You can't pick up a newspaper or turn on your TV these days without being bombarded by the doom and gloom about the ongoing recession. It's enough to make any salesperson want to hide under a rock until happier days return.

However, there is a silver lining in these ominous dark clouds. Consider this challenging economic time a call to action to become smarter, savvier, and more efficient. If you play your cards right during this downturn, you will not only keep sales up through the cycle, you'll also find yourself in an even better place when the economy begins to pick up. So, turn down the drone of financial doomsayers and start working this prime opportunity to increase your sales.

Stay Close
Don't back away from your customers in tough times. Earn and retain their loyalty by keeping in close communication. Dazzle them with customer service. Be one step ahead of their wants and needs and always, always address them BEFORE they have to ask or remind you.

Give them something for nothing. This doesn't necessarily mean a tangible item. Offer them valuable information, introductions, or some of your extra time. Generously give invitations to company functions, networking events, and tradeshows.

Expand your outreach efforts with newsletters or email updates with useful information that they look forward to receiving. No, you don't need to spend a fortune on printing. There are many email marketing providers such as Constant Contact and iContact that provide online templates, subscription management, open and click through tracking and other useful tools to help you quickly send relevant news to your customer list.