Wanna Jump Off the Empire State Building?, by David Goldsmith

Remember when mom used to say "If Johnny jumped off the Empire State Building, would you?" Well, in today’s business world, you might want to say yes. Keeping up with the Jones is not shameful, it’s necessary.

A few years ago I made a sales call in a small town in Upstate New York. Like most appointments, prior to leaving, I called to confirm the appointment so that my travels were not in vain. I realized that the only number on file was that of the home of one of the owner, and "Information" also did not have the store number. During my travel, I wondered how I could have neglected to gather such an important piece of information for my files, and I was intent on getting the commercial number for future reference.

Entering the updated version of an old Five and Dime, I was standing in history. It was an original Five and Dime store full of a grandma-ish looking items and décor: wooden bins, an old rack for clothing, and 6-inch wooden boards for the floor. I met the founder of the company, who continued to manage with his daughter, and talked about the start of his operations. The subject of the phone or even a fax was next in line. I was informed that when the telephone first "caught on," he installed one in the shop but had difficulties keeping his "girls" off the line. It was removed soon after, and he refused to put one back in. I felt obligated to tell him that the phone was not a fad, and that in today’s world it’s a necessity. I’m not sure what happened to the owner, but on my travels I have noted that the store is no longer in business.

Change is occurring all around us, from telecommunications to genetics. Things we though were impossible are now being done and the American landscape is thriving. In order to keep up, however, we do not have the luxury of waiting to find out if things are time tested before our strategic position is lost. Companies must make a more comprehensive approach to diversifying energies at the same time keeping track of what’s happening new in the wings. Within months of the launch of a new product, technique or tool the item/service may become out of date.

I purchased the Sprint PCS Dual Band phone with computer hookup ability, as the first one in the area sold and within a period of 3 months the phone had Internet connection capabilities built in. ERP’s (Enterprise Resource Planning) strategies must now include the potential of rapid change to adapt to new technologies. For those who think ERP’s is just computer lingo, it represents all facets of business including human resources, manufacturing, inventory and marketing. No longer can you sit on the side and watch and wait.

Personal Tactical Strategies

1. Read the top 10 best business sellers each year.

2. Subscribe to at least 2 general business magazines that you will scan cover to cover.

3. Involve yourself with a technology club so that letters like ISP, ERP CBT, CRM and ASP are not just the letters in alphabet soup.

4. Look through the catalogs that drop on your doorstep offering business books or computer parts. A good source of information for how far behind the times you have become.

5. Familiarize yourself with email and its potential. Faxing is secondary.

Business Tactical Strategies

1. Follow multiple trends in the business arena. Who would have thought that (SA) Sales Automation might be converted to ASP’s such as Sales Logics purchase or should I say Buyback of Act would lead to their new product Interact.com.

2. Enterprise your company. Develop a full understanding of the world and address your operations as such. Every move made in an organization affects the others.

3. Use your web site as a marketing tool as well as a communications tool. Check out what a "back end’ is.

4. Think Global. I started off my morning with an email to Hong Kong and another to London. The competitor down the street might be your #1 competitor, but in the future it might be the one in India.

5. Don’t get lazy. It is the world of 24/7 and while you sleep there are 6.5 billion other people who are driving hard to have what you’ve created. So jump…into the fascinating world of technology. After all, Johnny’s gonna do it.