Most salespeople are selling to the middle class, and we all know by now that a lot of that middle class is struggling. The natural reaction is to assume that your sales are going to suffer because of that, but they don’t have to. The other natural reaction is to cut back and wait for the economy to improve; that too is a mistake. People maybe struggling but they are still going to need to buy things at some point; you want to make sure your company is the first one they think of when they do decide to buy.

The first thing to remember is the personal touch is more important than ever; make sure you are getting as much information as possible from your customers--their names, email addresses and phone numbers. That kind of information can be used to keep your customers apprised of specials, new products and so on.

Find different ways to draw your customers into the store: special events, special guests, book signings, big sales or other such events. They may not buy on that day, but it is another way to plant your name and your company’s name in their mind. If they have a good experience at your location, then they are likely to be back, even if they did not buy anything today.

This is the big one: avoid the natural temptation to cut back because business is slow. That tends to backfire especially when you start cutting back on product; what product do you cut back on? At some point customers are going to come back and you had better have what they want, or they will go somewhere that does. In addition, do not start offering goods of lesser quality because it will save you a little money. That will also backfire when your customers realize that your quality as demised. As tough as it may be, stay the course and ride out the slow periods. One, people do still buy during these slower times and you need to be ready to sell. Two, you want to be ready when the economy is better. Times are tough for many right now but better times are coming; be ready to sell now and then.