Recession Survival Guide

On Saturday, I talked about the need to develop a positive attitude about the economy regardless of the stories you hear on the news. Today is a great example of what can happen if people get a glimpse of what is possible for this country. During the campaign Obama demonstrated he was a master salesman with his message of hope. It got him the Presidency. Today, he began selling America on the idea of a renewed economy, an economy that we can all be a part of. The result? A jump of almost 300 points on the Dow and over 60 on the nasdaq.

It’s not a hard sell because the US is in touch with its pain and Obama is offering the cure. That’s what a good salesman does. He speaks to the pain of his customer. The outgoing administration can try to sell all it wants, but people have seen it can’t deliver. That’s not to say Bush can’t do some things to help out, but he has lost his audience and therefore the sale.

There are plenty of jobs that don’t have “sales” in the title, but the truth is, everyone is selling pretty much all the time. By selling I also mean convincing people to believe what you believe. And in most jobs, being able to get your ideas across is critical even if you don’t have a product or service to offer. If you’re a sales professional you know what I’m talking about. And as business owner for over twenty years, I find myself selling to clients every day. That’s why in this economy I think it is more important than ever to sharpen your skills. Bob Firestone’s Sales Comebacks and Rebuttals is a quick and easy way to put yourself in the driver’s seat. And if you are a sales professional or are thinking of becoming one you will not regret downloading his e-book and other coaching materials. And if you don’t like it, just ask for a refund.

The stock market will still be choppy for a while, but when people try to convince me that the sky is falling, I’m glad I have some effective comebacks. We are in this thing together and like Bogart once told a companion in a lifeboat, there is no room for cry babies.

More Money Rules is about making more money even in this so-called recession. Right now the big concern is economic survival. Personally, I don’t think the Obama Administration sees me as important enough give me a bailout. That’s not to say we can’t expect some real improvement over the next few months. The question is: How long will this mess last? I will be talking about exactly that in a future post.

The first rule is don’t panic; especially if you’ve watched your investments evaporate. History shows that timing the market doesn’t work very well, and when the market does turn around you will want to be fully invested. The no panic rule also applies to losing your job. In future posts I will be talking about starting your own business, but today I want to talk about interviewing skills. These are handy even if you are staying with the same company, because you may have to talk your way into keeping your present job.

As the economy slides it becomes more and more important to be able to perform at an interview. You need to create a great impression the first time and every time. That’s where Bob Firestone’s course comes in. Bob is something of a legend in entrepreneurial circles. He is highly successful as a writer, teacher and coach. That’s why so many people have gotten so much value from downloading his e-book: Ultimate Guide To job Interview Answers by Bob Firestone. It walks you through the interview process and gives you the answers to those impossible questions. It’s also a great reference that you can either print out or keep on your computer, because it’s a download. Best of all, it’s an inexpensive e-book that you can download and start using immediately. Bob even guarantees your satisfaction or you get your money back.

The economic downturn does not have to be as bad as people seem to think. When I say this to people they usually object by pointing out the rising unemployment and the foreclosures and similar evidence. I don’t want to ignore these issues, but they tend to overlook the importance of attitude and belief systems. You may not be able to put attitude in the bank, but your chances of having money are much greater if you have a positive view.

Now because people need facts to change their beliefs, here are a few things to consider: Money and value are created by agreement among groups of people. You only have to remember that in some cultures shells have been considered very valuable and used for money. Another example is the way the international community and World Bank have just decided to “forgive” the debt of certain countries. One moment there was a huge weight that crippled the nation and the next it vanished, just because people said so.

The same thing can happen now with this recession. The whole world is starting to suffer because there is a widely held story that we we are falling toward a depression. The world press reminds us daily so we don’t forget about it and continue to act like the sky is falling. In fact, I read an article in the New York Times the other day about the moral decadence that has caused our fall. So now we are supposed to pay for our sins? I don’t think so because this kind of thinking does not work. This is the kind of thinking that lead the League of Nations to impose reparations payments on Germany after World War I. To punish it? Well, we all know how well that worked.  Most people believe it helped cause World War II. And it was precisely the realization that as a group of nations we can cooperate to invent value, that allowed the Allies after World War II to quickly rebuild Germany and Japan. Where did that money come from? Let’s face it we are being asked to believe a story (financial doomsday) that is causing a lot of suffering and could cause much more if we don’t do our part to stop it.

What to do now? I recommend not listening to people who are spreading the idea that the sky is falling. I also believe that we can ask our political representatives to explore ways to get governments to cooperate and end this thing. But the biggest source perpetuating this madness is the press. We need to call them on their irresponsible part in causing everybody to suffer. I believe folks have already had enough, the media needs to start looking at ways to rebuild now.

I know from practical experience just how powerful changing my attitude can be. I’ve been an entrepreneur for over 20 years and I have had my up and down periods. What I’ve discovered in the last couple of years is that it is vital to find a way to keep yourself positive. It can be a challenge especially given the news. I recently discovered a very useful set of programs offered by Tom and Penelope Pauley. I am not sure how they can offer this whole library for $35, but that is the price. The multi-volume set, Get The Money contains the Pauley’s books plus seven other money guides and a newsletter. An awesome way to keep your mind and your actions focused on building wealth.