Death of a salesman. How alive are you?

SLATE Magazine recently published an article about the ever-increasing number of disappearing salespeople. The headline read, ‘Death of a salesman. Of lots of them, actually. The troubling disappearance of salesmen and how it helps explain America’s economic woes’.

In the article, the author claims that thousands of salespeople have lost their jobs to the internet. And he is correct; but he left out one word when describing these salespeople – ‘retail’.

The B2C sales marketplace is trending undeniably to the internet.

People buy online for the convenience, the price, and the availability. People buy online to avoid the hassle of driving to the store only to discover the item they wanted is out of stock and the further hassle of having to deal with a salesperson (aka clerk).

Reality: Books, music, electronics, appliances, shoes, clothing, medical supplies, prescriptions, furniture, and gifts of every type and description, from companies all over the world, are being bought online by the millions. Without salespeople.

People like you are buying more and more online. And that means fewer retail sales jobs. But ... does that really affect the economy? No. I wonder if the article’s author has ever had a sales job. He’s definitely clever at creating titles and building a case for empty scenarios.

The bottom line is that, overall, sales are increasing; therefore the economy is the same (or better) with or without the retail salesperson who’s being displaced. Another word for that might be ‘progress’.

There are other salespeople on the list of diminishing numbers: automobile salespeople who are being challenged by 100 years of duping customers, and the customer has finally had enough of them; pharmaceutical salespeople who are being legislated out of business for the lack of ability to build relationships with customers; and insurance salespeople, especially for lower-priced and commonly purchased policies (automobile being the best example).

All this is exacerbated by online companies making news for their customer service prowess. Many companies now have both retail brick and mortar stores and online businesses. Ask any of their CEOs which they would rather have, and I guarantee you they would all say online.

The online retailer can sell cheaper because overheads are lower, and warehouse rent and warehouse employees are much less costly than retail space and retail salespeople.

It’s not necessarily bad news. It’s just news – and news that salespeople better pay attention to. The economy is not being bludgeoned by a lack of salespeople.

Now is the time for salespeople to study the marketplace, make an assessment of where they feel their best long-term opportunities lie, combine those opportunities with selecting something that they’re passionate about or would love to do, and dig in.

Sales jobs will grow wherever the economy dictates that they grow. Healthcare is going to grow because the society is aging. Start there. Technology will expand and create tons of sales jobs. Take a look there. And the internet will create all kinds of jobs, especially sales jobs, based on its undeniable growth. The people who lost their jobs selling clothing should consider selling ad words for Google. Google is not a company; it’s a society and a culture.

The Slate Magazine article focused on the retail sector, but failed to address the larger, B2B sector. It’s true that some jobs will go away, but 10 times as many will be created in their wake.

The original Death of a Salesman by Henry Miller was published in 1949. The story is about a negative guy named Willy Loman who refused to change his ways as society grew and changed its ways. He eventually died, a broke and broken man. And so will you if you fail to recognise what’s happening.

Online business is both a revolution and an evolution. It’s not a job killer – it’s a job creator. And it allows you and me as consumers to click and buy without spending $3 a gallon on petrol, or looking for a parking space that doesn’t exist during the holiday season.

And yes, there are the traditionalists, the people who love to go retail shopping in the store, the people who would rather buy a hardbound book than an e-book, and the people who like to touch things before they buy them. But they (and I) are getting older.

People under the age of 20 only know the internet as their prime source of communication, purchase, and download. Get used to it, get over it, understand the sales opportunity that it creates, and take advantage of it. If you don’t, society will take advantage of you.

Need for donations this Christmas

A NUMBER of organisations have put the call out for additional funding this Christmas.

Starlight Children’s Foundation has set the goal of raising $1.5 million to grant the 63 wishes-in-waiting of sick children in Western Australia at a cost of $6,000 per wish.

Starlight grants wishes in order to help children dealing with serious illness forget the monotony of hospitals, the pain of treatment, and enjoy the happiest season of the year with their family.

The organisation has granted 24 wishes this year in WA.

St Vincent de Paul is focused on raising $600,000 and attract thousands of material donations for its Christmas Appeal in order to meet the needs of WA’s homeless and disadvantaged individuals and families.

Last year’s Christmas Appeal raised $630,000 in financial donations, and more than 3,000 hampers were distributed to the community in the lead up to Christmas.

During the Christmas period the organisation responds to every day requests of assistance with utility bills, clothing, household goods and advocacy.

It also provides gifts for families who may not have the financial resources to buy their own.

In the back-to-school period, volunteers help parents with children’s school supplies.