It was 2007 when I accepted my first promotion to a director-level position at a prominent distributor of keyboards and amplifiers. I was a successful district sales manager for some years at this company and tended to the needs of two very large key accounts. But did that experience really prepare me to be promoted? In retrospect, I wonder where I would be today had I declined … [Read more...]
Category: Motivation
Follow Your Dreams – They Just May Come True
Several years ago, I wanted to create a cultural arts center in a beautiful, albeit older bank building in our former hometown. The idea was to bring together art, photography, and music under one roof, but the timing wasn’t right, and the concept was set aside. While disappointing, the notion of doing this never left my imagination, and the first week of October will finally … [Read more...]
Get Out and Play!
My last few blog posts have been squarely focused on the current and more recent situation in the musical instrument and pro audio business, much of which called out the challenging times we find ourselves in. Our “aspirational customers” are still sitting it out on the sidelines, there’s way too much fretted instrument inventory in the channel, and uncertainty permeates the … [Read more...]
Differentiating Through High Quality Service Levels
At one time or another, we have all been disappointed by the service received from people or organizations we do business with. Whether it’s poor communication, discourteous or outright rude behavior, or just plain unsatisfactory work or results, we base future decisions in no small part on these experiences. At a call center “service levels” are metrics that measure wait time, … [Read more...]
Road Stories from an Old Musical Instrument Rep
Recently one of the musical instrument industry’s “elder statesmen” Ed Rider started a Facebook Group called “Old Reps Never Die” (they just go out of commission). Some of the posts brought back memories from the many years I spent roaming around the country, foraging for sales, and making friends along the way, including Ed. I remember distinctly traveling with him in the … [Read more...]
Is This a Company or a Rock Band?
In the past few weeks, I have interviewed candidates for an open position at my rep firm. Even after many years of hiring while working for others, I believe I am not a particularly good interviewer, at least in the traditional sense. This time, I Googled some standard questions, but inevitably got caught up in the moment and started telling stories about where we’ve been, and … [Read more...]
Opportunity Knocks in the Musical Instrument Trade
Looking back over a rewarding 41-year career in the musical instrument and pro audio business, I cannot help but reflect on the many opportunities that have presented themselves. Embarking on a new journey can be scary, create a certain amount of anxiety, and inevitably force saying "yes" or "no" to a new adventure. For me, the internal barometer is adrenaline. As I dwell upon … [Read more...]
Making a sound investment during turbulent times…
Uncertainty drives markets crazy, along with their participants. When there is little sense of continuity in any area of business, personal, political, or professional life, the temptation is there to hold off on investing in a new venture. For some, the idea of plunging head-first into uncharted territory when the world is in turmoil may sound counterintuitive at the very … [Read more...]