How to sell in a lousy economy

Title: Senior national account manager
Age: 42
Location: Bentonville, Ark.

What he does: Sells noncarbonated beverages to Sam's Club.

Survival skill: "In a slower economy, it's difficult to persuade your customer to take risks. But in fact it's the perfect time to present more aggressive ideas."

Career highlight: "We were trying to convince Sam's Club to stock Aquafina water, and at the time it was going after a sustainability message. So we developed a program where communities that returned the most bottles earned jackets that contained recycled plastic."

What he never does: "If I run into someone at my kids' school, I don't get into business. People are much more receptive if you respect their personal time and call later."

NEXT: Richard Shank, AT&T