Worried about the global economy? Why not look for opportunities instead?

I saw a banner headline on the TV news this morning about the IMF saying that the global economy could be entering a ‘dangerous new phase’. According to the organization’s website there’s a critical need for governments to reduce their debt and deficits while creating an environment for economic growth. This has been the mantra of central banks, politicians and others for the last few years – nothing new here – and while I’m sure there is validity in what the pundits are saying, maybe those of us in business should just get on with the job of taking our respective and each other’s enterprises and nations forward.

Last year, I was asked by a key client to create a workshop on ‘sales prospecting in challenging times’. It proved extremely successful with participants, judging by their feedback and subsequent follow-ups.

*Basically the course covered:

• ·      The fact that more money is made in slumps than in boom times – and the fact that we’re all experiencing a major global economic downturn that looks like it’s going to be around for a lot longer than anyone expected;
• ·      In times like these, individuals and organizations are looking for ways to increase productivity and reduce costs, and asked the philosophical question, “What do you offer that would fulfill such needs/wants/objectives?” and…
• ·      The need to take a medium-to-long-term view on forging relationships to build sales that will increase as times improve – if you’re there for a client in tough times, imagine how that might affect their loyalty towards you when things get better.

In my own business life, I’ve been amazed at the number of current and prospective clients who are actively trying to find ways of utilizing my training/consulting services and currently we’re working through this together. These organizations share my belief that there are plenty of opportunities to grow business, both locally and internationally, and they need to be acted upon sooner rather than later.

Many of those within my network, both clientele and colleagues, see the current crisis as being transformational, with the center of economic power fast moving eastward, most notably towards China and India – expect the former’s currency to evolve into one used in international trade sometime in the future. While this might seem frightening to some, there are a number of us who also see opportunities in this challenging new environment.

I believe that economic growth can be achieved if we, frankly, just get on with the job at hand and let everyone else worry about getting their so-called economic fundamentals right. The world continues to progress and will survive, no matter what the state of the global economy today or a week from now.

As the old Arab proverb says: The dog barks, but the caravan passes on…

Salaam/Shalom/Peace

*There’s a lot more covered in this course, but I wanted to avoid this piece turning into an advertorial!

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