Why Sales Executives Should Look to the Midwest When Hiring After COVID-19   Sales executives need to plan with optimism. We may not know when the pandemic will be over but when the health crisis ends, will companies be ready to launch well?   Matt Hunckler is the CEO of Powderkeg. His company works with people in the tech industry to reach their full potential by helping them to get established in a career in tech, regardless of their location. Due to the pandemic, there’s been a shift in the unemployment rate from 2% to almost 20%. All industries have been affected, including technology. However, many companies that are well-capitalized and those with a good business model are now getting back to hiring talent.    Hiring in the Midwest   Start-up companies are not for everyone, but if you can get on the front end of a rising star, there are incredible opportunities and potential for growth. For example, businesses in the midwest are raising considerable money. They are investing in talent and they are growing and selling. The opportunity is enormous.  Tech hubs outside of Silicon Valley, like those that are found in the Midwest, are unique in each of their own ways and are showing encouraging growth.   It should be noted that unlike the companies in Silicon Valley, these smaller startups don’t have the same level of capital. They need a sound revenue model from day one and have to be profitable to survive. This should help salespeople to focus on companies with a strong revenue model in order to have the best-earning potential.     Life in the Unvalley Tech hubs outside of Silicon Valley are also known as the Unvalley. The cost of living and the quality of life is different in the Unvalley in that the competition for jobs is lower.    Many sales reps believe that working for a startup company in the Unvalley is more rewarding in terms of achieving success. Each tech hub is very different and there is an advantage in knowing these communities well. The startup companies aren’t as well-mapped so their data is sparse. When making work-related decisions, look at the culture of the company, and make sure their values align with yours.    Even with layoffs, there are enormous opportunities particularly in the tech communities in the Unvalley.  “Why Sales Executives Should Look to the Midwest When Hiring After COVID-19” episode resources Connect with Matt Hunckler via his LinkedIn account.    If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns.  This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077.  We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to.  You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial.  Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.