The result?  A broken nose for me and you would survive the ordeal comfortably enough.

So when you hear people talking of "economic slowdown" or "recession", how hard will you fight to keep your head above water? 

Leave the recession talk to the experts in the city, with their fat bonuses and completely surreal view of business.  They are looking at the great unwashed, not the street-smart entrepreneur that reads this blog.  Wish I could stick their heads in a bucket of water… 

I Am Feeling Terribly Vexed…

It really irritates me to hear people whining about the economy.  It's complete bunkum that there is no business "out there".  The difference now is that you might have to look a bit more carefully for it, then work a bit smarter to make sure you get it, rather than your customers going to the business next door.

A friend told me a story recently about a truck salesman in America.  You know the big pick-up trucks? 

Despite the "economic slowdown" in the USA in the wake of the sub-prime crisis, this guy was selling at record levels and got noticed by the manufacturer's big boys in Detroit.  Impressed with his sales, they headed out to see how he was doing it…

Once they arrived and spoke to him about how brilliant his achievement was in a recession, his head fell and so did his sales.  From around 40 trucks a month to just a trickle.  The only difference?  This poor guy didn't watch the news and had no idea that the experts had been talking the US economy into a recession.  Once he believed there there was a recession, he found it far harder to sell.

So what can you learn from this tale of pickup trucks and buckets of water?

Business Growth & Sales Are 80% Head Game, 20% Knowledge…

Your bucket is either half-full or half-empty.  Keep your head up. 

Do what your competitors don't, smile at customers and treat them well, get smarter with your marketing and your sales can stay at their picked-up levels throughout any "market downturn" and you can keep growing.  (Sorry for the pickup pun if you're groaning)

Take this to heart or your friendly local business coach might just come round with a bucket full of water to wake you up again!