wheel - 6:49 pm on Feb 24, 2009 (gmt 0)

Whatever you do, this failing economy is an opportunity. Push hard and build. Those that make it through tough times generally are the industry shakers on the other side of the recession. The weak fail, the strong end up being stronger than ever. So whatever you've got to do to keep going, do it.

We don't have a storefront, but we're picking up the phone and calling people all the time now - whenever I have the opportunity to do so. We don't sit around and wait, we're following up hard on people we've spoken to in the past for orders - and getting some just because of the contact.

If you've spoken to someone in the last 90 days that didn't buy, call them now. In many cases people don't buy right away but they do after 90 days. You may have been their first contact, but if you're still there in 90 days to touch them again you may get the sale then.

For all the geeks out there, get over it. Pick up the phone and call. All you have to do is say "Hi, it's BT from WebmasterWorld. We spoke a few months ago? I was just following up to see how things were going." And let them talk. Some may not buy, some may. But you can make a lot of phone calls and make a lot of sales that way.

Also always a good time to send out an email to previous clients. Never know what'll shake out from that.