Making Sales in Tough Times

Stardom4. Towards the bottom of the cycle, most of your
Stars are born in tougher times. Why? Becauseremaining competitors will sit and wait for the market
anyone operating or starting in that phase of theto change. They will literally stop talking to their
economic cycle has to learn or go back to doing thecustomers.
fundamentals, the Basics.5. In tough times customers really start to pay
And as boring as that may seem, they commit toattention to, who's still seen to be active &
doing them perfectly every day.positive.
They harden their resolve and learn how to maintainTake the Lead
their composure, even if inside they are screamingIf you are serious about the success of your Sales
sometimes. They learn how to let go of the day toBusiness. If you want to grab a large chunk of
day stresses, what to pay attention to and what tomarket share, and then hold that share as the
ignore, and as a natural evolution, they increase theirmarket recovers, then this is what I have found the
range of versatility and adapt faster than theirtop 10% of Sales Consultants do:
competitors, in response to market forces.1. Redefine your personal Vision
If anything, they begin to anticipate and predict2. Redefine who your customer is
changes and they learn how to take advantage of3. Create a marketing plan that speaks directly to
that for themselves and their customers. It's this kindtheir needs.
of willingness and persistence that marks a Star. The4. Go talk to them, forget the sales talk, jargon and
obvious side effects of this attitude, is that they buildbravado behavior. Instead speak to them in terms of
a reputation for being the "Go to" guy in that field ortheir needs, their concerns, be honest and straight up.
Industry.5. Set time aside each day to learn and hone your
Shooting Starscraftsmanship. Become the Authority. Don't show
Shooting Stars are generally born in "Pre Boom andoff, let your knowledge make them feel safe.
Boom" markets. These are the people who enter the6. Reconnect with your goals and what you stand
market when the fish are literally jumping into thefor.
boat. They may not necessary have learnt how to7. Stay away from office politics and anyone or
fish, or even where the best fishing spots are. Afteranything that would distract you.
all, they didn't need to, because things were looking8. Eat nutritious food that feeds your body and
pretty good; and for a while, some will havestimulates your brain.
produced "Legendary" results. But of course the9. Take time out, for yourself and your family.
danger for these people is that when markets shift10. Laugh and smile as often as you can.
and the tide goes out, they can be left stuck in theIf you treat these things as apart of your normal
mud, wondering what happened.business day, you might be pleasantly surprised by
The Window of Opportunity is wide openthe results.
Regardless of how long you have been in sales. NowThis article was submitted on behalf of;
is the time when the window of opportunity is wideDavid Martin - a Performance Coach based in
open.beautiful New Zealand.
Here's why:Over the past 20 years, David has researched,
1. Whatever market you are in, many of yourdeveloped and tested a set of technologies that
competitors will have left or are planning to.enable people to make rapid and lasting changes in
2. Only 10% of those that stay will be of any realany area of their lives.
threat to you.This technology will be shared with a wider audience
3. Consumers of your product or service "still" need(global launch) in the last quarter of 2008.
your product or service.