I was driving home the other day listening to one of those car dealer ads where the guy is blabbering about all the great cars and deals waiting for me on his lot. Normally, I tune out these selling rants, but he did say something that we all need to avoid during these challenging economic times: “Don’t come onto my lot with your stinkin’ thinking.”

Yes, contrary to what daily doses of doom that consumers were hearing about either the economy or the Big 3 automakers, he had quality cars for a great price, and he did have money to lend to finance those vehicles. There would be no gloom on his lot. No stinkin’ thinkin’.

That struck me as the attitude salespeople have to avoid in order to maximize their sales during these challenging economic times. Sam Walton was once asked how he planned to respond to a recession and he said, “I decided not to participate.”

Your attitude and your actions should reflect that you have decided not to participate in the recession either. Selling in a challenging economy can be different; can be more difficult; can require more effort; can require different selling strategies; and can require more patience. But it can be done successfully.
First the Facts

There are a myriad of studies out there that show in the long run, the companies that maintain marketing budget levels – or increase them – during an economic downturn outperform companies that reduce marketing spending. Most studies I’ve seen seem to show that one-third of companies are cutting their advertising, one-third are increasing and the balance are staying about the same.

The Association of National Advertisers did a survey last fall among their membership showing that 33% of respondents planned to cut their marketing budgets, 27% planned to increase their spending, and 33% planned to reallocate their marketing dollars. That’s 60% choosing to increase or reallocate their advertising budgets. That should be good news for those of us in this industry based on the results of ASI’s groundbreaking research announced in November that showed that advertising specialties beat out all forms of TV, radio and print advertising in terms of cost-effectiveness, cost-per-impression, product recall and increased intent among recipients to make the purchase. You can certainly use these results to educate your prospects on reasons to look toward ad specialties as the best way to stretch their marketing dollars.

Here are a few more recommendations I have for selling in 2009.

Sell Smart
Looking for new clients? There are industries that are more recession-proof than others. The Bureau of Labor Statistics compiled a list of 75 industries that grew consistently during the downturns of 1990, 2001 and 2007. Check their Web site for the entire list, but here are a few: medical equipment, home health-care services, child day care services, investment counseling, pet supplies, security guards and self-storage.

Also, economic downturns send people for more education. Colleges, junior colleges, trade schools and technical schools will reap the benefits of that trend, but will be competing more aggressively with each other for this market. They need your help.

One study showed that a majority of small businesses intend to increase their marketing budgets in 2009, while only 25% of mid-size firms and 15% of large corporations plan to do so. What does that say about who your target market for new accounts should be?

Stay Positive
Another study found that optimistic salespeople sold an average of 37% more than their negative counterparts. View success in the long run and failure in the short term. Sure, you may receive more “no’s” now, but these are only short-term ‘failures’ along your pathway to success. Define your short-term success by the quality of your habits and efforts.
Buck the Trend

Research also shows that salespeople reduce their calling efforts in tough times by 38%. They call at 62% of their good-times calling rate. If you increase your efforts by 25%, you have in effect doubled your exposure on the streets. Successful salespeople make it a habit to do those things that others can’t or won’t do.

And while I’m as ‘techno’ as anyone, you need to be selling directly to customers and stop depending on technology. We make the assumption we can sell more by using technology, but your competition is out there meeting with customers while you are busy using the fax, Internet and other technology. Get out there and increase your personal contact with the customer.

Less Can Be More
During past downturns, research shows that unsuccessful salespeople focused on quantity instead of quality. That included more calls, more deals, more proposals and more presentations. They chased down everything that moved, no matter how small. They were very, very busy, but ineffective.

During tough times, more successful salespeople concentrate primarily on their best opportunities. They spend their time developing call strategies and account development tactics rather than rushing from call to call. Stop calling on your account list indiscriminately. Develop a short list, determining those strategic accounts that warrant the most attention.

Show Margin Discipline
Don’t cut your margins and lower your pricing. Sell value instead. When you cut your margin (price), you are just reinforcing the stereotype of ad specialties being a commodity purchase. You have not impressed the buyer on their need for your services. You did not prove to your customer that they will receive a return on investing in your goods and services. In addition, if you cut your prices now, guess what your customer will want in good times?

Abraham Lincoln once told the story of an Eastern monarch who asked his wise men to invent a sentence which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him with these words: “And this, too, shall pass away.”

Yes, the economic pendulum will swing back. But until it does, you still can be successful with your selling, even during these uncertain times.

Pat Cavanaugh is founder and president of Cava­naugh (asi/159262), a full-service marketing, consulting and promotional products agency located in Pittsburgh, PA. He has led his company to three appearances on the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies in America.