Last Friday was Black Friday – an odd affair that has come to the UK (like ‘Trick or Treat’) from the US. It’s normally held on the day after Thanksgiving Thursday, when millions of consumers who get the day off from work or school crowd into stores for what is traditionally considered the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. In recent years it has become a staple of British shops which use it to boost their pre-Christmas profits. Unfortunately, in Britain we don’t usually get the day off work and last year it lead to some horribly scenes where people were fighting over cut-price electrical goods and store guards had to step in to separate them.
Then close on its heels comes Cyber Monday – supposedly the most popular online shopping day of the year. People suddenly realise that if they don’t get their online orders in, they might not get delivery by Christmas and a mini-frenzy ensues. People probably end up buying lots of ‘stuff’ that they don’t really need because they go into panic-buying mode.
These are obviously both sales gimmicks to boost trade but it just shows what a clever marketing campaign and a bit of well-targeted selling can do. The Internet has adversely affected many traditional jobs and some high street retailers complain that they can’t compete with the internet as they have to pay rent and rates on their premises and employ staff to serve customers face-to-face.
But one job opportunity that has been really boosted by the advent of internet selling is that of the copywriter. Now not only are there opportunities for people who can write great adverts for newspapers, radio and TV but there is also a huge demand for people who can produce sales copy for internet sites and can get the message across in all those emails you receive every day trying to sell you things. If you’re a competent copywriter then you’ll never be out of work and the pay isn’t bad either!
Another career that will never be obsolete is that of the sales person. Whether you’re selling goods that your company has produced to wholesalers and retailers; selling on the telephone; or selling your own services, there’ll always be a career in sales. That’s because it’s such an important part of any organisation. If they can’t sell their products and services they’ll pretty soon go out of business!
So, if you want to make sure you’re in a job that won’t disappear in the digital age, you might consider a career as a copywriter or a sales person. They’re ‘portable’ skills that you can use anywhere and the pay is good. Business Training offer courses in both areas, so if I’ve whetted your appetite for a change in the New Year, do get in touch.
Author: Diana Nadin
