High Oil Prices – Hurricanes Katrina and Rita pushed already high fuel prices to record levels. Although off of their peak levels, prices are still too high for many consumers who feel pinched and are likely to cut back on spending. Factor in Hurricane Wilma and this will be a tough year for many.

Rising Mortgage Rates – Incremental increases in mortgage rates means that mortgage bills are going up, taking away from money that could be used elsewhere. Home sales remain steady, so companies like Home Depot are likely to benefit, while department stores will be scrambling.

Credit Card Changes – Our nation’s new bankruptcy laws coupled with credit card companies requiring higher minimum payments will certainly put the squeeze on for some. Not necessarily a bad thing to require higher payments, but the timing couldn’t be worse.

Online retailers have a great opportunity to capitalize on consumer’s reticence. With lower overheads, free shipping, and access to a large pool of inventory, look for online shopping to jump up again this year.

For “brick and mortar” retailers, expect that the motto, “If you cut prices sharply, they will come,” to hold true. Stagnant inventories cost money to maintain; moved merchandise means money that can be applied to the bottom line.

Look for aggressive sales and even price wars this holiday season as merchants redouble their efforts to reel you in. They have to; for some their very survival depends on your patronage.

Shop wisely!

Copyright 2005 — Matthew Keegan is The Article Writer who writes on a variety of topics including: advocacy, automobiles, aviation, business, Christian themes, family, news, product reviews, travel, writing, and more. Samples from his portfolio are available right online.

Proper Selection Makes a Happy Gardener
Normally, we select our garden plants based on what we love to eat. If we love tomatoes we should plant them. There is nothing like picking a ripe tomato off the vine and eating it. The same holds true for customers. If we prefer accounts that require frequent production of blue widgets in large quantities we should select and pursue accounts that require them. The same joy of eating a fresh ripe tomato will be felt when a blue widget account is landed. It is up to sales management to help sales people plant the right seeds for our needs, wants and profits. Otherwise, it will be a painful growing season for everyone. Imagine what it would be like if we hated beets and all that was planted in our garden was beets. Now that would be an ugly and long season.

Training and Development Improves Performance
As tomatoes grow they need support or they will flop to the ground and our fruit will spoil. A trellis needs to be constructed to keep the vine growing the way we want it to grow. Constant attention to the plant and working the vines through the trellis will keep our tomato vine healthy for a long growing season. The same is true with our sales team. They require training and a system of learning new skills to keep them abreast of opportunities for sales. If we have areas we want to grow the business towards, we must train our salespeople to understand the best ways to sell the services we offer. Keeping a sales team trained requires constant interaction and tools for development. Access to a resource library with audio and video sales training tools for this purpose will aid in development.

Sales Territory Plot Planning
We should plan our garden plot and select the best environment for growth. We shouldn’t plant tomatoes in poor soil such as hard clay because it inhibits growth. Tomatoes are acid loving plants and require rich soil with good drainage. An extreme example would be to plant flowers in the desert sand of Mohave. Certainly they wouldn’t get the water they require and the desert sun would burn them to a crisp. The same holds true for business accounts. We wouldn’t go into residential areas to find prime accounts for business. Using a target account system for growth such as SIC codes is a more efficient method of account planning. You don’t have to look far in your own business. One of the best places to look is in your account files to establish target customer profiles you prefer. This method allows you to duplicate your existing success.

Drip Marketing and Watering Improves Growth
Watering a garden too much or too little will inhibit growth. For example if we water a tomato plant too often, yellow leaves will form and the fruit won’t develop properly. Too little water and the plant will wither and dry. It is the proper balance of water timed appropriately that will yield the best fruit. In outside sales our similarity would be to manage our contacts appropriately. ACT or any contact system will help manage this. We must handle our follow-up according to the best practices of sales. Business accounts can be contacted in different ways and we should use as many as we can. Our tools for a follow-up schedule should include personal visits, e-mail, telephone, fax and personalized notes or letters. Using only one method is not as constructive. Additionally, high profile or our high profit accounts should receive better attention because they yield the most fruit for us. This is where a key customer account program can help.

Remember, gardens and sales both take time. You can’t expect to eat salad or enjoy sales tomorrow, if you don’t plant and nurture your garden today.

Steve Martinez is the Founder of Selling Magic, Teaching business how to out smart and out wit the competition by automating and customizing the best practices of sales using Contact Management Solutions. You can reach Steve at http://www.sellingmagic.com.