That's the Spirit When the going gets tough, the tough keep selling. Here's how to stay in the right frame of mind.

Have you ever tried to sell your product under pressure or in difficult circumstances--bad industry, bad economy or just plain bad luck? When you have a product or service that has tremendous potential to serve a large audience and provide great value, you must remember that the most essential quality to sales success--or any success--is your ability to maintain confidence when times get tough.

Even when everything around you is falling apart, you still need to remain focused and confident and keep a positive attitude. Many industries face ups and downs, and if your attitude follows the same roller coaster ride as what's happening around you, you become a victim of your environment. What keeps your confidence intact has a lot to do with resilience. Resilience is the ability to bounce or spring back into shape--to recover strengths, spirits and good humor when confronted with obstacles. When hit with difficulties, no's setbacks and adversities, you have to let some of the negatives roll off your back and gain knowledge of what doesn't work so that you can be better prepared for the next step.

Here are three things I do to maintain confidence and deal with difficult times and situations: