4 Recession Proof Industries for Salespeople

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The Best Industries to Sell in During a Recession

Look, I'm not smart enough to predict if a recession is coming. That's for economists with fancy degrees.

But there's been a ton of ‘recession’ chatter over the last week, and it got me thinking.

Even if you're the greatest sales rep on earth with the smoothest pitch and perfect follow-up, you still need prospects with money to spend.

So, today I'm breaking down the four most recession-proof industries for B2B salespeople. Because when the economy tanks, you want to be selling the business equivalent of toilet paper and ramen noodles - not luxury cruises.

What Even is a Recession?

Recessions are complicated. They're economic contractions that last more than a few months. Consumer demand drops, and companies lay people off, which means even less spending. Rinse and repeat.

The US alone has weathered 13 recessions since 1945. And other countries have gone through 122 recessions between 1960 and 2007.

So the question isn't if another recession will happen (it will), but which industries will keep spending money when everything slows down.

1. Cybersecurity Services and Solutions

If there's a recession-proof champion, it's cybersecurity.

Gartner predicts cybersecurity spending will continue to grow 11.3%, even during recessions. Cloud security alone is growing at a ridiculous 26.8%.

Why? Three reasons:

• First, cyber attacks usually increase during recessions as hackers target companies with reduced IT staff.

• Second, compliance requirements don't disappear when the economy sucks.

• Third, remote work and cloud adoption have permanently expanded what companies need to protect.

2. Healthcare Tech, Devices, and Services

Healthcare tech is another recession beast, with consistent demand regardless of what the economy's doing.

The logic is simple: "People will always need a doctor."

Hospitals may face pressures during recessions but can't just shut down and stop spending. Instead, healthcare orgs often buy tech or devices that improve efficiency and cut costs.

Healthcare is just about the most ‘necessary’ industry there is.

Necessities = Recession proof.

3. Efficiency B2B SaaS and Cloud Solutions

This is where the vitamin vs. painkiller framework comes into play.

Software like productivity trackers or fancy dashboards that are "nice to have" get crushed during a recession.

But software and cloud solutions that decrease costs and increase efficiency will thrive.

During recessions, businesses obsess over improving cash flow, reducing costs, and enhancing efficiency. SaaS and cloud solutions directly address these priorities by converting capital expenditures into operational expenses.

Some recession-resistant SaaS offerings include things like:

• Automate manual processes

• Improve cash flow management

• Reduce overhead expenses

• Optimize supply chains

If the SaaS doesn’t save them money or make them money, it’s probably not recession-proof.

4. Business Insurance and Risk Management

The need for insurance and risk management doesn’t magically disappear when everything’s crashing.

Here’s why:

1. A ton of business insurance is legally required. You can't just decide to stop carrying workers' comp because times are tough.

2. Companies get WAY more risk-averse during downturns. When you're operating on thin margins, a single uninsured disaster can kill your business.

Specific B2B insurance segments showing strong recession resistance include:

• Cyber liability insurance

• Professional liability coverage

• Business interruption insurance

• Employment practices liability insurance

• Key person insurance for essential executives

Now let’s just hope we don’t go into a recession. 😁 

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