Digitalization-Proficiency-Resilience
What a week. Just finished listening to Jim Cramer summarize the Q1 results from the major retailers. Worse than expected, with their stock prices taking a hit. The main reasons for these results are: Unexpectedly high costs throughout Q1 Inventory impairments Sales mix changes Supply chain disruptions Freight Costs Revenues may have been close to expectations. The gross margin and the operating margin, however, both missed. Foot...
Predicting the outcome of a Sales Meeting is easy. Sort of.
Crystal balls. Don’t you wish you had one when you were preparing for a big sales call? Even more when you were in a big sales presentation? Predicting the future is actually pretty easy if you’re armed with three things: Information about the prospect and his business. The right questions. The ability to see the big picture. Susan C. Gatton, a sales consultant who specializes in sales strategies for Fortune 500 Companies says, “A...
Under-promise and over-deliver
The title of my column is the mantra of many aftermarket professionals in our industry. Nobody ever wants to get a reputation for not living up to their commitments. But as easy as this guidepost is to talk about, it remains elusive and difficult to master. The reasons for not achieving this on an ongoing basis are wide and varied. No, it’s not always “Murphy’s Law”. My friend Murphy gets the blame all too often. I think that to...
Is Procrastination Bad or Good, and should you trust a procrastinator?
A very famous preacher was procrastinating until the last minute on writing a very public speech he was to give. He went on stage without having the entire speech completed. He was a procrastinator. Then, on stage, at the last minute, he added four more words to it and decided to start his speech with the words: “I have a dream…” What do you think when you hear the word “procrastination?” Is that a positive or negative word to...
As California plans to ban propane and diesel forklifts, Expect a faster shift to electric
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is planning to ban sales of all new forklifts that aren’t zero-emission by 2026. Its recent proposal to phase out non-zero-emission forklifts is still in development, and the legislation is not yet in effect. However, the users of the material handling equipment (MHE) industries are questioning what it will mean for their operations—and not just in California, but all over the country. At its...
Why decision making needs dialogue
Consider a situation where a major change for an organization is being debated amongst a leadership team. The group discusses the pros and cons, evaluating whether it should be implemented and if it will produce the outcomes they’re trying to achieve. They debate whether it’s the right direction or if other alternatives are better approaches. After a lengthy back-and-forth, they choose to proceed. The decision is...
Don’t wait until 2023 for equipment you need
Loading dock doors and all related equipment are part of the backbone of our country’s supply chain. It’s easy to forget the role they play in the success or failure of our facility operations – most of the time the equipment we rely on just fades into the background as we turn our focus toward uptime, productivity, and moving product. It’s only when that equipment suddenly fails or falls apart that we realize our operations are...
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