2025 is behind us and the staffing industry is ready to hit the ground running in 2026. Many staffing experts predict the industry will see a boom this year. On the two-year anniversary episode of our podcast, The Staffing Buzz Network, Congressman Moran (former staffing industry veteran), also predicted that contingent staffing is going to see strong growth in 2026, similar to the growth that was seen in 2021. He also mentioned that the new government incentives will help drive workforce growth. 

With a strong 2026 in sight for the staffing industry, it’s important to be ready to take the right steps with prospective clients to close the deal. I sat down with Chief Sales Officer, Bob Pettke, at Automated Business Designs to discuss 3 lessons he often preaches to sales teams. Before Automated Business Designs, Bob worked 15 plus years as a dynamic leader in the staffing industry and wore many hats including Director of Franchise Sales, President of Mergers & Acquisitions, and Chief Sales Officer for staffing companies that ranged in size from $35 million to $3.5 billion dollars in sales.  Here are 3 lessons from Bob to close more deals in 2026! 

Lesson 1 – Listen

When having a conversation with a prospective client, it’s easy to be more focused on what you are going to do next and how you are going to respond to what they are saying. Instead, really listen to what they are saying and think about their problem. You’re having a conversation to begin with because they have a problem that you might be able to resolve. Prospects will be most interested in hearing how you will be able to solve their problem and the value you will be able to bring to the table. Avoid thinking about what you are going to say next, instead say something that is valuable that will help solve their problem.

Lesson 2 – Put the Kids to Bed (Say How You are Going to Solve the Problem)

You probably weren’t expecting the headline to read “Put the Kids to Bed.” This is the name of the story though for Lesson 2. Bob shared a story from years back when his kids were little. His wife was at home all day with the baby and his other small child and one thing after another happened: From diaper explosions, to SpaghettiOs everywhere, everything that could go wrong went wrong! At the same time, Bob was also having a day at work. When Bob returned home, he opened the garage door and was thrilled to be home. As he was doing that, his wife also opened the garage door in anticipation of Bob getting home to help out. Bob was about to ask the infamous question that most people ask around that time in the evening, “What’s for dinner?” But instead of asking it he stopped himself and his wife said, “Don’t ask….” 

In that moment, Bob saw his wife was distressed and said, “This is what is going to happen.  You are going to go upstairs and draw a bath. I am going to make dinner, clean up, play with the kids, draw them a bath, and put them to bed.”

When Bob shares this story, he always asks how people think his wife reacted. Was Bob being too bossy or was she happy he was solving her problems? It was of course the latter.

Similarly, in sales, you need to tell the prospect what you are going to do to solve their problem. If a client or prospect says I need 4 forklift drivers for tomorrow, 5 machine operators, and 2 packers, what are you going to do? Tell them how you are going to solve their problem. “I will find 4 forklift drivers, 5 machine operators, and 2 packers for tomorrow.” 

When someone is faced with a problem, they want to know how you are going to be able to help alleviate the problem at hand. Show your value to them. This will get you one step closer to closing the deal.

Lesson 3 – Close the Drawer (Go for the Close)

The second story Bob shared was about laundry day at his house. The whole family would bring each of their baskets to the laundry machine, sort the clothes, wash the clothes, and fold the clothes into each person’s respective basket. Everyone would then be in charge of putting the clothes away in their drawer. Bob, however, got into the habit of picking clothes right out of the laundry basket each week and not even bothering to put it away in the drawers. The point? Bob would take all these steps to do the laundry and never “closed the drawer” to finish the process. 

Similarly in sales, we go through many steps with a prospect. We have a discovery call, we have meetings, phone calls, etc. If you do all these steps and never go for the close, what’s the point? Time kills deals so it’s important to not go through all of that hard work and leave it waiting. Ask for the business when the time is right, but don’t wait too long. 

At the same time, if you won’t be able to close the deal, it’s better to find out sooner than later. The last thing you want is to spend hours and hours of time working with a prospect that lands up doing nothing. That time could be spent winning other deals. 

Bonus Lesson

I wanted to include a bonus sales lesson because who doesn’t like a bonus? It’s something that Bob says often but wasn’t included in this chat. Before ending a conversation with a prospect, know what you are going to do next and when you are going to do it. Don’t ever walk away from a conversation without knowing what your next steps will be with that prospect and when. This will keep you moving prospects to the next phase in the sales cycle to bring you one step closer to closing the deal!

Deal or No Deal? I Think Deal!

As we start off the new year, keep these sales tips in mind from a staffing industry veteran to help you close more deals and have a strong 2026 right out of the gate. Remember to:

Listen

Say How You are Going to Solve the Problem

Ask for the Close

Know What You Are Going to Do Next and When You Are Going to Do It 

Did you find this article helpful? See how you can use these sales strategies with a staffing software solution made for staffing. Schedule a Demo of Ultra-Staff EDGE to see sales tools for goal tracking, forecasting, and managing staffing sales activities on a dashboard!