So how do companies ride through these difficult financial times?

1, Take the long term view and don't panic. Internal Memos that start "Spending money on anything must stop with immediate effect" surely send a "sinking ship" message to staff which is self perpetuating.

2, Use the situation to your advantage. Don't stop spending....Start Haggling!! Remember those friendly Reps that call in and get an order in 5 mins. Well, make them work for their money. Send him back to his boss a couple of times, to get a better price, an upgraded product, more product for the same price or better terms. The 'Economic Climate' is the excuse you've been waiting for, because you could always shop around!

3, Write a list of internal jobs and get them done. You know the jobs that you have been putting off for ages, because you were so busy. Now that the flow of orders has slowed, you MUST utilise the extra time to work on internal things, eg training, planning, tidying, organising, system improvements etc