When you wake up in the morning and prepare for your day are you putting on your armor, and sword and shield and preparing for battle, or are you putting on your shorts and jersey and getting ready to play ball?
How do you interact with your customers, vendors and coworkers? Is it with an iron fist or an open hand? Think about the people you deal with and how they treat you. Pick out your favorite vendor or sales rep, your favorite customer or employee… how does that person treat you on a day-to-day basis? At the end of the day how do you feel about your life, what gives you the sense of success? Is it, “I made a lot of money today,” or “I blew away my competition,” or “I made a customer really happy today,” or “it was great to get so many compliments from my favorite customer.” How does your team feel? Feeling good about your day when you go home can really help motivate you to have an even better day tomorrow.
Is it US and THEM or is it WE? Try to imagine that everyone you interact with in your business whether it’s a customer, vendor, employee, or even a competitor is actually potentially on your team and you are all working together to achieve a common goal. And what is that goal? If you broaden your perspective, you may see that goal as saving the manufacturing industry in America from collapse, or even saving the entire global economy from ruin. These things require a huge team and a “we’re all in this together” attitude. The enemy is not the guy down the street who under bids you by 10% every time, or even the boatloads of Chinese imports that come in at half the price. It’s the lack of education and understanding of the consumer that disconnects them from understanding the implications of their buying decisions. It’s how we refuse to adapt to the changing marketplace. We need to figure out how to play ball. If they want cheap, sell them cheap, or at least give them that option and find a supplier that you can use for that purpose, if they want DIY kits, sell them a pile of parts, or at least give them that option, if they want high end custom, then show them how they can get anything they want at a reasonable price and make sure it is all broken down into bite size chunks so they can see the value. The most important thing is that we educate the customer so they understand their options and the value you have to offer as well as the implications of their decisions. If you bring your customer in to your team, they will help you succeed. It’s amazing how generous people can be if they feel good about their decisions.
