More change. We have covered this topic before, but since things keep changing, it’s a topic worth revisiting.

As an individual sales rep or as a business owner/manager, you should look at your business and ask yourself: “What will my business be like in six months, one year, five years, etc.?” If you don’t stay ahead of the curve, you may find yourself in the ditch or worse.

The adage used to be: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” That has been replaced by today’s version: “If it ain’t broke, break it.”

There are numerous examples of things changing and today’s leaders have to scramble to protect their businesses. Some will make it, and others won’t.

Like most people, I have a printer attached to my computer. It takes an ink cartridge. I have spent more on ink in the past few months than I paid for the printer itself. The manufacturer of this printer makes very good money on the sale of these cartridges. Just recently, I discovered a kiosk at a shopping center that refills my cartridges at about half the price. I wonder if the printer manufacturer saw this coming? I have not seen the company make any attempt to save this profitable business.

Has a competitor of yours ever filled any of your dispensers or dispensing systems with their product? If so, did you see it coming? What did you do about it?

The airline industry is undergoing a major upheaval. Major carriers are going out of business. Most are losing millions of dollars a year. A few low-cost carriers are generating excellent growth and profits. Did the major airlines see this coming and did they do anything about it? It doesn’t seem like they anticipated these changes, then when they happened, they scrambled to do something — anything. If they don’t fix it, the major airlines will all disappear.

Think of the cable companies and the satellite providers going after each other’s business. The phone companies vs. the cell phone companies. AT&T is going out of the home long distance business. It’s costing them millions.

For you football fans, here is a great example of how things can go very well, but you still lose the game. Your team goes into halftime with 17-0 lead. The coaches think they are doing most, if not everything right and make only a few, if any, changes. They “leave well enough alone.” The other coaches go to work and make lots of changes and come out in the second half with a new game plan and end up winning the game 28-20. I recently saw this happen.

The point that is all may be well today, but you must always be aware of what is happening in your industry and with your accounts. Things change, and it could be that even if things are going well today, subtle or even major changes can shape your business’s future.

It is easy to “leave well enough alone” when you have the business on a particular product or system, even if you are aware of something better. Ask yourself, would it be better if you recommended changes to your customers, or if your competitor did?

I am not suggesting that you change for change’s sake, but it is important that you study the future. Brainstorm with your associates, vendors and customers. Ask questions about what’s happening. What products are you contemplating bringing to the market? What are your competitors doing in the market? Ask your customers and vendors “What will help us help you?”

Test your changes on a small scale before an all-out launch, and be ready to adjust. In other words, be ready to change your changes. I know that you are busy — all the time — but I think time invested in planning your future is about as important as anything you do. Remember, everything changes. Are you willing or able to do the same?

To share your selling ideas, fax: (414) 228-1134, contact Mr. Dixon at (877) 379-3566.




POSTED ON: 12/1/2005