Your quarantine shouldn’t just be about hiding inside your pillow fort and therapeutically binge-watching zombie apocalypse movies. It should be about making you a better professional.
The world is taking a break right now. But your career doesn’t have to. This is a great opportunity to invest in building skills that will make you a force to be reckoned with when things kick into full gear again. This is especially – but not exclusively – the case if you’ve been laid off. What better time to make lemonade out of lemons and use the downtime to up-level your skill set?
If you’re a sales and marketing professional looking for resources while you wait out the defeat of the coronavirus, here are a few things to check out. You won’t even have to change out of your sweatpants.
1. Get yourself certified
This is a great time to add a little extra padding to your resume. There are lots of online sales certification programs you can take that will set you apart from other reps in future interviews. One of our partners, Project Management Academy, has a number of trainings to help you boost your skills in project management and lots of other professional areas. MapMyCustomers has a great running list of programs to get certified in inside sales, as an executive, and more.
2. Dreamforce 2020 is now online – and might be free!
With COVID-19 still calling the shots, Salesforce, like many other companies, has decided to keep its signature annual event on the calendar, but to move it online. Dreamforce 2020 will feature great opportunities to build sales and marketing skills through sessions and networking events, just like in prior years. This year, it’ll just be happening within the confines of your computer screen.
That’s not the only difference. With Dreamforce 2020 going remote, the event becomes accessible to professionals all over the world. No need to try to convince your manager to fly you out to San Francisco. And there’s talk of making the event free – although that’s still up in the air.
3. Learn from leading sales influencers
What do John Barrows, Scott Leese, Sarah Brazier, and Richard Harris all have in common?
Well, for one, they’re all influencers in the sales space. But beyond that, they’re all active even during this shutdown. Be sure to follow them on your social channels, and think about checking out their virtual sales training sessions to learn skills for building a bigger pipeline, converting more leads, and more.
4. Quarantine can’t stop you from networking
Even networking has gone virtual. This is maybe a surprising one, as it seems hard to facilitate a bunch of meaningful connections between strangers without some kind of in-person gathering. But people are making it happen, and we’re glad they are.
Check out this filterable list on Eventbrite to find the best networking event for you.
Smart professionals are thinking of this strange present as a chance to invest in a brighter future. These resources should help you along your way.