It’s been advertised. It’s all the media wants to talk about.  It’s had an impact on the company you run or work for. Your customers and clients have been affected. Your home and investments have lost value. The recession is here, in full force, and there isn’t a single sign that it’s going to improve soon.  So what must you do to not only survive this down-turn, but thrive in it as well? Here are my top 10:

10.  Choose your news – read only what you want to know about.
9.   Don’t fret over your assets – they’ll be back in time.
8.   Don’t empathize.  Empathize with prospects’ problems, not their excuses.
7.   Sell value.  If ever there was a time for you to learn how to really sell value it’s now.  If your product or service saves them money or adds money to their top line then you should be immune to a spending freeze or a hold.
6.   Add value.  Prevent losing accounts, clients and customers by adding value to the way you service them.  Bring them something of value when you call or visit, something that will help them to be more effective, more productive, or more happy.
5.   Stuff your pipeline.  If you are having trouble getting prospects to pull the trigger, don’t ignore them, but refocus your energy on filling your pipeline.
4.   Out work everyone else.  Salespeople are getting discouraged, frustrated and giving up.  That gives you a tremendous advantage over your competitors.
3.   Compelling Reasons.  When going back to prospects to determine if you can get them closed, don’t push; pull – remind them of their compelling reasons to take action.
2.   Accountability.  If you don’t have a boss that can/will hold you accountable, ask someone else to hold you accountable for hitting specific metrics that drive sales.
1.  Hold vs. Lost.  You haven’t lost business to your competitors, your pipeline is simply on hold until after the New Year.  There’s a big difference between lost and delayed. Sure, we’d all rather have everything close but delayed is better than the other alternative!