The current presidential and congressional campaigns provide great lessons on how effective marketing strategies work. I spent some time watching the presidential debates on CNN. It was interesting to see the instant feedback from uncommitted voters in the form of a moving chart showing how positive their response was to what the candidates were saying. For the most part, when a candidate had positive things to say the graph went up showing a positive response from the audience. When the candidates began to be critical of each other or past policies, the graph turned negative.

The media commentators would then speak of the benefits and risks of policies and approaches, but we saw in interviews with voters that their concerns were whether they could trust a candidate and how they felt about him or her. Sometimes they expressed fear of a candidate or his position, but this was rare. Look at your own decision-making process. Is it based on policies alone, or are the intangible factors - experience, vision, the way the candidate connects with people - a bigger influence on your decision?

Research has shown that people make their buying decisions based on their emotions and then justify those decisions with the facts that support them. Think about the way the campaigns present their messages. Their approach reflects this research. So, what lessons can we learn from this campaign about our own approach to sales?

Relationships will be enhanced, and sales will be made, by understanding the concerns of your prospects and proposing solutions that make sense. Relationships are key to your long term success. Eliciting fear might get a short term reaction, but it won't get the long term relationship you want unless you can subsequently provide real solutions and build the relationship - watch what the politicians do after they're elected. Criticizing the competition doesn't make you or your services look better, it raises doubts about your motives. People seem to prefer a positive approach. After all, if you are better than the competition, the benefits of doing business with you should be obvious, right? Focus on that.

And remember, once they've taken the oath of office - "made the sale" - it's time to start campaigning for re-election. The big difference is that you need to get elected every day.

Never stop marketing. No matter what the economy and your competition is doing, your customers and prospects have a short memory. They have a lot to think about and you aren't top of mind unless you make the effort.

This doesn't necessarily mean spending money, it might just require time and energy. Be visible to your customers and prospects - talk to them, send notes, give them referrals, prove your value. These days a good option is to volunteer your time, services, or products to a local charity. Unless you're doing it only for the sake of something you believe in, make sure you get recognized for the effort.

Many companies are downsizing, some are disappearing. That means people you have talked to might be working somewhere else or have a new role entirely. This is an opportunity to leverage their new circumstances, but you can't take advantage of it unless you have accurate information. Schedule time to go through your contact database and confirm their information. It will give you an excuse to call, but it might just uncover some opportunities.