Six Tips For Effective Selling In A Tough Economy

1). Begin your day in pursuit of written goals. Many people feel that they don't need to write out their goals. Taking the time to hand-write your goals is an exercise in purpose and intent. It is a physical transmission from your conscious mind to a piece of paper. When you read your written goals daily (at the beginning and the end of each day, and as many times as you wish throughout the day), you are imprinting them upon your subconscious mind. Doing so empowers you to achieve them. When you simply "commit your goals to memory," you are at the mercy of every doubt and distraction and setback you face each day.

2). Choose your traveling companions wisely. It is said that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Do you surround yourself with positive, optimistic people? Once again, the conscious mind is the gateway to the subconscious mind. Positive people and positive thoughts result in positive reinforcement of what you hold in your subconscious mind.

3). Limit your exposure to newspapers, cable news, and Internet news. It is good to be up to date on current events. It provides you with a means to converse with friends, family, and business associates in a relaxed manner. However, when you immerse yourself in negative stories about where the economy might be headed, you are surrendering to the opinion of the person who wrote that story. The economy is in a constant state of flux. News stories on the state of the economy in a year, a month, or a week are nothing more than projections and educated guesses. Do not surrender your energy and enthusiasm to someone's opinion. Deal with the facts that you see before you, today, right now in this very minute. Stay focused on what you want to accomplish.

4). Spend a minimum of 30 minutes each day in "quiet time." Find a place where you can remove yourself from noise and distractions. Visualize the successful completion of each of your written goals. Refuse to allow any mental picture that does not energize you to keep moving forward.

5). Contact your current customers on a regular basis, even if they're not buying. Be respectful of their time. If you find an article that might be of interest to them, print a copy, attach a hand written note, and drop it in the mail. Find a "value-added" way to remind them on a regular basis that your relationship with them is a priority.

6). Read about men and women who achieved great success in the worst of times. In his book How To Sell Your Way Through Life, Napoleon Hill tells the story of how he secured newspaper advertising space for his talks at a time when he had no money. It was during the Great Depression, and Hill remained focused on his goals and decided that he was not going to wait for his situation to change. He changed it himself by taking purposeful, confident action.

By following each of these steps on a daily basis, you will distance yourself from the majority of your competitors. You will not refrain from taking action because of external circumstances. You will continue to move toward your goals in spite of the things you see on television and read in the newspapers or on the Web. Throughout history, success-driven men and women have prospered in tough economic times. Make the decision to become one of them.