Most don’t think about May as a season of change, but it is. Spring is firmly in control with summer merely a few steps behind. The days after Market always leave us all in a fog of follow-up activity, while fondly remembering friends, meetings, and chance encounters that make the High Point Market the most fabulous industry event possible. And then we look at our calendars only to realize that Fall Market planning must begin yesterday. The time to make changes to the product, showroom, and go-to-market strategies is immediately at hand. Change is constant. Change is real.
Processes, products, and people all change at the speed of business. Collectively, we at Sarreid actively embrace change. The second half of 2023 is certain to be another change-intensive period.
How we as an industry respond to changes in demand, preference, and availability will be the difference between success and failure. Your customer’s empty dining room isn’t now or tomorrow going to magically fill itself. In this digital age, personal contact and connection may in fact be an old-school method that affects change in a new world economy.
A mentor of mine taught me years ago that people make a conscious decision to do business with people they like. This is as true today as it was decades ago. Build your smile list and your connections will deepen. Deepen your connections and your business will grow. It’s just that hard and it’s just that simple.
P.S. On a personal note, and relative to the topic of this being a season of change, I wanted to pause and congratulate my dear friend and strong right-hand Karen Wheeler on her retirement. She has meant so much to Sarreid over her forty-plus years with the company that words simply fail to be adequate. We all wish that she goes into this change with that famous smile and can-do attitude that made her invaluable. Be well. You will be missed. We will do our very best to make you proud!
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