Selling in a Crisis

PREFACEWinter Is Coming

Nature runs on a cycle: spring, summer, fall, and winter. There are seasons of abundance and seasons of scarcity, seasons of renewal and seasons of growth.

Look around you. In relationships, business, sports, sales, and life, the principles of renewal, growth, abundance, and scarcity are present in every facet of our existence.

It is the same for the economy, even though most people seem to conveniently forget this basic truth. When the economy is growing, we tend to believe that it will grow indefinitely. We feel invincible as we take on more risk and lower our guard.

During times of growth and abundance, when things are booming, there is the tendency to ignore the basics and abandon fundamentals. We become complacent as we sail on smooth waters.

We assume that we are succeeding because we are so awesome at doing what we do. But as the saying goes, don't confuse a bull market with brains. During cycles of abundance, even the weak can succeed.

Then, as the summer sun fades, trees go dormant, animals head into hibernation and we’re left freezing in the cold without a coat, we act as if we didn’t know better. Winter is always coming, but somehow we choose to forget what comes with it. That is the nature of cycles.

Recessions and economic downturns exist to expose our fragility and to build strength and resolve. They are the swift kick in the rear that sales professionals and business leaders require to get back to the basics and execute at a higher level. ...