The economy is falling. The economy is falling.

It must be true. It's all over the news. The economy is in BIG trouble. Stocks, mortgages, banks, insurance companies, the Yankees. All falling or failing.

Falling from where? The biggest economic boom of all time? The biggest housing boom of all time? The easiest loan requirements of all time?

Business is not down, it's different.

For example, when you hear the negative statistic on the news that home sales are down 33%, it actually means that FIVE MILLION homes will be sold this year. The only unanswered question is: Who will get that business? The media portrays gloom when actually there's still PLENTY of opportunity - just not as much as before.

The low hanging fruit of two years ago is now much higher in the trees.

There's plenty of business in the marketplace - just not as much as there was during what was the biggest housing and economic boom of all time. As a result, businesses are adjusting to current market conditions, and your company is no exception.

Less people are needed and lower inventory quantities are required. Layoffs are tough - no company leader wants to lay off anyone - there is emotion because layoffs involve coworkers and their families. Attitudes are affected and morale is affected - it's human nature. You will hear the words: cutback, save, fewer, less, and "because of the economy" more often than you want. That's part of what goes along with any economic change.

How's business with you? Flat? Dipping a bit? When will it begin to get better?

Since no one can predict the future, and the economic growth or slowdown answers are not yet apparent, senior management must react to present-day situations.

In times like this, leadership must do what they believe is in the best long-term interest of the company. In short - leaders are doing their best - and they expect the same from you. You can help by doing your best every day. Adjust to whatever decisions are made without reducing your level of service to your customers, your loyalty to your company and your fellow workers, and your effort or belief.

But cutting expenses or laying people off is not the only answer - it's just a safeguard and a response to the situation at hand. The best answer is more sales... and more profit. This is where you can help.

Below are 8.5 critical elements in your ability to help your company and yourself in these times. These 8.5 elements, when combined and mastered, will gain more sales now, and keep your customers loyal as the economic conditions begin to improve.
1. Ease of doing business with you. The availability of people and product. Have more web offerings, easy access to more people, less voicemail, less automated attendants, more human-to-human contact, and no excuses. Get me what I need, when I need it.
2. Error-free order processing. When I get an invoice, the easier it is to understand and the more correct it is, the faster I pay it. No backorders. No surprises.
3. The quality of your relationships with customers. How strong are your relationships? Are they transactional or interpersonal?
4. Service excellence. You'd think this was a given, but often slower times means slower service. Less people, more work. BIG mistake. BEST PRACTICE: Double service offerings.
5. Your attitude. The way you dedicate yourself to the way you think. If you can't be positive for yourself, you can never be positive with and for others - both coworkers and customers.
6. Your belief. Belief in your company, your product, your service, yourself, AND belief that the customer is better off having purchased from you.
7. Your loyalty. The best way to get loyalty is to GIVE loyalty. From bosses to employees, from employees to customers, and finally from customers back to you, loyalty is the profit frontier. In these times, giving won't always breed receiving - but the seed is planted and the roots are deep when the economy begins to rebound.
8. Helping your customer whenever possible. Understanding how they are hurting, and meeting their needs as BEST you can. Offering to assist with anything from manual labor to unparalleled service - from brainstorming ideas with them to making connections for them.
8.5 Your extra mile. What are you doing above and beyond the ordinary? What are you doing to out sell, out serve, and out value the competition? What's memorable about you and the actions you take on behalf of others? Are you going the extra mile for your customers?

There are other personal measures that can be added to this list. Friendliness for one. Being proactive for another. But I think this piece speaks loud and clear. If the economy is down, you have to be up. You have to be ready to help, ready to serve, and ready to be your best. This will not only help others to survive, it will also ensure that you thrive.

I have one more powerful strategy to beat the crunch. If you want it, go to www.gitomer.com, register if you're a first-time visitor, and enter the word ECONOMY in the GitBit box.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Little Red Book of Selling and eight other business books on sales, customer loyalty, and personal development. President of Charlotte-based Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts Internet training programs on sales, customer loyalty, and personal development at www.trainone.com. Jeffrey conducts more than 100 personalized, customized seminars and keynotes a year. To find out more, visit www.gitomer.com. Jeffrey can be reached at 704.333.1112 or by e-mail at salesman@gitomer.com