The Herman Trend Alert (sorry, no link) today highlights areas of the economy that are growing, even thriving, during the slowdown.  Some you may not have considered:

Logistics alternatives to diesel-consuming trucks that are more efficient at moving goods, like railroads, are also doing well. Plus, fed up with increasing delays and cancellations of flights, passengers are choosing rail travel over air. Expect this trend to increase; the US rail lines will borrow experts from Canadian Pacific and Virgin to learn how to deliver extraordinary passenger experiences.

Domestic food producers, especially domestic cheese producers are reaping the benefits of the falling dollar. Rapidly rising prices for imported products are prompting customers to look for domestic substitutes. Farmers now find their products in increasingly higher demand.

But then there is a dandy little comment that I have seen from many of our friends and neighbors:

Local amusement parks will also do well in these challenging economic times. The parks are enjoying the benefits of people taking what are called “staycations”—vacation time off taken close-to or at home. Until the economy improves, expect to see increasing numbers of people choosing staycations.

“Staycations” – that is excellent.  I am writing this post from the airport as I wait to interview a candidate.  I can tell you there are many people complaining about their travel prices as they walk by me.  The delays are another sore point as I sit here waiting for the candidate’s delayed flight.

If you sell into any of these industries, it is time to pick up the phone or fire off an email.  Their industry is surging which makes qualifying money an easier task.

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I’ve been dealing with many different sales candidates of late and one thing that is starting to stand out – a candidate’s resourcefulness.  This trait comes shining through on some candidates and is little more than a dull luster on others.  The less resourceful a salesperson, the more wary you should be in considering their candidacy.

This trait has always been important in sales.  Resourcefulness feeds networking, prospecting, qualifying and competitive knowledge.  Recently I have encountered a couple of candidates who just plain lack this ability.

The lack of resourcefulness shows up in not finding email addresses or cell phone numbers.  One salesperson wasn’t able to recall the position for which he was applying (this makes for an arduous phone screen).  Another salesperson wasn’t able to research new leads due to ineptitude using online tools.

These shortcomings are severe weaknesses in the information age.  I’m not sure how to measure this ability though we can get close to it with our assessments (practical thinking and using common sense).  More than likely, this ability has to be experienced in the hiring process so pay close attention during the initial stages of sourcing sales candidates.

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