Sometimes the news can seem overwhelming. We hear about a difficult economy, with companies moving off shore and low-cost competitors challenging margins.

It is tempting to say, “Woe is me!” Yet some salespeople and companies find ways to prosper.

Fellow problem-solvers: These are the times when it is our turn to shine. Tough times are when we problem-solvers really make a difference. Now is when we can differentiate ourselves as problem-solvers compared to the order-takers of the world.

One of the great privileges of industrial salespeople is that we have a wide variety of products to sell and a wide range of customers to sell to. Who could ask for better than that?

As a manufacturer with more than a dozen major product lines, I have always been in awe of, and a little jealous of, the industrial distributor salesperson. Most of you have hundreds, if not thousands, of vendor product lines. I am in awe of your ability to keep them all straight. I am jealous of the number of problem-solving tools you have to bring to bear on your customers’ challenges.

Start by considering your customers’ challenges. They need to be more efficient with energy. They need to avoid costs associated with scrap, for example, as well as with accidents—those that injure people and those that damage machinery. They need to improve and to do so faster than their competitors.

Evaluate the suppliers with whom you work well. What products do they offer you that you have done little with? Can those products help your customer operate faster, more efficiently, more safely? Expanding your product base with suppliers that you already work well with is the easy way to grow.

Take the extra step. Consider those suppliers with whom you do not have a deep working relationship. Be proactive. Contact them and challenge them to prove themselves by helping you to meet your customers’ challenges. Be prepared. When you call, have four or five specific challenges in mind and ask the simple question: How can your product help me with these challenges? If they cannot, keep looking.

Go to your customers and talk with them about what areas they need to improve. Some industries use considerable energy and would look for ways to reduce energy usage. Some use products in their processes that are prone to cost increases because of oil or raw material cost increases. Some are getting hit by both.

Your customer may have rejected a higher-efficiency product in the past due to cost. As energy costs have risen, that efficiency may now be worth the extra cost.