Sales skills are recession-proof!
In the last three years, the economic climate has been tumultuous to say the very least. Just about any analysis of the economy and projections of its future are clouded with hand-wringing uncertainty. Industries are changing rapidly, unions are striking and companies are restructuring. A.I. is a fast moving, looming presence over the entire workforce as many employees wonder if their positions can be replaced by technology. People are wondering what jobs are truly secure? In the event of an economic downturn, what skills are certain to always be in demand?
The short answer: sales. When the Covid-19 epidemic struck in early 2020, sweeping layoffs struck just about every industry. I myself was working for a corporation at the time selling a vacation product. Those were scary times as all of the hotels and resorts in the world were shutting down. Housekeeping and front desk staff were all sent home, many to never be rehired. The sales floor was a tense place as management told us to pack up our cubicles, take our computer equipment, and set up to start selling from home. That's right, when no one in the world could go on an actual vacation, we kept our jobs and were told to keep selling with the angle being that when all of this is over, when lockdown ends, people are going to want to travel more than ever before.
This was a real lightbulb moment for me. We were all worried about losing our jobs, but of course we were going to be the very last employees fired because it is the salesmen that bring in the revenue, and what the company needed more than ever before was to keep the revenue flowing. Now I am not saying that some salesmen didn't lose their jobs. These were scary, lean times and those at the bottom or in the middle of the pack did have to find other work in many cases. However, those of us who were top performers were retained and we made more money in commissions than ever before.
When times are good, companies need to make money. When times are bad, COMPANIES NEED TO MAKE MONEY. In either case, it is salesmen that keep the bank accounts full. If you're concerned that your skills aren't good enough to weather the storm, it might be time to consider stepping up your training and booking a 1:1 coaching. Better yet, schedule your FREE introductory session to see if my approach to sales training is something you feel you can benefit from. You have nothing to lose.
Now let's go make those fat stacks.
~Kat Jack
