I've written before about the three traits of successful business people - passion, persistence, and patience. There's a word that sums up that approach - prevail. Especially in these economic times, those who adapt their thinking and approach will prevail.

Spring training has started for professional baseball. The teams and players are preparing for a long season, their goal is to win the World Series. They won't do that by winning every game they play, they can't. They need to win enough games to reach the playoffs. That's the first milestone. Then they need to win enough games in the playoffs to reach the World Series. Then they need to win enough games in the World Series to take the title. It's more like a marathon race than a sprint.

Business is similar. The economy is throwing us knuckleballs right now. We've come through a period when all we were seeing was fastballs, maybe an occasional curveball. Good hitters can hit fastballs because they have excellent hand-eye coordination and can anticipate where the ball will wind up almost as soon as it comes out of the pitcher's hand. The knuckleball is thrown at a much slower speed and good knuckleball hitters have the ability to hold back until the last possible moment to get as much information as possible about the path of the ball. They get hits because they are patient and save their swings for the balls they know they can hit. Just as they do, we need to resist the urge to swing at pitches too early.

Because of the current economic conditions, people have a tendency to chase every opportunity that catches their eye. It's the shiny ball syndrome - see it and chase it. The problem is, having done that you might wind up someplace you never intended to be and spent money that was intended for something else. Then it's even harder to get back to where you need to be.

As a coach, I've been helping my clients to remain focused on the ultimate goal and the overall plan to reach that goal. Then, as the shiny balls come into view it's a simple decision - either it fits the plan, it doesn't, or we need to revise the plan.

For us, every day is a new game. We won't win every one, but if we win often enough and win the right ones, we will prevail. Isn't that really the goal?

Selling these days is hard. People are reluctant to make decisions and part with cash. Every good sales person has goals, but it's pretty frustrating to miss your goals week after week.

Maybe it's time to review your approach. It's not a win-or-lose game each week, it's a actually just a road map. Review your results to determine if you're on the right road, headed to the right destination and making progress. Weekly goals are just a means of charting your progress in a long sales season. Learn from each encounter. Do more of what works and stop doing what doesn't. The overall goal is more important than the weekly results, so take time to celebrate your progress.

Opportunity only knocks once and these days it's on fewer doors and very quietly. To get more opportunities you need to be near more doors.

If you aren't getting enough opportunities from your existing network, you need to grow it. If you aren't getting results from talking to people like you, maybe you need to start talking to total strangers. For many of us that's way outside our comfort zone. But, once you start you'll discover you have a lot in common. And, it might just get you some referrals.