It’s reasonably certain we’re going to win a few big accounts in early 2020. It’s an exciting proposition, one that will present a number of new expectations for our still very new business but also one that will create the kind of opportunity we’ll need to ensure the organizational growth we want to see next year and beyond.
Here’s the problem – there are businesses supporting those Companies who have no idea their lives are about to be disrupted. While those relationships in many instances have spanned years and the quality of service provided would be defensible under a microscope, these incumbent providers grew complacent in their service delivery, and it’s that very complacency that was the crack in the door needed for us to play the role of disruptor.
Usually some event signals a potential threat of change to your existing client relationship. New organizational leadership, a new but experienced buyer in the chair usually held by the person you’ve built a strong relationship with, or, in many instances, an RFP to determine if your service level still represents the best the industry has to offer. None of those is the case in these situations, as it is the approach that we take that’s attracted the attention of these companies, which makes the impending change all the more unexpected for the incumbent vendors.
I’m not bragging. There are people relying on the profits those existing relationships have created. There are families that may have their way of life interrupted if for some reason this loss of business means a change has to happen inside the walls of our competitors. It’s not lost on me that our potential win means loss somewhere else, and as I inch closer to my 50th anniversary of life that change of condition on the other side of the transaction is more poignant to me than ever before.
That being said, each of us have a responsibility to keep close watch on that which is within our purview, and the complacency demonstrated by these competitors was a direct reflection of a wrong-headed belief that doing things the way they’ve traditionally been done and/or merely meeting those requirements as set forth in their contract was sufficient to ensure a continued business relationship.
That is simply not true and the result of that complacency will be a loss.
If you’re not continuously and repeatedly considering how to improve and evolve what you provide to those giving you repeat business, especially when you perceive yourself to be protected by a contract or some other tie that binds, you’re leaving yourself wide open for something similar to the situation I’ve described above happening to you. Devote some repeated amount of time to the exercise of considering and developing new offerings to present to those clients that fit this description, even if they’ve not asked for them. ESPECIALLY if they’ve not asked for them. In doing so, you’ll guard against the possibility of a sudden change similar to the one I anticipate happening for us next year.
Roger has spent 20+ years making complex concepts more understandable for both buyers and sellers alike, and has devoted the majority of his recent career to injecting purpose via philanthropy to his sales and marketing efforts. He’s intent on making the world a better place and his nirvana exists at the intersection of Mission, Passion, Profession and Vocation. He loves the outdoors and seeks memorable experiences whenever possible. Contact Roger at roger@socialgoodpromotions.com or 810-986-5369.