More stories are appearing that address “recession-proof jobs” in response to our slowing economy. Timely titles for sure, but one position is always recession-proof and that is sales; specifically successful sales.
Case in point, Job Hunting in a Recession from The Wall Street Journal:
Target critical posts. “The safest jobs are the ones selling to or servicing customers,” says Gary Rich, president of Rich Leadership, an executive advisory firm in Pound Ridge, N.Y. “When things get tight, it’s all about who’s going to drive the top line and who’s going to service that.” Less durable jobs are those in human resources, public relations, finance, strategic planning and other nonvital business functions, he says.
It should always be “about who’s going to drive the top line.” I’m not sure the customer service side is as safe in a slow economy. Many companies cut customer service positions and ask the remaining CSR’s to take on more customers.
Nonetheless, sales positions are probably more valuable in a slow economy. A strong economy can often hide weak salespeople. The weak salespeople can still close enough deals to survive. However, once the economy slows down and prospects are more difficult to locate and close, the weaker salespeople often get flushed out quickly.
The slow economy requires salespeople with sales skills to locate the right prospects and close them. The one thing to remember is that even in a recession business is still occurring. Sales are still being closed. The media’s perpetual doomsday reporting had a tendency to anesthetize our common sense. Deals are still available to the strong salespeople who know how to find them.