We Are Hope Merchants

November 6th, 2009

By Tom Reilly, author of “Crush Price Objections”

"When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you." (Friedrich Nietzsche)

We have all stared into this economic abyss–the longest recession since the Great Depression–and it has stared back. Everyone I know is affected by it in some way.

• Most people have hunkered down–savings are up and spending is down, which means sales are down.
• Most people have set and focused on defensive goals–account retention and controlling the bleeding–versus gaining ground, which is an offensive goal.

Yet, there is cause for optimism:

• The index of U.S. leading economic indicators rose for the sixth straight month in September, according to the Conference Board.
• Manufacturing for the July-Sep quarter was up 5.2%, the biggest growth since the first quarter of 2005.
• The Conference Board's forecast for economic growth in the next three to six months projects the biggest six-month gain in 26 years.

There is cause for optimism, and as salespeople, we provide the most needed commodity for this recovery–hope! We are Hope Merchants.
Our profession is steeped in hope:

• We become salespeople because we believe we can provide a good life for our families. We are Hope Merchants.
• We get up in the morning and prepare for a day in the field, solving problems and making sales. We are Hope Merchants.
• When we sell our products, we provide jobs for people in our company. We are Hope Merchants.
• When we sell our products profitably, we provide revenue for our companies to re-invest in R&D and systems to better serve our customers. We are Hope Merchants.
• When we have a new product story to tell, we beat a path to the customer's door to share the good news. We are Hope Merchants.
• When we ask customers what we can do to make their lives easier, we are Hope Merchants.
• When we share good news with customers, we are Hope Merchants.
• When we extend a hand to help a struggling peer, we are Hope Merchants.
• When we sell products, stimulate the supply side of business, and the economy begins its recovery, we are Hope Merchants.

This is what we are called to do. We are Hope Merchants. When we do our jobs right, we make other people's lives better. We are Hope Merchants. Everywhere we go we must share our hope and optimism with our customers because we are Hope Merchants.

Whether this recovery is a V-shaped ascent to prosperity or a U-shaped slog is anyone's guess. When the spigot opens, you may witness a fire-hose thrust or a garden-hose trickle. Who knows? One thing you can be sure of is that we will recover. We always do. We are Hope Merchants.

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