The 10 industries that are growing like crazy during the Coronavirus pandemic

First of all, I hope you and your family are safe and well and you’re looking after your mental as well as physical health. Here in the UK, we are still able to get out and do some exercise once a day (while practising good social distancing) and I really encourage you to do something with that time.

Whether it’s a walk around the block, a run, a bike ride, or even jumping on the kids’ trampoline (with or without them!), getting yourself out into the fresh air is not only good for your physical well-being, it’s great for grounding yourself in normality. The roads, paths, and tracks are all still there, and this can be a great time to think positively about your business and to work through new ideas, as well as practising your scripts and objection handling responses.

I decided to share my thoughts whilst out on a walk last week via LinkedIn. Be warned, don’t watch this if you don’t mind the odd expletive!

I’m also running a series of FREE webinars for the next 6 weeks, every Thursday evening at 1915 BST (starting next Thursday 9th April) where I will take you through my complete model to sell in the right way. It will be based on my ‘Sales is Like Dating Model’ and is the same framework as I use in my face to face workshops which normally cost £199 per person to attend.

My mission is to provide as many great business owners as possible with the tools and knowledge they need to become brilliant at selling! Use this time whilst at home to improve your skills and get better at selling!
Although my webinar series is going to be based on learning to improve your sales skills right now, my top tip in the current time is to keep a hold on a positive attitude. STOP thinking that NO ONE WILL BE BUYING. As you’ll have seen from the news, there are plenty of business sectors that have so many new customers that they aren’t able to cope!

Of course some sectors like Travel, Hospitality and Events are effectively on hold, and if you’re working in or with those sectors then it can be difficult not to assume the worst. But there are other sectors which are booming right now, and tapping into this could be the key to turning things around for you.

I read some research from Captify this week that showed certain industries have seen huge growth over the last couple of months. I’ve decided to list the top 10 for you below, but I’m also going to give you some concrete examples of how others businesses have adapted to tap into some of this explosion in demand by linking what you do to these areas:

Ok, so at first, if you’re not in any of those sectors it can be easy to dismiss this list as being unhelpful to you. But it’s exactly that kind of attitude that YOU need to throw out. Why? Because that’s what 90% of your competitors will be thinking. You need to be one of the 10% that grabs onto this as an opportunity and get to thinking creatively.

Here’s an example: A company I know based in the West Country services executive jet aircraft. Most of their competitors have shut up shop and furloughed staff because the demand for aviation is down. This company thought differently. They quickly contacted their key clients explaining not only were they open for business but that they were busy hiring additional staff. Why? Because now is the PERFECT time to get your fleet of jets maintained because scheduled air travel is all but closed. Get the work done now, early if required, to avoid having to ground your planes over the next 3 or 4 months when they will be in high demand.

That’s a perfect example of thinking about your own business and how you can change the way you’ve always worked to turn what seems like a bad situation to your advantage.

Here’s another – I know of a popular brewery in Buckinghamshire whose tied pubs are all shut and whose brick-and-mortar brewery shop on the site had to close because they couldn’t maintain social distancing. So what did they do? As well as offering free local delivery using their own vans, they also re-purposed their car park and a couple of marquees to make it a beer sales “drive-thru”! This way you can order your selection from the car, staff can go and get it, load it in the boot, and take contactless payment. All of this while keeping everyone as safe as possible and keeping the money coming in.

Yet another example. A museum is running a series of free talks and virtual visits on its social media channels, tapping into the demand for education content. Their events sales manager has contacted her prospects and past clients offering sponsorship opportunities on these videos in exchange for booking or rescheduling venue hire and other contracts rather than cancelling. This not only lets the venue keep monies already paid in, but they have actually won a couple of brand new bookings for later in the year on the back of the exposure and being linked with supporting education and learning in these difficult times.

Quite often, new opportunities can arise from challenging times. Sometimes we just need a bit of help to see them. If you’re struggling to think of ways you can re-purpose your business or change your ways of working please get in touch. I’d be more than happy to see if we can work together to find those new ways of tapping into these growing sectors.

Finally, let me know what other industries or business niches you know are doing well at the moment. I want to be able to add to the 10 above and share them. My mission is to get more of us feeling positive, so that we can spark off each other and keep our businesses adapting, keeping going, and even growing. Don’t forget to sign up to join me on the free webinars giving you hints and tips on how to avoid selling mistakes in the current situation.

You can always get hold of me via email at hello@jameswhite.business and you can find me on the usual social platforms – YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook – by searching for “jameswhitesales”.

Take care, be well, and stay positive.