IN THE TRENCHES: Don't get down, get going
IN THE TRENCHES: Don't get down, get going
Usually, an industry event brings out the best in people with much boasting about their great sales, new store openings, growth in the company and loads of promotional success stories. However, the scenario has changed from a braggadocio tone to a much more oppressive atmosphere.
For example, at a recent industry food show, people could be heard off to one side discussing their business woes and bewailing about the poor economy, weakening sales, wary government politics, company tensions and tough competition. And the griping, grouching and grumblings are getting intense and louder by the day.
How many times do we have to hear gripers say, "Sales are lousy because the economy is killing us." When times are in turmoil, we tend to blame dwindling sales on the economy. See it for yourself. Sit in any sales meeting and you will hear it from the field supervision all the way up to the top officers of the company. It is tossed on the table and bounced around, wasting time by dissecting every conceivable problem as the cause.
As each economic fault is added to the list, heads wobble up and down like those little figurines in the back of a car window. Hour after hour, the entire staff leaves the meeting room in excruciating pain, and absolutely nothing constructive is accomplished except listening to the demands for "belt- tightening" cuts by the top brass. Then it is off to the local pub for a happy hour of unraveling and more griping instead of back to the office to construct a plan for saving the company ship from sinking. Happy hour should be for successes, not failures.
There is an ugly aura of pessimistic attitudes being wrapped around companies during these challenging times. Constantly increasing operating costs, lower revenues, cut-to-the-bone staffing, consumer resistance, negative economic news - and the beat goes on. Many operators are becoming plagued with fear as to what lies over the blurry horizon. That same evil aura looms over consumers as well. Families are feeling the negativity in their household expenses with rising food, utility and health care costs.
During tough economic times, company management tends to pull back under a rock and become increasingly conservative. This sets off a "retreat and run for your lives" mode. This sudden change of direction can force a rebellion among all employees since they have already been depressed and drained from the last cut-and-chop phase. Perhaps you have noticed it in the office, field, packing facility, warehouse, retail store and elsewhere. Maybe you even heard something like this: "How do they expect us to get the job done with half a crew?" When negativity sets in, people become disgruntled and productivity takes a nosedive.
With all the adverse newspaper articles, TV talk shows and beer parlor discussions about the negative economy, companies can go one of two ways. They can either tip-toe on the side road trying to take short cuts that lead nowhere, or they can face up to the bumpy road by running and jumping over the obstacles to the finish line of success. But in order to reach that finish line, companies need to do it with a positive attitude and jump a lot higher.
Here are a few points to consider to move your team in the right direction during these testy times:
Stop the negative. By all means, stay away from the negative areas. Stop discussing all the gloomy things with everyone all the time. Eventually, people and customers will reverse their direction to prevent listening to your negative remarks. Don't give an impression of defeat.
Focus on your customer base. Don't lose sight of your customers. Research them, contact them, visit them, service them and care about them. If you show sincere concern toward their ultimate needs, they will remain loyal to you.
Don't cut advertising. One of the blatant mistakes company officials do is trim ad sizes and pages from the budget. Don't do it. Let your competition cut back. When they do, you'll be ahead.
Keep innovating. Be creative during rough times. All it takes is one idea to capture consumers and lure them toward your shopping arena.
Be agile. Keep away from operating under the same old habits. Think differently in planning strategies. This is a whole new ballgame.
Re-examine everything. Check every nook and cranny with the strongest magnifying glass. Double check every budget line and get them in order. If you stop to question something, it is a sign you need to make an adjustment. The simplest expenditures are usually the sleeping lions that nobody wants to wake.
Concentrate on solving, not problems. In meeting rooms, talk about fixing, repairing, restoring, rejuvenating, overhauling and all the forward stuff. Be constructive, not destructive.
Get out in the trenches. Sales and planning meetings are important, but we are at war with an economic enemy. The only way to beat it is to get out on the battlefield, surround it and start punching. And if you get punched in the scuffle, get back up and keep fighting.
Those who buckle down and do their homework will emerge winners. You have made it through a recession before and can make it through again. However, it is critical that you not just work hard, but work harder.
