Over the past several years, most industries have experienced strong growth in a very healthy economy. Sales forces have only had to fight their competition, not restricted budgets, production cut backs or nervous purchasers. Along with the strong economy and sales has come an inevitable laziness on the part of salespeople, according to leading sales trainer and management consultant, Paul McCord.

Rather than seeking to build long-term relationships with clients and customers, many have adopted a lead generation program that relies more on grazing for quick, easy sales rather than building a lasting client base.

Such moves may spell disaster for many salespeople and their company in the near future says McCord. McCord, author of Creating a Million Dollar a Year Sales Income: Sales Success through Client Referrals (John Wiley and Sons, 2007), warns that recent moves by Congress indicate that the hot sales environment of the last few years may end quickly and with dire consequences for many.

“Congress has made it much easier to enact tax increases,” McCord said. “The economy was built on freeing up capital through tax cuts and an increase will threaten and likely destabilize of the economy.” If Congress passes a tax increase, according to McCord, the hot selling environment most salespeople have enjoyed could cool substantially in just a few months.

“It’s time for salespeople and companies to begin preparing for the coming hard selling times,” warned McCord. “It appears that the window for preparing for the new sales environment is only a few months to a year, at most.”

McCord advises salespeople, service professionals and companies to begin now to look at lead generation and client relationship methods that will ensure future sales and future growth. “There are a number of proven lead generation methods that salespeople and their companies can adopt that will help insulate them from the coming hard times,” McCord said.

“The salespeople who are the basis for my book are the true million dollars a year sales superstars who have built their million dollar incomes from learning how to create a relationship with their clients and prospects that generates a huge number of high quality referrals. Those salespeople have learned how to create huge incomes no matter the selling climates.

In short order, other salespeople and companies better be learning how to emulate them or find equally effective lead generation methods--or they are going to be in trouble.”

“If salespeople want to survive, they need to start changing their activities now. If they need more training and need to find new methods of client acquisition, now is the time. This time next year may well be way too late.”