A lot of salespeople tell me that customers are cutting back or putting off decisions. Such news is causing some salespeople to start acting like their customers — where they too are developing a “bear-like” mind-set by going into hibernation or waiting it out until the economy starts turning around.

Whoa, now is not a good time to follow your customer’s lead. If they choose to be complacent, that’s their choice. Don’t let it be yours!

So, what can you do now to create a sense of urgency with customers who want to wait it out? Ask them plenty of thought-provoking questions. Get them to think about the consequences of putting off a decision to doing business with you. How might their lack of action impact the bottom line? What’s it going to cost them in terms of time, resources, missed opportunities, growth, or profitability? Your customers have plenty of competitors who are hungry and willing to steal market share from them. And that’s why they need you now more than ever. Find ways to position your products and solutions that will give your customers the competitive edge, peace of mind, security, and/or control they’re desperately seeking in this turbulent economy. Because many customers make decisions based on emotions, stir things up by asking the right questions.