I’m wrapping up my trip this week in Philadelphia and I am finding a consistent theme – company revenues are down but there are specific niches, or pockets that each company has maintained. Some have even grown in these areas. Businesses will survive this economy by leveraging their strong markets (maybe not their core markets).
I have consistently heard that medical, aerospace and some consumer electronics markets are still relatively strong. Salespeople should be in close contact with their customers right now to identify these pockets and leverage them in their sales activities. Failure to take this initiative could be a truly career-limiting move.
Another consistent theme I have encountered this week is the need for efficiency. Companies are fiscally tight right now, but they are looking for opportunities to improve their product or service offering. Whatever product or service you sell, I would recommend positioning it as a way to improve an existing process, service, product, etc. This approach still sells in this economy. Companies are aware of cost reduction right now even if it requires an initial investment. I would strongly recommend this approach to any salesperson right now, but make sure they are able to accurately illustrate the savings. No marketing spin here – real world examples and believable figures.
Those are just a couple of items I have noticed this week on the East coast. Business is still occurring so salespeople need to keep turning over those rocks…deals are out there.