Next year might be the year. If it is, will it be yours?

At this moment, it appears as though the economy is gaining a little momentum. The automobile industry is in slight rebound. Interest rates are so low that home buyers might actually outnumber refinancers. And corporate America is finally letting up a little on the purse strings.

BEWARE: Banks are still reluctant to lend, the stock market is still up and down, and world uncertainty has become more uncertain.

Within the framework of this opportunity, there’s one thing you cannot do: WAIT.

The days of waiting to see what will happen, waiting to see when things will return to “normal” and waiting for a sure sign of recovery are over. You cannot afford to “get by” until the economy is once again safe.

Below is a list of actions for you to take right now. Not after the holidays. Not after New Year’s Day. RIGHT NOW!

1. Train everyone in your company on positive attitude. This is not a promotional plug for my “Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude”; rather it’s an undeniable fact of business that attitude is the biggest success driver – both internally and externally. REALITY: If sales pick up and customers begin to call, but your internal service isn’t the best on the planet, you will lose.

2. Visit your top 10 customers. Talk to them about their situation. Talk to them about what they plan to do next year. Make an informal partnership offering. Make part of your relationship their success. And make a commitment of both time and people to help make their success your reality. IDEA: Bring your Flip video camera and capture the story of your relationship, the reason they buy from you, and some form of testimonial that you can use online and in a sales presentation.

3. Huddle internally with your key people. Budget whatever you can to promote yourself. Invest in the Internet, invest in service training, invest in social media and invest in your salespeople. Now is the time to put your business money where your business mouth is. Waiting will give your competition an extreme competitive advantage.

4. Get your salespeople mentally and physically ready to go on the offensive. If you’re like most companies, you’ve probably cut some of the lifeblood needed to make your business stand out from the others. You’ve slashed training, you’ve slashed marketing, you’ve slashed advertising, and you’ve cut your staff to where most employees are doing what two employees used to do. These cuts have had an adverse effect on sales and morale. IT’S TIME TO REINVEST IN SALES AND THE SALES EFFORT.

5. Visit your banker and find out if you qualify for money, just in case you need it. Banks have become loan-resistant. It will be years before they get over the shock of not being bulletproof, and it will be years before any type of business loan is relaxed beyond 100 percent collateral. If you think you’ll need money, make arrangements for it before you actually need it.

6. Exchange cold calling time for business social media time. Make certain that you’re ready to LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube your way to value and engagement, connecting with existing and prospective customers. Cold calling has become the ultimate waste of time.

6.5. Employ manners that your parents taught you, and deploy gratitude internally and externally. Your parents taught you what to say, and I’m challenging you to be grateful for it and share your gratefulness with others. Make certain that your internal and external customers know the sincerity of your appreciation for their loyalty and their business.

Please pass this message on to everyone in your company – starting with your CEO and ending with every person who may not believe that they can make a difference.

Jeffrey Gitomer can be reached by phone at (704) 333-1112 or by e-mail at salesman@gitomer.com. © 2010 Jeffrey H. Gitomer