(Ron Pelger is the owner of RONPROCON, a consulting firm for the produce industry. He can be reached by phone at 775/853-7056, by e-mail at [email protected], or check his web site at www.power- produce.com.)
For example, at a recent industry food show, people could be heard off to one side discussing their business woes and bewailing about the poor economy, weakening sales, wary government politics, company tensions and tough competition. And the griping, grouching and grumblings are getting intense and louder by the day.
How many times do we have to hear gripers say, "Sales are lousy because the economy is killing us." When times are in turmoil, we tend to blame dwindling sales on the economy. See it for yourself. Sit in any sales meeting and you will hear it from the field supervision all the way up to the top officers of the company. It is tossed on the table and bounced around, wasting time by dissecting every conceivable problem as the cause.
As each economic fault is added to the list, heads wobble up and down like those little figurines in the back of a car window. Hour after hour, the entire staff leaves the meeting room in excruciating pain, and absolutely nothing constructive is accomplished except listening to the demands for "belt- tightening" cuts by the top brass. Then it is off to the local pub for a happy hour of unraveling and more griping instead of back to the office to construct a plan for saving the company ship from sinking. Happy hour should be for successes, not failures.
There is an ugly aura of pessimistic attitudes being wrapped around companies during these challenging times. Constantly increasing operating costs, lower revenues, cut-to-the-bone staffing, consumer resistance, negative economic news - and the beat goes on. Many operators are becoming plagued with fear as to what lies over the blurry horizon. That same evil aura looms over consumers as well. Families are feeling the negativity in their household expenses with rising food, utility and health care costs.
During tough economic times, company management tends to pull back under a rock and become increasingly conservative. This sets off a "retreat and run for your lives" mode. This sudden change of direction can force a rebellion among all employees since they have already been depressed and drained from the last cut-and-chop phase. Perhaps you have noticed it in the office, field, packing facility, warehouse, retail store and elsewhere. Maybe you even heard something like this: "How do they expect us to get the job done with half a crew?" When negativity sets in, people become disgruntled and productivity takes a nosedive.
With all the adverse newspaper articles, TV talk shows and beer parlor discussions about the negative economy, companies can go one of two ways. They can either tip-toe on the side road trying to take short cuts that lead nowhere, or they can face up to the bumpy road by running and jumping over the obstacles to the finish line of success. But in order to reach that finish line, companies need to do it with a positive attitude and jump a lot higher.
Here are a few points to consider to move your team in the right direction during these testy times:
Stop the negative. By all means, stay away from the negative areas. Stop discussing all the gloomy things with everyone all the time. Eventually, people and customers will reverse their direction to prevent listening to your negative remarks. Don't give an impression of defeat.
Focus on your customer base. Don't lose sight of your customers. Research them, contact them, visit them, service them and care about them. If you show sincere concern toward their ultimate needs, they will remain loyal to you.
Don't cut advertising. One of the blatant mistakes company officials do is trim ad sizes and pages from the budget. Don't do it. Let your competition cut back. When they do, you'll be ahead.
Keep innovating. Be creative during rough times. All it takes is one idea to capture consumers and lure them toward your shopping arena.
Be agile. Keep away from operating under the same old habits. Think differently in planning strategies. This is a whole new ballgame.
Re-examine everything. Check every nook and cranny with the strongest magnifying glass. Double check every budget line and get them in order. If you stop to question something, it is a sign you need to make an adjustment. The simplest expenditures are usually the sleeping lions that nobody wants to wake.
Concentrate on solving, not problems. In meeting rooms, talk about fixing, repairing, restoring, rejuvenating, overhauling and all the forward stuff. Be constructive, not destructive.
Get out in the trenches. Sales and planning meetings are important, but we are at war with an economic enemy. The only way to beat it is to get out on the battlefield, surround it and start punching. And if you get punched in the scuffle, get back up and keep fighting.
Those who buckle down and do their homework will emerge winners. You have made it through a recession before and can make it through again. However, it is critical that you not just work hard, but work harder.
(Ron Pelger is the owner of RONPROCON, a consulting firm for the produce industry. He can be reached by phone at 775/853-7056, by e-mail at [email protected], or check his web site at www.power- produce.com.)
