NY Report's 2009 Success Guide

Sure, times are tough. But there are businesses that thrived in 2008. To kick off the new year, we’ve asked your peers about their routes to success. Among the many ideas we received, we selected the best of the best to share with you in the areas of sales, marketing, human resources and more. Maybe some of the following tips can help you improve your own business – but they are out there. Take direction from some who have discovered ways to find success – our readers.

My best sales tip is...

Not letting up despite your ups and downs in mood, circumstance or results. Set a minimum threshold for the number of calls/contacts you’ll make per week, and hit or exceed that threshold every week. Include follow-ups with people whom you couldn’t reach earlier and those who said, “Call back in two weeks.” Persistence and consistency will pay off in the long haul.

 —Chuck Graziano, president, The Alternative Board, Bergen County, N.J.

Know your prospective client, know the competitive landscape in which they operate and start each sales meeting with questions that will elicit needs that your firm can address.

—RuthAnne Dreisbach, president, Dreisbach Design, Inc., New York City

Don’t be afraid to ask for the order or to discuss the cost or price of the investment.

—Calvin Beatty, managing principal, Soundview Partners, LLC, Iselin, N.J.

At a time when everyone is worried about the cost of products and services, I advise NOT to slash prices. This only makes your original price appear to have been too high.

—Alan Siege, owner, Small Business Management Consulting, Park Slope, Brooklyn

Be a resource for your prospect or client. If you don’t have the right product or fit, find someone who does. If you can help a prospect or client with a particular need, even one that may be outside of your normal course of business, that prospect or client will come to rely on you for other help. By being a resource, you are opening the door for other phone calls and discussions, and developing a closer relationship as a result. Over time, you may develop some business from the relationship.

—Martha Stark, senior vice president, Signature Bank, New York City and Garden City, N.Y.

Be smart, not greedy. Don’t try to retire off one client. Instead, build a foundation on which you’ll achieve your net revenue objectives.

—Sean C. O’Rourke, principal, Syzygy 3, Inc., New York City

Do specific things to be at your personal best — specifically, keep yourself in a positive space so you can recognize the opportunities hidden in this downturn economy and go after them.

—Norma V. Rosenberg, CEO coach and Vistage Chair, Vistage International, New York City