A gap in the ‘gig economy’?

The gig economy is booming, but there are still some gaps in sales, pitching and new business.

Last week’s news that LinkedIn is launching a competitor to Upwork, enabling freelancers and employers to more easily connect and work together, is another sign of the growing ‘gig economy’. Just take a look at a few recent articles and you’ll see hockey-stick graph curves, yet more on the work/life preferences of millennials, and obituaries for the 9-5. This new feature for LinkedIn is a no-brainer.

But Uber drivers and Taskrabbits aside, all this talk of growth got me thinking – what are the specialised roles I see everyday (I’m a visual communication & strategy consultant) that haven’t yet become ‘gigs’?

In design, freelancing is nothing new – I know people who graduated from college with me thirty years ago who’ve been freelance ever since. Services like ProFinder and Upwork are simply using technology to create faster, easier ways to connect. Likewise, strategy consultants (even if they are employed full time) tend to be flown in for short stints.

But another part of our work involves helping clients prepare and pitch for new business (in 2015 we worked on bids worth over ￡200m). There’s so much at stake, and yet success can often depend on the skills of the person presenting.

I’ve met plenty of talented presenters in business development teams – they’re normally full-time, part of the core team, working towards annual targets and commission. I’ve also seen important bids miss the mark because the people presenting weren’t top of their game, or they were expert strategists but lacked charisma. What if you could hire a world-class salesperson to join your pitch for the big day?

I run a small company, and like plenty of other SME owners, I couldn’t justify having someone full-time on business development. On the other hand, I would jump at the opportunity to bring in a freelance presenter to my new business meetings – someone who can quickly get to grips with a pitch, build rapport with clients, handle curve balls.

A quick search of ProFinder and Upwork shows there’s a gap. Where are the individuals or teams of talented presenters who are going to fill it?