Yes, the our profession is difficult. Tough competition and margin compression. Customers are bypassing salespeople whenever possible, or avoiding them completely. It's harder to get prospects to answer the phone, or open and e-mail, or respond to an invitation.

Rather than complain about this state of affairs, we should embrace it. For many organizations, the pandemic has been the best thing that ever happened to business.

Customers need new technologies to meet the changing business climate, and they need expertise to configure and deploy it correctly. They need new ideas and technologies and business processes to solve their new problems. Who should be showing them how to do this? YOU!

The harder it is to reach key influencers and decision makers, the better it is for those of us who are skilled at networking and gaining referrals. The less time leadership spends with dim-witted chuckleheads, the more time they'll have to spend with people who can deliver ideas, insights, and game-changing solutions.

This is a fable told by the Inuit People called "The Caribou Prayer"

Caribou Elder: “As we begin a new year, let’s give thanks to the wolf”

Caribou Calf: “Grandpa, the wolves are trying to kill us. Why do we give thanks?

“Caribou Elder: Years ago, there were no wolves, and we thought life was good

Our herd grew and grew,

“Eventually, our food ran short

When the winter came, we were all hungry

We all became weak and sickly. Many of us died"

"They went after our crippled and sick,

They fed on the slow and weak

Only the strong and fast could survive

The herd became smaller

Soon, there was enough food for everyone

The strongest survived, and produced strong offspring"

"We are stronger and healthier than ever before

Without the wolf, this never would have happened