It takes something special to sell in a down economy. Unless sales people are properly equipped, it's easy for them to get discouraged and give up, perhaps before they even get started. When salespeople stop selling, falling revenues eventually cause pain for all employees and can threaten the very existence of the business. That's why it's in everybody's best interest to ensure that every salesperson has the one thing that will keep them producing sales in a down economy.
Clue Me Down
First, how can we be sure we're experiencing a down economy? Here are some headlines that appeared in newspapers over the last 30 days: -- Home foreclosure rate soars in 2007 -- State's unemployment rate jumps -- Bankruptcy filings up 24% in Georgia
Statistics like that could easily discourage any sales person. The changing environment means they'll soon be facing unfamiliar selling challenges they are not confident they can handle. Any salesperson could righteously proclaim, "The economy is killing me!"
If that were true, I should already be dead.
Leggo My Ego
As I share this story from my past, please don't discount it as self-serving ego aggrandizement. I offer it to give perspective. Besides, facts are facts, and these are the facts.
I started my direct selling career in 1979. In 1981 and 1982, I was an award-winning sales leader at my company (ask me, and I'll show you my diamond ring, earned through an incentive program. Actually, I earned two diamonds; my wife claimed the bigger one). Here are some indicators of how the economy of 1981 compared to 2007:
To come close to duplicating the horrific economy of 1981, you'd have to go back to the Great Depression of the 1930's. Yet here I was, a "newbie" salesperson facing an economy that could easily kill off my new sales career. Yet I had something that enabled me to not just survive, but thrive in a difficult environment.
Sell Yourself with Critical Thinking
My competitors may have gotten discouraged, but the daily news didn't bother me much. I learned to use critical thinking skills to evaluate what I was reading in the newspaper. When I saw "state's unemployment rate jumps," I looked closer. The "jump" was from 4.2% to 4.6%, a 9.5% increase in just one month... pretty alarming. But what does that really mean to me as a salesperson? It means that last month, out of 250 people, 10.5 were unemployed. This month, 11.5 are unemployed. We lost one suspect out of every 250 people. Should that slow down our selling efforts? I don't think so.
What about "home foreclosure rate soars in 2007"? The article reveals that the rate is 79 percent higher in 2007 compared to 2006. While that's a sizable increase, it still means that 99 percent of all U.S. households are NOT facing foreclosure, leaving them as potential suspects for you.
Check out the bankruptcy filing statistics, and in a like manner you'll find that the vast majority of people still have jobs. They are earning money they can spend on your products and services... if you have what it takes to stay in the selling game despite a down economy.
Get Rid of Dis
When you're feeling discouraged with the down economy, you need only one thing to "sell the lights out": courage. The difference between where you are and what you need is simply dis. Remove dis, and you can replace discourage with courage. You can gain all the courage you need to succeed through Perspective, Plan and Persistence.
Create Your Own Courage
PERSPECTIVE involves using your critical thinking skills to evaluate the reality of your situation. Reporters write headlines to sell newspapers, not to help you keep an optimistic outlook. Use critical thinking skills as in the examples above to ensure you keep proper perspective. This down economy, like every other one before, is temporary.
PLAN a way to deal with the challenges that a down economy can bring. Write down your goals and objectives, and find ways to gather and measure feedback as you execute. Retain flexibility so you can make course corrections and adjust your plan as you learn what's working in a down economy.
PERSISTENCE is perhaps most important of all. It means getting up every day and putting your plan into action. It means continuing to sell even when the headlines suck. It means being too busy selling to even bother reading the headlines.
Make Time for P's
It's easy to get discouraged in a down economy. Everyday the media is happy to tell us why things are so terrible. As Nicholas Murray Butler noted, "Optimism is the foundation of courage."
Discouraged, you fail. With courage, you succeed. The difference is simply dis.
Salespeople can find courage to thrive by beginning each selling day with a review of the importance of Perspective, Plan, and Persistence. Do that and you can find diamonds in any down economy.
Copyright 2008 Paul Johnson
This is a perfect time to write an eBook. What the publishing industry needs are people who can deliver into the world of today - innovative thinkers who can make the transition and figure out how to solve old problems with new ideas. EBooks are a new and powerful tool for original thinkers with fresh ideas to disseminate information to millions of people who are struggling to figure out how to do an overabundance of different things.
Publishing an eBook is entirely different than publishing a book in print. Let's look at specifics of how the print and cyber publishing industry differ, and the many reasons why you should take the step and get your fingers tapping across the keyboard!
Perhaps you've checked out self-publishing and found out how expensive a venture it can be. Most "vanity presses" require minimal print runs of at least 500 copies, and even that amount will cost thousands of dollars. Some presses' minimal run starts at 1,000 to 2,000 copies. And that's just for the printing and binding. Add in distribution, shipping, and promotional costs and - you do the math. Even if you wanted to go this way, you may not have that kind of money to risk.
Let's say you already have an Internet business with a quality website and a quality product. An eBook is one of the most powerful ways to promote your business while educating people with the knowledge you already possess as a business owner of a specific product or service.
For example, if you've spent the last twenty-five years growing bonsai trees, and now you're ready to share your knowledge and experience. An eBook is the perfect way to reach the largest audience of bonsai trees enthusiasts.
EBooks will promote your business - help you make a name for you and your company, and establish you as an expert in your field. You may find you have enough to say to demand a series of eBooks. Specific businesses are complicated and often require the different aspects to be divided in order for the reader to get the entire story.
Perhaps your goals are more finely tuned in terms of the eBook scene. You may want to build a whole business around writing and publishing eBooks. Essentially, you want to start an e-business. You are thinking of setting up a website to promote and market your eBooks. Maybe you're even thinking of producing an ozone.
One of the most prevalent reasons people read eBooks is to find information about how to turn an Internet businesses into a profit-making machine. And these people are looking to the writers of eBooks to provide them with new ideas and strategies because writers of eBooks are usually people who understand the new cyberspace world we now live in. EBook writers are experts in Internet marketing campaigns and the strategies of promoting and distributing eBooks. The cyberspace community needs these eBooks to be successful so that more and more eBooks will be written.
You may want to create affiliate programs that will also market your eBook. Affiliates can be people or businesses worldwide that will all be working to sell your eBooks. Do you see a formula for success here?
Figure out your subject matter, and then narrow it down. Your goal is specificity. Research what's out already, and try to find a void that your eBook might fill.
What about an eBook about a birthday cake business? Or an eBook about caring for the elderly pets? How about the fine points of collecting vintage toys?
You don't need three master degrees to write about your subject. People need advice that is easy to read and understand. Parents need advice for dealing with their teenagers. College students need to learn good study skills - quickly. The possibilities are endless.