Yesterday, a Day Which Will Live in Infamy, the National Bureau of Economic Research made an astonishing revelation. They reported that their Business Cycle Dating Committee has determined that, ". . . the U.S. entered a recession in December 2007, marking the end of the economic expansion that began in November 2001."  A Recession, you say? Did you see this one coming?  You could have fooled me.

I'll bet that right now you're asking yourself, Is that ALL the economic news?  Answer: No, silly; there's even more razor sharp insight just like that committee who must be viewing the economy from the Planet Dummy.  Not only that, but  . . .

Yesterday, in a speech to the Fortune 500 Forum, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said that the nation's economic weakness  ". . . will persist for some time. The likely duration of the financial turmoil is difficult to judge, and thus the uncertainty surrounding the economic outlook is unusually large." Whoa! Talk about a guy earning his pay and going out on a limb.

These guys are to the economy what Inspector Clouseau is to law enforcement.

Extreme sarcasm aside, what data was that Committee examining?  Just because business is down, layoffs are up, that both consumer confidence and the stock market are lower than whale poop on the bottom of the ocean - and plane fares are higher than the actual cost of the airplane. . . could those be tiny clues?  Last summer I heard three drunks in a bar in Cleveland announcing how they had arrived at the same conclusion. The Committee should have talked to those guys.

Just call me crazy, but could there have been a political reason for holding back the release of this non-secret? The above story magnifies the disaster for me. They're so out of touch or just don't know. Remember in New Orleans when another government official said, Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job. The answer is Nobody Really Knows.

This  is why so many people sign up for Selling in a Tough Economy workshops.

People are looking for answers. DON'T LOOK FOR ANSWERS FROM ABOVE - LOOK FOR SOLUTIONS - YOUR OWN PERSONAL SOLUTIONS. That's what this newsletter (and my business) is all about now - helping you find new answers.

More on this coming, but you will find plenty answers here.

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1. No Need. The Big One.  They perceive they can live without our offer. Usually caused by Low-Listen, Sell & Tell. Forget that Client Needs stuff, I'm here to SELL RADIO SPOTS. You offer something they weren't even looking for.
2. No Hurry. I Can Wait. Let Me Think About It. It really means No. However, if you believe there is actual interest and feel that this is a negotiation ploy only, counter this with Low Supply, as in We only have four left, I'd love for you to get one of these and be a step ahead of your competitors.
3. No Money. May or may not be the case. If the offer is extremely attractive to them, they'll find the money.
4. No Trust. Comes from trying to Close-Too-Hard & Sell-Too-Early. If you've been selling those Lots O' Cheap Spots packages, when they said No, they were really saying, No Trust.

Here's the key. Almost all of these can be diminished by Preparation, Knowing the Client, Knowing the Category and understanding they're looking to purchase Advertising not Radio or Spots. Another word for Advertising is Hope. It's a Bet. They must have enough confidence in you to bet on you - literally. Then, if you and your presentation appear as Hope, you're more likely to hear "Yes."