindset or the inner drive to be better. I thought an easy start to the year is to share some favourite quotes about being better:
“Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” – John D. Rockefeller
"In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity." – Albert Einstein
"Champions keep playing until they get it right." – Billie Jean King
"The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones." – Confucius
"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." – Charles Darwin
"The harder I work, the luckier I get." – Samuel Goldwyn
“Being unique isn’t always better, but being better is always unique” - Bernard Kelvin Clive
HNY everyone, here is to a fantastic 2025!