Sales people are notoriously optimistic. They have to be. I find that kind of optimism almost inspiring. It’s fun to be around.
I’m in Orlando attending the national tool rally for a large mobile tool distributor. There are hundreds of independent franchise dealers here. They come for training, special discounts, new product introductions, seminars, and just to mingle with the people they talk to on the phone but rarely get to see in person.
The big event ends with a huge dinner on Saturday for about 900 people. At this dinner, awards are given out to the top producers. Believe me, it’s a lucrative night for the ones who sell a lot, and the room is packed with the best dealers.
The bottom line here is that business is booming. But it wasn’t that way a year ago or the year before that, and that’s when these dealers really had to double their efforts. And they did.
Like most entrepreneurs, these folks have laid their fortunes on the line. No one expected the financial meltdown that happened at the end of 2008, but when it came, the dealers were left with the same two choices all business owners had: complain about the unfairness of the bad economy or suck it up and make more calls.
Sounds easy, I know, but consider that these dealers sell mostly to automotive technicians and mechanics. When Chrysler and GM announced that they were closing hundreds of dealerships, all the techs got nervous. Nervous techs don’t buy new tools. And if too many of your regular customers cut back or lose their jobs, the results are disastrous.
So to tide themselves over, the dealers scraped by on skinny margins and a lot of overtime looking for new prospects. Some, like so many other small-businesses, ran up their credit card balances for working capital, betting that property would come again.
There is a saying in this business that resonates with me: Go big or go home. It speaks to bold actions and calculated risk-taking that requires a big, big heart and a healthy dose of optimism (okay, and maybe a few sleepless nights).
Well, their optimism has paid off. I’m seeing a lot more smiles this year than I saw last year. And I’m inspired that so many of them, in fact, overcame incredible obstacles to see the arrival of the new prosperity that has hit their industry.
Next time you hear news about the economy, remember this: It isn’t Wall Street and it sure as hell isn’t politicians who are getting the economy moving. It’s the bust-your-butt workers and small business owners who slogged their way through the downturn who are making the real difference. The others are just noise makers. These dealers didn’t get a bailout and most couldn’t get a bank loan if they tried. It’s good to see their determination and hard work finally pay off.
