Do you find yourself giving 40% discounts in the second week of March, in July? if the answer is yes, then it is time to succumb to the current economic state and surrender. If not, what are you doing to keep sales alive?

If it is too late and you are forced to drop price to adjust for a faulty sales process and sales plan, then it is time to retool. To succeed this year and the next, things are going to have to change. The problems many face financially will tempt us to enlist in price gouging as a means to maintaining sales, but it is the worst procedure in any process. The budgeting process most executives will instruct their employees to undertake this year will not involve getting finding products on the cheap. The buying process that wise executives will enlist their subordinates in during this year will not change. They will look for solutions to problems and ways to improve the bottom line.

This  is the time to look at how you present your value. If the company you are working for does not have a strong story board for you to follow, if they focus on features, functions, and price, then it is time to take matters into your own hands. Call some of those customers you sold to last year and get  some referencable quotes. Write some great copy that talks about results. If you are not a great writer, talk to the wordsmiths in your company and have them help.

The simple fact is that for the rest of 2009, more than ever in the history in sales, the most compelling story wins. You will have to back it up with facts and customer experiences, but if you cannot start the telling and get people drawn in, you will be part of the bad news.