How to sell in a lousy economy

Title: National industry director, classifieds and local
Age: 37
Location: Chicago

What he does: Sells classified ads to local businesses like real estate brokers and clients like GE and FedEx.

Presentation no-no: "Our goal is to never open up PowerPoint, because as soon as we're doing that, it's more of a sale than it is a conversation. The slides and materials can be a crutch."

E-mail tip: "I've had meetings where we went in without knowing what the expectations are, and we missed the boat. As the meeting approaches, I'll send an e-mail laying out our plan for the meeting and who we're bringing, just to double-check. It seems tiny, but it can save you from totally missing the mark."

Slow-economy solution: "We have to evangelize a bit more. We'll invite executives to our headquarters for a pure education day, where they get to ask tons of questions about online advertising."

NEXT: Freddi Vaughn, Xerox