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Breaking news! Have you heard? The economy is down! THE economy is down, but how about YOUR economy?

As a salesperson it’s best to look at the big picture. When you see the big picture, you can craft more when the marketplace says less.

Before you try to make another sale, or you call on the next customer, I want you to look at the real world so you can come up with real ideas and answers for your customers, for your sales and for yourself.

Let me be more specific. Before you visit any customer, you have to know what the total situation is in order to understand them, relate to them, help them, serve them and sell them. In these times, “sell them” may be last on the list.

Let me define TOTAL SITUATION. Don’t make the fatal mistake of just defining your situation. You also have to define the customer’s situation, the market situation and your company’s situation with its customers. Write it down.

HERE’S THE PROBLEM: You may be panicked, maybe even pushed, for MORE SALES NOW. This means you have to make a choice. Panic or prepare. My strategy is a little slower but A LOT SURER.

After you have written down the entire situation, you can begin looking for opportunities. What are the opportunities for the customers, for your company and for you? Is there an opportunity for you to capture a higher percentage of the customers’ business? Is there an opportunity for the customers to make more sales so they can pay invoices in a more timely manner? Is there a market opportunity the customers are missing because they are more focused on their woes and their competition?

Whatever they are, once you’ve identified all the opportunities, and you’re clear on their situation, only then can you begin to write your objectives.

Your objective may be as simple as getting customers to pay their outstanding balances in a more timely manner. Your objective may be to double your business with a customer, or to help your customers through troubled times. Your objective may be to broaden your relationship with the customers so they will refer you to other customers. Your objective might be to make a sale right now.

You may have several objectives. Whatever the objectives are, they must be clearly stated and defined in writing. And PLEASE do not confuse objectives with goals. Write down what you intend to do to help the customer, do more business with the customer, gain more referrals from the customer and make the relationship with the customer a financially rewarding one.

When the market is volatile or uncertain, having all facts defined will help you think more clearly, act more directly and become more successful.

Now, I’m going to challenge you on a mastery point. Once you have this game plan written down – situation, opportunities, objectives and intentions – I challenge you to share these thoughts with your customers so they can become aware of how serious, how professional and how certain you are about growing the relationship, helping them and building your business.

Doing this will not only give your customers peace of mind; it also will give you peace of mind.

Your list of ideas and answers will not only set you apart from your competitors, who at this moment are merely trying to sell and collect, but they will also build your relationships in the more difficult times, so that when times become better (and they always do), you will have earned the business and the loyalty that you deserve.

Jeffrey Gitomer can be reached by phone at (704) 333-1112 or by e-mail at salesman@gitomer.com. © 2008 Jeffrey H. Gitomer