There’s a lot of worrying and nay-saying doing the rounds at the moment and it is understandable given the constant reminder on our TVs, radios and web searches of the current recession and it’s annoying little brother – the credit crunch. And even those of us who have yet to feel the frosty bite of dropping figures look to the future with a sense of fear and uncertainty. Will our clients continue to spend as much? Will we lose them to cheaper competitors? And, if they do, where will our new business come from?

New business is always an anxious subject and even the most seasoned and slick Sales Director will be thinking about alternate ways of bringing in the hard cash.

However, the reality of the digital industry is that it is embarking on its biggest period of opportunity since 1995. As companies from every other sector start to feel the pinch and are forced to close their physical offices and shops, digital agencies can step in and help them set up their business again from the web-up. The clever trick for all digital sales folks now is to accurately pin-point which business will flourish online.

There is also an area of opportunity to attract clients from competitors when the accounts get too big for them to manage. In a period when agencies are tentative recruiting new staff, there is the opportunity to look out for brands and companies emerging as winners in the current climate – and see who is doing their web work for them. Is it a small start up or 2-man band? if so there is definitely a case for dropping them or their agency a line? Perhaps you could be of help as an outsource.

In addition to all the standard sales techniques of tendering, pitching, cold calling and industry-nepotism, there is also a chance for modern sales thinkers to ditch the shackles of ‘traditional practice’ and look towards a new era of new business. Luckily, digital is an industry which has yet to suffer and hopefully this trend will continue. However, if it does not, there’s a great car boot sale in Horsforth on Sundays!