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Selling in the Recession

Written by: Dave Kurlan

Article Overview: It's been advertised. It's all the media wants to talk about. It's had an impact on the company you run or work for. Your customers and clients have been affected. Your home and investments have lost value. The recession is here, in full force, and there isn't a single sign that it's going to improve soon. So what must you do to not only survive this down-turn, but thrive in it as well? Here are my top 10:

Selling in the Recession

It's been advertised. It's all the media wants to talk about. It's had an impact on the company you run or work for. Your customers and clients have been affected. Your home and investments have lost value. The recession is here, in full force, and there isn't a single sign that it's going to improve soon. So what must you do to not only survive this down-turn, but thrive in it as well? Here are my top 10:

10. Choose your news - read only what you want to know about.
9. Don't fret over your assets - they'll be back in time.
8. Don't empathize. Empathize with prospects' problems, not their excuses.
7. Sell value. If ever there was a time for you to learn how to really sell value it's now. If your product or service saves them money or adds money to their top line then you should be immune to a spending freeze or a hold.
6. Add value. Prevent losing accounts, clients and customers by adding value to the way you service them. Bring them something of value when you call or visit, something that will help them to be more effective, more productive, or more happy.
5. Stuff your pipeline. If you are having trouble getting prospects to pull the trigger, don't ignore them, but refocus your energy on filling your pipeline.
4. Out work everyone else. Salespeople are getting discouraged, frustrated and giving up. That gives you a tremendous advantage over your competitors.
3. Compelling Reasons. When going back to prospects to determine if you can get them closed, don't push; pull - remind them of their compelling reasons to take action.
2. Accountability. If you don't have a boss that can/will hold you accountable, ask someone else to hold you accountable for hitting specific metrics that drive sales.
1. Hold vs. Lost. You haven't lost business to your competitors, your pipeline is simply on hold until after the New Year. There's a big difference between lost and delayed. Sure, we'd all rather have everything close but delayed is better than the other alternative!

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Article Tags: accountability, assets, boss, fret, full force, investments, metrics, money, new year, oth, pipeline, prospects, recession, salespeople



Related Forum Posts
Re: Kevin's Case Study #10 - When to become an entrepreneur? - When the bug bite you. A lot of successful entrepreneurs started in their teens or at school. Selling sweets to fellow students or lemonade to firends in the neighbourhood.
Re: This is Marketing Warfare! - Hey GT, I guess this was from a while back, and it'll test your memory a bit but could you possibly elaborate on Unique Selling Proposition? Can you give us some examples of good USPs?
Blog pinging - Thanks Martin - yes, I do ping and it has been very effective. I'm currently on the first page of Google for Mastermind Group and on the second page for Selling to Small Business.
Business magazines - Fast Company is pretty good if you're into technology although it can be very on the edge. Entrepreneur has become one giant advertisement and I cancelled my subscription. Selling Power also has some useful content if you're looking at improving your sales skills / presentations.
New Guy Here - Automobile Industry - Hi Everyone, My name is Ray and I work as a sales trainer in the automobile industry. I have just completed a new training curriculum for automobile salespeople in the industry. It is called The Baby Steps of Selling Automobiles. I am beginning my marketing efforts through press releases and seminar formats. I joined the community due to my continued desire to work independently creating my own happiness and growth. Thank you for having me and I look forward to more correspondence in the future.


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