Linda Bishop, President of Thought Transformation

In the first quarter of last year, my sales fell faster than a block of concrete thrown off a roof. Scrambling to adjust, I took a fresh look at my customer’s world, identified changes in the battle terrain, shifted strategies and built a new skills arsenal. By the middle of the year, I saw results. By the end of the year, my company was doing better than it’s ever done.

2010 requires new adjustments and I’m making them based on these observations.

Cautious optimism has returned to most people working.

Customers will spend money if benefits are obvious and proven.

If there is a reasonable substitute that performs well and gets the job done at a cheaper price, customers will choose it over more expensive options.

Some customers who stopped buying in 2009 are gone forever. Who are they? Have you replaced them? If you haven’t filled those holes, start now.

Best wishes for the year ahead.

Click here to read Linda’s short article on Ten Ways to Guarantee Sales Are Up in 2010.