Change and Reality

There are a couple of things I always try to stay in touch with. These two are change and reality. I can’t say that I really like either one, but they are real, they are formidable and can cause us lots of problems if we ignore them.

Change

Things are changing rapidly in the business world. In Michigan, the automotive industry has changed over time…not for the better. The trickle down effect of the domestic automotive decline has touched the lives of everyone from auto workers to my barber, Mike. Things have changed and will never be the same.

I remember a friend telling me how difficult it was to sell copy machines in the early days. More often than not, he was confronted with objections like “What do we do with all of this carbon paper?” We've fought change forever.

In 1982 my company sold computer hardware and software to doctors. When 190 megabyte hard drives became available they retailed for $9,750. We made $3,000 on each sale and could not keep up with the demand. Those were the good old days for computer hardware (happy dreams material). Now I can buy a 4 gigabyte thumb drive for about $20 at the drug store. Somewhere along the line we stopped selling hardware. Things changed.

Ten years ago, my software vendor sold to a bigger company who dumped a bunch of rules on the reseller channel. The changes were not well received. There was a lot of complaining by the resellers. Matt Lefkowitz, a colleague from San Francisco, suggested that we all read “Who Moved My Cheese”. It was a small and expensive book that pointed out that the “cheese” was gone…get over it and move on.

Reality

I have sold and supported software for small manufacturers in Michigan for over a decade. My “cheese” is gone, at least for the foreseeable future. That is reality.

Software is just about the last thing on the mind of most Michigan manufacturers. Many are struggling to deal with the changes forced upon them by the downturn in the domestic automotive industry and because of other slow economy issues.

Change and Reality Create Opportunity

I love the sales profession. “The nuts and bolts of selling” is the tag line for my Sales Mechanics seminars, speeches and books that have been my hobby over the years. Selling is a science and an art that requires “blocking and tackling” skills. Selling can be taught and can be learned. I enjoy helping people analyze and solve sales problems. My clients and prospective software clients need sales support a lot more than software.

The Problem

My manufacturing software prospects can’t buy software because of slumping sales. Most are in survival mode.

My Solution

Help local manufacturers enter new markets, meet new customers and build their sales back to profitable levels.

The New Me

So, there you go. I’m making a difference, day-to-day, one company at a time. It is sure fun helping people understand, deal with and overcome the changes and the realities facing small manufacturers in Michigan. If you know a company that needs this type of help, please send them my way. dave@davebilbrey.com