The Current State of Business Overnight Travel for Sales Reps in the Beef and Dairy Industries: A Survey
By: Rick Pascual
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly changed how businesses operate, with overnight travel being one of the areas most impacted. Sales reps in the beef and dairy industries had to adapt to these changes and navigate the new normal.
We recently sent out a survey to these industry players to look at the current state of overnight business travel. The survey was up for a short time, but we are thankful for the 53 sales reps who took the time to respond.
According to the survey results, 58.49% of the respondents said they now travel overnight for business as they did before the pandemic. This resumption is a positive development as it allows sales reps in the beef and dairy industries to reconnect with clients and customers, build relationships, and drive sales.
However, 20.75% of respondents stated that overnight business travel is yet to go back to the pre-pandemic state. Some sales reps still see challenges in fully resuming overnight business travel.
9.43% of respondents said that overnight business travel is 80% back to its pre-pandemic state. This suggests that while overnight travel has resumed in some cases, some reasons—like travel restrictions, limited availability of lighting, and health concerns, may still prevent others from traveling overnight. Meanwhile, 7.55% think the situation is only 50% back to its 2019 state. Finally, some 3.77% of the respondents said that overnight business travel is less than 50% back to its glorious state.
The survey also revealed the extent of the territories covered by the sales reps. 9.43% of the respondents cover only one state in their territory, 16.98% cover two states, 9.43% cover three states, 11.32% cover four states, and 52.83% cover more than four states. This provides insight into sales reps’ challenges, as covering a more extensive territory can result in more frequent overnight trips.
In conclusion, the current state of overnight business travel for sales reps in the beef and dairy industries is a mixed bag. Most respondents agree that it has returned to its pre-COVID state, while some believe it still has a long way to go. Although the results overall are favorable for the industry, it still highlights the need for continuous adaptation to overcome the challenges left.
About the Author
Rick Pascual is the Practice Director for ruminant health and nutrition at Continental Search, a leading recruiting team in the animal sciences. He is a NAPS Certified Personnel Consultant and leads all the research and recruiting for dairy and beef. Rick mostly recruits sales, technical and management professionals for feed manufacturers, feed additive suppliers, and animal pharma. For the latest job opportunities, you may connect with Rick on LinkedIn or email him at rick@continentalsearch.com.
