Cheer Up! Downturn got your sales team down? Turn their frowns upside down.

Capitalism is a mercurial master of fates-smiling and generousone day, cruel and miserly the next. Many of you, after a rousingride on the New Economy wave, are now facing hacked budgets,equivocating clients and possum-playing prospects. No wonder yoursales force's esprit de corps is looking a tad shabby.

As the economic Geiger counter of an organization, salespeopleare first to take the hit when times go from rah-rah to ho-hum, soit's crucial to pay attention to morale when the economycools.

There are myriad signs that sales-force confidence may be headedsouth. "Complaining, grousing, negativity, cynicism, closeddoors, arriving late, leaving early and generally not seeming tocare are symptoms of slipping morale," says Bob Nelson, aspeaker on management, employee and sales motivation and author of1001 Ways to Reward Employees (WorkmanPublishing).