Whether you are a full-time sales professional, an employee in a company trying to ‘sell’ an idea, a mom trying to ‘sell’ your kids on the idea of eating a vegetable, or even a job-seeker “selling” yourself in an interview, it’s a good idea to be prepared to handle an objection or two when they come up. Many of us, when faced with an objection, react the wrong way.

There’s an old saying that goes, “if you always do what you’ve always done, then you’ll always get what you always got.” There are two major problems with this saying. First of all, the grammar is terrible! Secondly, it is one hundred percent false. Doing the same thing over and over again may yield the same results if we lived in a static, unchanging world. In reality, the world in which we live is always changing and therefore doing the same thing over and over will actually yield less and less.

Stop calling them “resolutions.” For many of us the word “resolution” has come to mean “a promise I have no intention of keeping.” Instead, try calling them “goals,” or “objectives.” It may seem silly, but the word choice makes a difference in how we think about something. Don’t wait until next January 1st to try again. There is nothing special about that date when it comes to goal setting. Setting goals is easy; keeping them is tough. But with a little discipline and some planning you can achieve your goals and make progress toward.

In a robust economy, potential customers may come knocking on your door. During an economic slump like the one we’re in now, we may have to work a little harder to find potential sales opportunities. Now more than ever, customers want to make sure they are getting the best possible deal for their purchases.