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If you’ve been following my column, then you’re probably aware that the topics I cover build upon each other in a sequence. The idea behind this is for you to integrate each of these columns into your career based on their respective topics. In other words, the parts may be valuable, but the true value lies in the integrated whole.

The purpose behind this is twofold: as a salesperson, we can get sucked into thinking in short term increments, like from commission check to commission check. These columns are designed to help you think with a long-term strategy. The second purpose is to keep you buying Business Black Box (you’re welcome, guys!).

Last issue, we discussed bracing for the upcoming economic storm. While it may seem like a storm right now, the truth is we are currently in the eye of the storm. What we went through since September 2008, is the front half of the storm. What’s coming this fall is the back half of the storm, which is always more destructive.

The conversation you’re hearing on the evening news, talk radio and Sunday morning television about Congress raising the debt ceiling is something that you should be paying attention to. You may ask yourself, “Why, if there’s nothing I can do about it?”

While this is true (like me, you’re probably not a voting member of Congress), we can still prepare in advance for the potential ramifications this may have on our respective businesses.

If you’re in a business that’s commodity based, you can plan on an increase in the value of those commodities. We’ve all seen the increase in the commercials for “We Buy Gold.” The reason for this is not because the value of gold is going up. In fact, the value of gold doesn’t change at all. It simply takes more dollars to buy that same amount of gold, which means the value of the dollar is going down.

However, not all businesses are commodity-based. If, in fact, your business deals with the debt financing of assets, like mine, you can anticipate a decrease in the value and pricing of those assets. The greatest example of this is the current housing crisis. When money was widespread and loan approvals were rampant, debt financing increased availability, which artificially drove up pricing, and now the day of reckoning is upon us.

As a sales professional, this leaves you with a prognosis, and now we must determine the prescription for your success moving forward. The first thing I would do is get myself out of debt, both personally and professionally.

The second thing I would do is figure out ways to restructure payment options for your existing clients that make business sense and are Win/Win for both of you. Please do not interpret this as me suggesting that you are the bail out option for your clients. Quite the contrary. If you can bring a solution on price and terms that keeps both of you in business, then you’re moving forward towards navigating the storm successfully.

If I sound alarmed, it’s because I am. Many a ship has gone down because they interpreted the eye of the storm as the end of the storm. Make no mistake, many of your competitors will not survive the unfolding wrath that’s coming. Hopefully, these articles will help you survive the journey until the sailing is truly smooth again.