David J.

Pollay

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December 15, 2008

The Great Depression Success Formula

When I was growing up, my dad’s father – we called him Bumpa Pollay – lived with us. He frequently shared stories with us. One story was about the founding of the family business. He proudly told us that he started the company with his two brothers in 1937, during the heart of the Great Depression in the United States. And they did well. Why? Bumpa said it was because they focused on what they could control, not on the dire state of the economy as a whole.

Bumpa’s formula for success was to provide a quality product, find a territory in the country that needed it, hire motivated salespeople to represent it, design an offer that customers valued, and then knock on as many doors as possible to sell it. His deep-seated belief was that there are always opportunities available, even if everyone else seems to believe that there are none.

So what are our beliefs in today’s economic environment? Do we believe that there are still good business opportunities right now? Do we believe that people are still succeeding? If we believe that the opportunities are out there, and people are still finding them, we can believe that we, too, will be successful.

For 61 years our family business thrived and survived the Depression, four wars, recessions, changing technology and the arrival of megastores. Bumpa, and my father after him, had all the excuses that could weigh down a less determined company: People don’t have money (the Depression); workers are not available, and material is rationed or not available (World War II); customers aren’t spending (recessions); competition is fierce (megastores), etc. Bumpa’s belief was that while others were blaming and complaining about things beyond their power, he and his team had an opportunity to keep on selling. Distractions he could not control did not deter him.

The challenge for us is to not let issues such as tough competition, difficult customers, lack of support, too much paperwork, complex products, long sales cycles, high sales quotas and a depressed economy convince us that we cannot succeed. While it is natural to be concerned, even fearful, when facing these challenges, we cannot let the factors beyond our control determine our success. The easy way out is to give in and start believing that we cannot succeed in a difficult economic environment.

The better thing for us to do is to get into a creative, curious, open-minded, grateful and optimistic state every day. It will enable us to build better relationships with our customers and partners. It will allow us to see how we can make the most of our company’s products, services and support systems to meet the needs of our customers.

The father of modern psychology, William James said, “The world we see that seems so insane is the result of a belief system that is not working. To perceive the world differently, we must be willing to change our belief system, let the past slip away, expand our sense of now, and dissolve the fear in our minds.”

When I turn on the radio, and when I pick up the paper each morning, I remind myself to follow Bumpa’s advice: Believe the opportunities are there, and work hard to find them.

David J. Pollay’s book, Beware of Garbage Trucks!™, is due out this Fall. Mr. Pollay is the creator of The Law of the Garbage Truck™ (www.bewareofgarbagetrucks.com). He is a syndicated columnist with the North Star Writers Group, creator and host of The Happiness Answer™ DVD, and an internationally sought after speaker. Mr. Pollay is the founder and president of the personal coaching and seminar organization, The Momentum Project (www.themomentumproject.com).

© 2008 David J. Pollay. Distributed by North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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