What Smart Business Developers Already Know

Don Markland is the award-winning business coach and CEO of Accountability Now, helping clients increase revenue up to 35% in 90 days.

Imagine waking up tomorrow and finding that your best-selling product just got 25% more expensive to sell—but your clients still expect yesterday’s price.

That’s the challenge now facing the U.S. auto industry after the announcement of sweeping new tariffs on imported vehicles and parts. But this isn’t just Detroit’s problem. If you’re in sales or business development, there are deeper lessons here—ones that go beyond cars, trade policy or politics.

Because this isn’t about tariffs. It’s about uncertainty. And how well you prepare for it.

Great Salespeople Think In Possibilities, Not Probabilities

Auto executives assumed the old trade agreements would hold. They bet on stability—and lost.

That’s a mistake top sales professionals don’t make. In sales, like in global business, the terrain shifts fast. New competitors enter. Buyer behavior changes. Supply dries up. If your strategy only works when things go as planned, you’re already behind.

Instead of asking, “What’s likely to happen next quarter?” the better question is, “What would we do if everything broke tomorrow?”

That shift—from probable to possible—is the beginning of strategic selling.

Three Moves Smart Business Developers Make (Especially Now)

1. Pressure-test your pipeline.

What happens if your biggest client pauses orders for 60 days? What if your primary supplier goes dark? Do you have backup leads? Backup fulfillment? Backup cash?

Sales and business development leaders should run scenarios like a CFO would run cash flow models. It’s not fear—it’s foresight.

For example, imagine if your top product had to be pulled due to a manufacturing delay—what alternative offers are ready to pitch? If a top-performing salesperson leaves, how long would it take to fill that gap without stalling your pipeline? These are the types of contingency plans that separate reactive teams from resilient ones.

2. Position on value, not price.

Tariffs squeeze margins. So do competitor price drops, inflation and market swings. If your pitch is built on being “cheaper,” you’re standing on thin ice.

The strongest sellers today are experts at value positioning. They show how their offer solves bigger problems—ones worth paying for. It’s not about being the lowest-cost option. It’s about being the smartest investment.

For example, say your competitor drops their price by 10% overnight—can your sales team clearly explain why your offer is still the better choice? If you haven’t built a narrative around ROI, efficiency or long-term results, you’re left racing to the bottom. Great salespeople know how to anchor value, not discount.

3. Build redundancy into your sales strategy.

Your sales machine should be more than one great rep and one hot vertical. As highlighted by the expert panel at Forbes, businesses diversify:

• New outreach channels

• Alternate client profiles

• Multiple product lines

• Fresh referral pipelines

If one piece gets cut off, the whole machine doesn’t stop.

For example, if your outbound strategy relies heavily on LinkedIn and that platform suddenly changes its algorithm or limits message volume, do you have a solid email nurture system ready to roll? If your top client vertical gets hit by regulation or economic slowdown, can you quickly pivot to another market? Stop betting on one single horse in the race. Redundancy isn’t extra—it’s insurance.

Think Like A Strategist, Not A Seller

The best sales pros don’t just close deals. They anticipate market conditions, adjust tactics and keep their teams aligned through change. They understand that “sales” isn’t a department—it’s the engine of the business.

And when the economy sends warning shots—like a 25% tariff—they’re not scrambling. They’ve already built the foundation to respond.

Final Thoughts

The auto industry didn’t plan for this. But you can plan for what’s coming next. In an economy where rules can shift overnight, sales leaders who prepare early will thrive while others react too late.

Because in the end, it’s not about cars. It’s about control—and how much of it you still have when the market moves.

Forbes Business Development Council is an invitation-only community for sales and biz dev executives. Do I qualify?