In this solo episode of the No Days Off podcast, host Brian Gubernick reflects on the "Be Indispensable" chapter from Jeb Blount’s book Selling in a Crisis. He explains that during economic downturns, organizations scrutinize every employee’s value, and those who drain resources are the first to be let go. Gubernick outlines Blount’s reverse‑engineered “how to get fired” list—failing to prospect, low productivity, mediocrity, poor time management, making excuses, etc.—and then presents the opposite, actionable behaviors that make a person indispensable: fanatical prospecting, adding value, mentoring, strong time management, positivity, and going the extra mile. He encourages listeners to self‑assess which of these actions they are already doing and which they need to adopt, framing the advice as a daily, practical checklist for salespeople, team leaders, and any professional facing a tough economy. The episode ends with a call to use the insights to improve personal performance and help teams thrive despite economic challenges.
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Thank you for joining me today. It's Brian Gubernick, and welcome to the No Days Off podcast, where we believe that every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. Today I want to talk about selling in a crisis, which is actually the title of a book that I just recently finished. Uh, it's one of my, my new favorites right now. And as a matter of fact, my Metrics Masterminds group that'll be joining me here in the next month or two here in Scottsdale, uh, well, they're all reading this book right now too. So I don't want to give too much away, but when I was reviewing this book and preparing for our upcoming mastermind, uh, there's a specific chapter, a specific topic in the Selling in a Crisis book by Jeb Blount that really resonated with me. And I thought I'd share it with all of you here today. The chapter is entitled Be Indispensable. And again, remember the book is about selling in a crisis, but I think what I'm about to share out of this chapter is applicable to all different people regardless of the industry and profession that they're in. So be indispensable. So what, what Jeb is talking about here is in a crisis, in an economic downturn, Those that, that retain employment may be employed by their respective company that they're working for, or maybe employed by the client that they're working for, you know, the team they're working for, whatever it may be. We're all employed by someone somehow, regardless of whether we own the business or we're part of it. When selling in a crisis, the way to retain your employment is to become indispensable. And what Jeb focuses on, what he calls, what he says is the optimum word here is to become or be productive. In a crisis, everything and everyone is examined for its value. If you drain resources rather than generate sales in a crisis, you're going to be gone. Same thing goes if you have a client, if you drain resources and you don't get the job done, you will in fact be fired. As Jeb says, and I love this line, there's no mercy for anchors when the ship is sinking. So here's how Jeb says you go about getting fired. And I like this approach because I'm a big fan of reverse engineering things or looking at things, um, you know, from a different lens. And, and this is a great way to do it. He says, here's how you go about getting fired. So I'd be thinking, okay, if this is the way to get fired, I should do the opposite of these things. Here's his list. Here's exactly how you get fired. Fail to prospect. Have low activity or productivity. Lose customers. Deliver mediocre performance. Use poor time management organization. Waste resources. Coast. Make excuses. Complain. Be difficult to work with. Go back and listen to that list again. I won't repeat it, but if you want to get fired, these are, those are things you do. Even if you're self-employed and you think, well, I can't be fired, you should fire yourself. If you, if you, if you hit anything of the, any of these things on this list, the bottom line, Jeb says, is when leadership, when the leadership team is faced with making decisions about reductions or firing, the deadwood gets cut first. And the deadwood in the scenario is anybody violating those things I just rattled off. Mediocrity, like excellence, is a choice. So the most effective way to protect your job is decide to be excellent. Here's how you become indispensable according to Jeb. Here we go. Here's his list. Get back to the basics. Be fanatical about prospecting and fill your pipeline. Sell better, retain your customers, contribute and be a team player. Look for ways to add value. Consistently ask how you can help. Come in early and stay late. Give more effort. Mentor struggling team members. Contribute in team meetings. Attack the day with drive and optimism. Go the extra mile and be a beacon of light with your positive attitude. If you want to become indispensable, go back and listen to that list and ask yourself, of these things on this list, which are— which am I honoring and which am I not really paying attention to that I should start? Jeb says we really got to change our way of thinking about work in tough economic times. And I think we all know my stance in that the economy is going to be a little bit more challenging. For the next several months, if not year plus, things are going to get tough. We are all going to remain employed or we're going to get fired from our respective businesses or, or by our clients. Those that go the extra mile, those that honor the list I just ran through, adding extra value, being a team player, contributing, mentoring, you know, building that pipeline, just being a better employer, salesperson. Those that do these things will not just survive economic times, they'll thrive when their peers fall off. So an interesting episode today. Obviously I borrowed from a chapter out of a book. That, that chapter just really resonated. And I love seeing lists like that where I can compare what it is I'm doing and not doing. It gets me thinking. And as I go into the day, as you're all listening to this, listening to this episode, likely in the morning, what action can you take? The focusing question of those lists, what should you avoid and what should you start doing today? And when you walk in, if you're leading a team, what should they avoid or start doing today based on what you learned here today? A lot to think about. That's all we have for you today. The No Days Off Podcast. Thank you so much for listening. And remember, every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. So let's get after it.
