The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that employers laid off 235,681 workers in September, the worst level for three years (dating back to Hurricane Katrina). The British Prime Minister boldly states the economy is heading for a grave recession. It’s not getting any prettier out there.

Continuing the theme of job protection, our topic for today is internal networking. One of my old sales VPs used to tell me that “every time you eat alone, you are wasting a network opportunity”. Instead of hanging around all the time with your Sales Engineering pals, or the reps, spend some time with others in the company. Reach out and strengthen those relationships with Support, Engineering, Marketing, and yes, even, Finance and Legal. If you’re all in the same office, it’s easy – look for a chance to say thank you for something they have done to help you and make these people feel appreciated.

Hint: If someone has helped you win a sizable deal, get a copy of the PO from the rep, have it framed, and give it to that person to hang in their office/cubicle. You will have a friend for life.

If you are a remote worker – then work the phones, emails and IM to establish and strengthen these relationships. 80% of success is showing up, so you get the side benefit of increasing your visibility too.

Don’t be passive, don’t hide, don’t moan and complain – be visible, productive and friendly!