The Economy of One

In recent years, millions of Americans, who previously held secure positions throughout the workplace, have been struggling with job loss, underemployment in a changing and uncertain economy. The restoration of jobs has been painfully slow; in fact, there are indicators that up to 40% of the full-time jobs that have been lost may never return. Elizabeth Allen, author and nationally-known business consultant, responded to this nation-wide emergency by adapting her cutting edge sales and marketing methodology - CODE for Sales - for use by individual Free Agents. CODE is an acronym for Communicate-Organize-Document-Evaluate. "I was asked to present CODE to a large group of unemployed people," Allen said. "Looking out at the faces of so many highly skilled career employees, I realized that what they really needed was to be empowered. At this time, the millions who are unemployed represent the largest uninvested asset in the nation, but due to fierce competition and a changing economy, they have limited options. What people need are tools to help them re-engage and to capitalize on their value." The CODE system offers individuals an actual method to leverage their wealth of knowledge, know-how and unique skill set. "I adapted CODE as a process that anyone can apply," Allen writes, "as a way for people to take charge of their careers. CODE is designed to help individuals define their core competencies as well as their passions. Whether people choose traditional employment, contract work, self employment or any combination of these, people need to learn how to effectively sell their assets. Traditional approaches such as attending job fairs and sending out resumes on-line for positions posted on internet job boards have a very low success rate." The Economy of One begins with an explanation of how to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset and moves to the step-by-step sales method to follow so that Free Agent marketing efforts can result with greater success. Throughout the book, readers learn the inspiring stories of actual Free Agents, told in their own words. These people explain how the CODE concepts and tools changed their perspective of a very difficult situation. Changes in thinking led to changes in action, as participant after participant each became an Economy of One. For some, this was landing a dream job, for others starting a new business or finding a contract opportunity that provided a needed transition. What will you learn? -A step-by-step process that will help you effectively identify and explore your options. Looking for full-time employment is just one of many paths available to you. -Strategic self-promotion, communication and networking skills. You will learn how to engage a straightforward methodology designed to take the guesswork out of the self-promotion "sales" process. -Recapture confidence. You will learn 8 critical sets of questions that are deigned to empower you. -Insight into the strategic mindset of those doing the hiring. Understand how employer priorities align with yours before you interview. -Re-connect to passion, proficiency, and profitability. We will help you identify options that are best suited for your natural abilities and interests. -Monitor progress. You will learn how to approach every networking event, job fair or interview with a focused plan. -Achieve transparency. Communicate to others your progress so that the question of "what's your plan?" And "what have you been up to?" is easy to address. -Go way beyond writing a resume and applying endlessly for every job you see, competing with thousands of others for a job that may not even exist. Instead, engage the market from a very different, targeted approach, utilizing your "personal brand" to get in front of decision-makers. -Find support. This program is designed to re-energize you and jump-start your efforts, helping you more effectively engage immediately. This book is also available in LARGE PRINT and as an eBook.