Sales Information

Now Is A Great Time To Sell!


Its official. The news just came out. Yes, we are now in a recession!

Duh. As if you didn't know.

Companies big and small have been laying off their employees right and left all year.

The stock market sucks.

And now they tell us we are in a recession.

Big deal. I say that now is a great time to be selling.

Why?

Well first consider when the worst time to sell to is. The worst time to sell is when people are complacent.

When someone is complacent, they are comfortable. And if they are comfortable, they are not in pain. And if they are not in pain about anything, then they don't need or want anything. And if they don't need or want anything, then they won't be buying anything!

The best times to sell are when people are in pain because their business is either expanding or contracting. For the latter half of the 90s, businesses were expanding like crazy. Although this is something we consider to be a good thing there is pain associated with it. The pain is in keeping up with, or being prepared for the growth.

As a result, people and business bought like mad in the late 90s.

Now businesses are contracting. There is even more pain in this. If you can help businesses (or individuals) to reverse the contraction, make more money, or make the contraction less painful by saving them money, then you have an opportunity for a sale.

The difference is now businesses are tighter about their money. You have to get to the real decision-makers faster, and establish value faster. During boomtimes you can be a bit sloppy in your selling. During contractions you can't afford to not be at the top of your game.

I know this is obvious to many of us, but sometimes its easy to use news that "we are in a recession" as an excuse for why our sales suck.

If your sales are sucking wind at the moment, figure out a way to uncover some pain that you can solve now for your prospects with your products and services.

If you can't figure out a way to do this, then go sell something where you can.

Today's economy is different, and there are different motivations driving it. Move with the trends, not against them.

© 1999-2004 Shamus Brown, All Rights Reserved.

Shamus Brown is a Professional Sales Coach and former high-tech sales pro who began his career selling for IBM. Shamus has written more than 50 articles on selling and is the creator of the popular Persuasive Selling Skills CD Audio Program. You can read more of Shamus Brown's sales tips at http://Sales-Tips.industrialEGO.com/ and you can learn more about his persuasive sales skills training at http://www.Persuasive-Sales-Skills.com/


MORE RESOURCES:

CTV.ca

Conn's says sales up 50 percent over weekend
CNNMoney.com - 9 hours ago
NEW YORK (Associated Press) - Specialty retailer Conn's Inc. said Monday that sales of merchandise and service maintenance contracts rose 50 percent over ...
Early Sales May Not Mean Strong Holidays, Group Says (Update1) Bloomberg
US Retail Sales Up Slightly on 'Black Friday,' But Outlook Weak Voice of America
Deep Discounts Draw Shoppers, but Not Profits New York Times
Los Angeles Times - USA Today
all 1,668 news articles


BBC News

Sales Rose 1.9% on Nov. 28-29, ShopperTrak Says (Update1)
Bloomberg - 6 hours ago
1 (Bloomberg) -- Sales at US retailers rose 1.9 percent on the two days following the Thanksgiving holiday as consumers cut back on spending, ...
Black Friday sales chalk up 3% gain from last year MarketWatch
Holiday Sales Better Than Expected Corporate Logo
US holiday sales make solid start BBC News
Washington Times - New York Daily News
all 887 news articles


Business Wire (press release)

Chip sales dip in October as 'turmoil' hits sector
MarketWatch - 12 hours ago
By Benjamin Pimentel, MarketWatch SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Semiconductor sales declined in October, highlighting the serious impact of the "worldwide ...
Chip sales fall 2.4 pct in October-industry group Reuters
Semiconductor sales down despite falling prices Bizjournals.com
Semiconductor Industry Slumps On Slow Demand Forbes
International Herald Tribune - CNET News
all 68 news articles


Mosaic says sales suffer in downturn
CNNMoney.com - 5 hours ago
NEW YORK (Associated Press) - Fertilizer maker Mosaic Co. said Monday that second- and third-quarter sales will be down on lower demand due to factors such ...
UPDATE 1-Mosaic says fertilizer sales soft, shares fall Reuters
Mosaic: Phosphate sales fall 38 percent Minneapolis Star Tribune
Mosaic Previews Fiscal 2009 Second Quarter Results MarketWatch
all 21 news articles


ABC News

Ahead of the Bell: Analysts see flat online sales
CNNMoney.com - 14 hours ago
NEW YORK (Associated Press) - As consumers transition the hunt for holiday deals from malls to their computers, analysts said that sales on "Cyber Monday" ...
Video: Online Retailers See Monday As Black Friday AssociatedPress
Outlook mixed for online sales despite Cyber Monday promotions San Jose Mercury News
Experts see slowdown in Cyber Monday sales Newsday
Reuters - Bizjournals.com
all 1,838 news articles


AFP

German Retail Sales Drop as Recession Damps Spending (Update1)
Bloomberg - 19 hours ago
1 (Bloomberg) -- Retail sales in Germany, Europe’s largest economy, unexpectedly fell in October as the fallout from the global financial crisis damped ...
German retail sales down 1.5 percent in Oct. The Associated Press
German retail sales post surprise fall in Oct guardian.co.uk
German retail sales fall by 1.6 percent in October: statistics AFP
Monsters and Critics.com - Onet.pl
all 81 news articles


DePauw University

MEDecision Adds Key Executives to Further Strengthen Operations, Sales
MarketWatch - 13 hours ago
Addition of Scott A. Storrer as President and COO, C. James Adamek as SVP Sales Will Leverage Alineo Platform for Operational Excellence and Growth WAYNE, ...
Medecision names new president Bizjournals.com
all 14 news articles


CNET News

Analyst: Apple’s Black Friday sales look strong
Macworld, CA - 4 hours ago
That’s according to research from Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, who’s been tracking Apple sales leading up to holiday season. ...
Modest Black Friday discounts help Mac sales CNET News
Apple Black Friday Mac Sales 'Better Than Expected': Analyst (AAPL) Silicon Alley Insider
Apple a 'bright spot' during lackluster Black Friday kick-off Apple Insider
StreetInsider.com (subscription) - CNNMoney.com
all 8 news articles


Auto sales better than last month but still bad
MarketWatch - 10 hours ago
By Shawn Langlois, MarketWatch SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - November US vehicle sales may have perked up from the prior month's abysmal showing, ...
The slumping price of gas is one factor in helping revive sales of ... Baltimore Sun
all 8 news articles


Synygy Selected by Axcan Pharma for Sales Compensation Plan Design ...
MarketWatch - 11 hours ago
Earlier this year, Synygy's Sales Operation Management (SOM) consulting practice completed a sales compensation process assessment for Axcan that made ...

Sales - Google News

home | site map
© 2006