Halloween has come and gone. Many retailers are disappointed because of less spending. For some, they may believe that this spooky holiday is truly haunted due to profits being scared off. So the question is how can you reverse this trend?

Whether you are retail or business to business, there are times to stop and return to your strategic sales action plan. By taking this step, you can make any necessary course corrections to ward off the evil spell that Halloween may have cast upon your business.

Of course, this means you have an action plan and left the costume of Captain Wing It at the door. Unfortunately, far too many small business owners, sales professionals and SOHO do not have such a written document and end up at the mercy of those who do. Sales Coaching Tip: Without a plan, you are on your competitor's plan.

Even small children during this goodie laden holiday understand the value of having an action plan. They know which homes in their neighborhood have the good stuff and what homes to avoid.

Now is the time to ask yourself these three (3) critical questions to increase sales in the remaining two months of the current quarter?

1. Have the psycho graphics of my potential customers (a.k.a. prospects) changed? Economic reports suggest less spending is taking place.
2. Is my marketing message in alignment with the current needs of my prospects? With the economy still sluggish, the pressing needs of your target market may have changed.
3. Where is there some low hanging fruit that you may have ignored in the past? These opportunities may be existing customers to leads not followed up.

With sales research suggesting that almost 50% of all sales leads are left withering in the witches' cauldrons and 80% of all sales happen between the fifth and twelfth contact, there are still plenty of opportunities to increase sales. If your Halloween bag is not stuffed with new leads to new earned commitments, then grab your Captain Focus costume and take action. Remember if children can sell themselves on Halloween dressed in outrageous costumes, you can sell yourself in your everyday professional attire.