It's really easy to sell during a boom economy. People have money (or at least credit) and if they don't buy from you, they're buying from someone else. All you have to do is have a good reason to do business with you and pick the low hanging fruit.
(...and yes, I know that's an oversimplication, but it is the jist of it)
When the economy goes bust, you're faced with convincing people to spend, period. Not so easy. I've long felt that before a sales management team blames poor results on the economy, the product/service's pricing, or the offers being made to potential customers, they must first examine their sales staff to make sure the skill level is appropriate. It's easy to forget some of our stronger skills when we don't need to use them regularly. But that's what makes the difference between a good sales rep and a great one in good times and it's what makes the difference between a successful sales rep and an unemployed one in bad times.
Sales people must take stock of their skill level. What else could they be doing? Now is the time to examine your planned presentation. If it is no longer working for you, what do you want to change? Sometimes, we need to go back to the basics and make sure that we are not skipping over steps. We need to pull out our old sales training manuals and refresh ourselves. Find a seminar, a workshop or a teleclass to attend.
Sometimes it's easy to forget techniques that would come in handy right now. Think about how you can best turn a situation to your advantage. Sit down and re-write your presentation. Try something new. Role play with colleagues. Do call post-mortems. I would always review a call after the fact in order to reinforce my performance: what worked, what didn't, what could I present differently. What should I change or add the next time I'm confronted with the same situation?
It's easy to go to autopilot when things are good and still make your numbers. Let these challenging times help you to become a stronger, more successful sales rep.
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