I’ve been reading about the “R” word this morning and found another “R” word to accompany that. There has been a Rapid decline in this Recession in the last several months. Wish I knew this when I first started my kitchen remodel at the beginning of the summer- but that’s another story- one that makes me lose my appetite (which means I don’t expect to cook much in my new kitchen-:)
This morning’s SF Chronicle article titled, Jobless rates bolts to 14-year high, and outlines how our economy is deteriorating at a rapidly alarming pace. This week, our new President gave us renewed hope of a better future- but still this doesn’t pay for our monthly bills that are piling up nor the holiday vacation we must cancel and the new friend who just called you to announce they’ve been laid off after 9 years of work.
We are clearly caught in a titlewave right now and if any of you have surfed waves before, you know about wave strategy. That’s when you get wiped out by one wave and just as you are getting back up for air, another hits you, spins you around only to lose your breath to prepare for the next onslaught. First it was the housing collapse, then mounting foreclosures, then it was hard-to-get credit and financial market upheaval and then unemployment, and I could go on. And the picture looks grim for the next 6 months at least. 
The good news is we will rebound from this- we always do.
The tough news is that we have to work a lot harder and smarter to stand out than ever before.
Here are 5 Surfing Tips to Ride the Recession Title wave:
1. Replace the time you spend panicking with working smarter- working longer hours and spiraling down into panic is not the answer, work smarter and utilize your tools.
2. Be efficient- In everything you do, be efficient in your meetings, your writing, your prospecting efforts and even your friendships.
3. Plan for your Plan B- What’s next? And after that? Don’t let yourself get blind-sided.
4. ROI- This doesn’t stand for Running Out of Income, it stands for Return on Investment! Your prospects are very risk-adverse now so put together a reason for them to buy and make them a hero for their sound investment in your solution.
5. Pump up your Listening- This is the time when customers want to feel heard and listened to. They don’t want you to tell them what they need- even if your recommendations are right.
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