So you think you know it all, huh? Well I do, too, much to my chagrin.
As I talk to company leaders, I am forever shocked at how people have this view of the world that they refuse to change. You’ll hear it when someone says, “Well, that’s just not going to work in our business,” or “Well, obviously, blah blah blah blah blah.” There is no “obviously” anymore. There is no “it didn’t work the last time we tried it.”
You’re Going To Have Trouble Surviving
Recently, I was talking with a medical consultant whose business was about to go under. (He wasn’t the owner, but an employee.) He made the statement, “Well, what’s happening in the medical business is: only the big will survive.”
Oh, is that true? Is that the way you feel about your business, that because you’re small, you’re at a disadvantage?
I prefer to see it differently. I think small, strong, lean and effective will survive any day of the week. Not only will they survive, they’ll grow during a recession. “Big” can’t be flexible—too many rules, too many regulations. Yes, they’re big, but what does that do for the customer? And, how can you, as a small business, leverage that to your advantage?
So be careful when you have such a strong opinion that it doesn’t allow room for new ideas.
The fact is, “no one knows.”
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Ha!
Bill you are absolutely right – for everybody else but me.
The most important thing about having a strong opinion is knowing when to change it.
I am kicking this around inside my empty skull – I think that the future of America, or Capitalism rests squarely on the shoulders of we Selling Professionals – down to the individual. This is clearly the beginning of a defining moment in our (selling) history – those who stay will be champions.
I think we may be the Last American Cowboys…
This person may not be familiar with:
Telephone companies;
Large automakers;
Large airlines;
Navy SEALs (which successfully operate in very small teams).