There has been a steady stream of enquiries this week from entrepreneurs, concerned about the lack of sales in the last few weeks.

Obviously the economic downturn is having it’s effect on purchases and purchasers. In my own field Guardian Education reported that more than 50% of buyers of training and education services expect their budgets to be cut this year. However I do wonder whether the real issue is that many sales people and entrepreneurs have, for a number of years now , been able to sell their product without really having to stretch themselves. When we have a steady flow of leads and confidence abounds in the marketplace we become good at customer service and marketing and account management but our sales skills often whither somewhat on the vine. In the past few years I have become accustomed to pitching for business in a competitive environment, but it has been a while since I have had to persuade a client that maintaining their training budget s a good idea. Interestingly one never has to work hard at the logical argument, (of course well trained staff will help you come through the recession Duh!) the real issues facing clients at this moment are all emotional issues. Fear, feeling unable to stand up to the FD or the board, uncertainty about the future, and confusion as to what our real priorities are; these are reasons that people are reluctant to commit to investments in the future. Really good sales people thrive in this environment, they offer calm amongst chaos, solutions not products. The most important skills they have right now are listening, empathy and creativity.

But many sales people will actually give up in the face of the media storm, they will tell themselves that it’s not worth calling a client because they don’t have any money or because they are laying people off. If they do go to see their clients they obsess about getting the same amount of revenue as last year rather than solving the problems that the client faces this year.

We are in a new game now, treat every client as a new contact, everything that you knew about their needs and their priorities is subject to change. Now is the time to be out there in the field making your mark. Remember that many of your prospects are having a tough time and there is a world of difference between empathizing with them and being morose with them. You may be the brightest spark in their otherwise stressful day, don’t waste the opportunity. Generate your own energy, become associated in your clients mind with someone who can help and wants to help. Even if you come up with ideas and proposals that the client likes but ultimately rejects,  you still remain fixed in their minds as a “value adder”.

In spite of all the woe now is a great time to get noticed. Happy hunting