"Change Before You Have To"

Jack Welch, former General Electric boss, was attributed the above quote. Mr. Welch presided over this international industrial powerhouse in their period of growth and domination. In the period of time that he was at the helm of GE, they were the biggest players in their markets, and if they were not, they would change or get out.

As we enter the summer doldrums, I've been thinking about change quite a bit. For years, I have had the same furniture lines in my bag. In fact I have been blessed that three out of the four lines we have represented for over 20 years. A fourth line we have had for over ten years. But we shook things up this summer.

What's interesting when times get tough is how you respond to it. Some people will continue to accept the status quo and just say that's the way it is all over. I think that's garbage.

I believe that if you keep doing the same things over and over again, you probably will end up with the same results. If the results are good, then keep trying to improve on them. But if the results are trending in the wrong direction, no matter what the reason, you have to take the Jack Welch approach and "Change Before You Have To".

In our case, we made the tough decision this summer to resign from a line we have represented since 1989. It's tough to give up an income stream of any kind. In our case, we have seen the dealer base dwindle away and our enthusiasm go with the business. Now we could have figured out a way to resurrect more business along with the business we still had, but in the end, our hearts were not in it.

At the same time, we put a package together that should easily replace the lost income in a 6 month period of time. More importantly, we are very excited about the prospects. This makes us more engaged and will make us better reps for the new company than we could have been for the old company.

I am certain the new rep for the old company will also be more engaged because for them it is something new. Sometimes if things are stagnant, you need to shake it up a little even if the prospects look scary at first.

Life's too short --- make sure you enjoy what you're doing or what's the purpose?

Nido Qubein, president of High Point University, is quoted as saying "Change brings Opportunity". I believe our company will be much better for the changes we have made this summer. With business a little challenging, take a look at what you are doing and if it's the same old same old, maybe a change is in order to spark you to better business.

I'm excited to go to Las Vegas market to show off the our new programs. I hope you have something to be excited about going to Las Vegas market for as well. If not, use the Vegas market to find something.

As always, leave any comments about what is new and exciting, what big changes you have made, or anything else positive. Business is negative enough, let's focus on the positives.

Have a great selling day...