In this month’s SalesGlobe Signals, Mark Donnolo looks past the headlines to ask a sharper question: how do shifting interest rates actually change your customers’ behavior—and where should you point your team next?

With the Fed Funds Rate still elevated relative to 2020–2022 but showing signs of easing, the story isn’t just policy—it’s impact. Lower borrowing costs can relieve pressure on highly leveraged businesses, jump-start capex and M&A, and unlock projects that stalled at higher rates. On the consumer side, even modest mortgage and credit rate declines can thaw housing activity, free up spend via home equity and lower APRs, and feed the wealth effect—while retirees and cash-heavy households see a different set of trade-offs.

The takeaway: not all segments benefit equally. Mid-to-large borrowers, capital-intensive industries, distributors carrying inventory, and rate-sensitive consumer categories may move first. Now’s the moment to refine segmentation, tighten value propositions by segment, and align quotas and incentives to the customers most likely to accelerate if rates drift down.

• (00:00:01) - How Will Interest Rate Changes Impact Your Business?
• (00:01:01) - Signs of Interest Rate Reduction Prior to the September Fed Meeting
• (00:05:51) - Business Customers and Consumers: Impact of Interest Rates
• (00:09:56) - 10 Questions about Your Customer Strategy for Fed Rate reductions
• (00:11:27) - Fed Rate Reduction: Which Customers Should You Target?
• (00:16:24) - Benefits of a Fed Rate Reduction for Consumer Spending