by Tammy Stoner

Created on: January 22, 2009   Last Updated: February 13, 2009

Challenging times lead to changing opportunities when proper steps happen. You can take immediate steps to unclog pipes, to keep sales flowing.

Top Ten Tips To Thrive Through Tough Times

1. Create a vision

If you don't know where you are going, how will you know when you get there? It all begins with a vision of how you want things to be. When the leader wants to visit Mars, and the team plans to visit the moon, the team is moving in different directions. Invest the time, to insure the team is moving in the same direction.

2. Develop goals and objectives

A goal is a set of expectations that define steps necessary to move toward the established vision. Objectives should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and have a time establishing for meeting each goal.

3. Expand your reach

Identify complementary businesses with large mailing lists. Offer to partner with them, in promoting specific products. Develop a free seminar, and then promote this into a paid seminar. Split proceeds from this seminar 50/50. Each business wins, and the range of new customers is expanded.

4. Stay in front of your customers.

Past customers are the best customers. They trust you, and have purchased from you, making it easier to sell to them again. 80% of your sales originate from 20%, of customers. It is easier, to sell to the same customer, than to develop a new one.

5. Create incentives for people to purchase from you now.

No matter how rich or poor, everybody loves a deal. Provide incentives to act now, and purchase products from you. Create deadlines for getting price breaks.

6. Generate publicity

Develop public relations campaigns. When you want publicity, find a hook, that ties your product with a current event, and then promote it to the media.

7. Write great sales letters

A great sales letter is like hiring a seven-day a week, sales person, who will bring you money month after month, year after year. Don't write sales letters with technical mumbo-jumbo, that only a "techie" will understand. Keep it simple, and resist the temptation to believe that your customer is too sophisticated, to receive a simple sales letter.

8. Test, Test, Test Always be willing to experiment and change. Just because something worked in the past, doesn't mean it works today. Just because it works today, doesn't mean it will work in the future. Don't fix it if it isn't broken, but be willing to change it, if it is.

9. Identify systems for generating referrals. A past, satisfied, customer, can lead you to future customers, when you ask for referrals. Then, follow up on referrals.

10. Improve networking skills Just one conversation with the right person at the right time, can forever change, your business. Join organizations, and groups. You never know whom you will meet. Get out there, and develop relationships.

When you follow these simple steps, you can expand sales. Turn problems into possibilities, because challenging times, lead to changing opportunities.

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