Doug DavidoffI heard some of the most powerful advice for any growth oriented executive or salesperson:
Just because you can't sell anything right now, doesn't mean you can't be useful.
The advice came from Dan Sullivan, the founder of The Strategic Coach - a lifetime focusing program for successful entrepreneurs (on a side note, The Strategic Coach is a great program. If you're not familiar with it, you should check it out). The advice really hit the mark. I often say that the mark of a great salesperson is one who can "sell" when there is nothing to "buy." Dan said it better.
The best companies, and the ones who are going to get through downturns stronger, are the ones that focus on being useful to their clients, customers, and prospects first, with making a sale coming in a distant second. The amazing thing is that the more you focus on being useful to someone, the more often, and the easier, you make sales.