Making Sales in Tough Times

By David Martin Performance Coach
1^st Oct 2008

Stardom
Stars are born in tougher times. Why? Because anyone operating or starting in that phase of the economic cycle has to learn or go back to doing the fundamentals, the Basics. And as boring as that may seem, they commit to doing them perfectly every day.

They harden their resolve and learn how to maintain their composer, even if inside they are screaming sometimes. They learn how to let go of the day to day stresses, what to pay attention to and what to ignore, and as a natural evolution, they increase their range of versatility and adapt faster than their competitors, in response to market forces.

If anything, they begin to anticipate and predict changes and they learn how to take advantage of that for themselves and their customers.
It's this kind of willingness and persistence that marks a Star.
The obvious side effects of this attitude, is that they build a reputation for being the "Go to" guy in that field or Industry.

Shooting Stars
Shooting Stars are generally born in "Pre Boom and Boom" markets. These are the people who enter the market when the fish are literally jumping into the boat.
They may not necessary have learnt how to fish, or even where the best fishing spots are. After all, they didn't need to, because things were looking pretty good; and for a while, some will have produced "Legendary" results. But of course the danger for these people is that when markets shift and the tide goes out, they can be left stuck in the mud, wondering what happened.

The Window of Opportunity is wide open
Regardless of how long you have been in sales. Now is the time when the window of opportunity is wide open. Here's why:

Whatever market you are in, many of your competitors will have left or are planning to.
Only 10% of those that stay will be of any real threat to you.
Consumers of your product or service "still" need your product or service.
Towards the bottom of the cycle, most of your remaining competitors will sit and wait for the market to change. They will literally stop talking to their customers.
In tough times customers really start to pay attention to, who's still seen to be active & positive.

Take the Lead
If you are serious about the success of your Sales Business.
If you want to grab a large chunk of market share, and then hold that share as the market recovers, then this is what I have found the top 10% of Sales Consultants do:

Redefine your personal Vision
Redefine who your customer is
Create a marketing plan that speaks directly to their needs.
Go talk to them, forget the sales talk, jargon and bravo behavior. Instead speak to them in terms of their needs, their concerns, be honest and straight up.
Set time aside each day to learn and hone your craftsmanship. Become the Authority. Don't show off, let your knowledge make them feel safe.
Reconnect with your goals and what you stand for.
Stay away from office politics and anyone or anything that would distract you.
Eat nutritious food that feeds your body and stimulates your brain.
Take time out, for yourself and your family.
Laugh and smile as often as you can.

If you treat these things as apart of your normal business day, you might be pleasantly surprised by the results.

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