Letter on the Third — December 2021
Dear Datamax Family,
Dear Datamax Family,
As I’ve mentioned to many of you before, this is my favorite time of the entire year. As our “season” comes to an end, it’s a great time to look in the rearview mirror, and also keep our eyes on the road to anticipate what lies ahead.
It’s time to reflect.
Every December, I look forward to reflecting on the past 11 months here at Datamax. I write down everything that I wanted to accomplish in 2021, and then I ask myself “How did I do?” It’s a great exercise that I would encourage you to do. It’s been a different year because of the pandemic and ongoing supply chain challenges. How did we respond to that? It’s like if the lights were to go out: Did we panic? Or did we adjust, like I believe we did, to keep our company at the top of its game?
With all the unexpected things that have gone on in 2021, I would remind all of you that when it’s time to make a decision, I’m going to do what’s best for all of our employees, and what’s good for our customers and prospects. I’ll never make a decision that is one-sided. What I would ask of you is to respect that. Remember that I’m doing what I believe is best for everyone across our organization.
It’s time to look ahead.
Our upcoming business plan meetings establish a strong roadmap for what we’re going to accomplish in 2022. Without a plan, it’s just a wish. I look at many companies who say “I want to grow by 5 percent,” and I would ask “How are you going to do that?” “Well, we’re going to sell more,” they might say, to which I’d respond, “how are you going to sell more?” The point is, I believe these meetings, which our managers and executives will embark on soon, begin to answer those questions.
Our business is changing. So how are we going to react? If print volumes are going down, as people say they will, are we going to look more at solutions to maintain that revenue inside that account? If managers have lost anyone in the last year, how did they recruit? It’s important to strategize on attracting young, quality talent into our industry. Are we doing what we need to do to differentiate ourselves not only to customers, but to our employees, that we are the best value?
Are we a trusted advisor to customers and prospects? It’s like the old saying, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Do our customers look at us in that way? Or are we just anyone else?
It’s time to go win. How bad do you want it?
As the title of this month’s Rave Review suggests, we’re entering the last two minutes (which equates to only about 3% percent of a game’s length, but can play a pivotal role in its outcome). At this point, I expect that your plans and strategies have been developed, adjusted, and enhanced. But what’s your drill really going to be over the next four weeks (almost 8% of our “season”)? Embrace the last-minute challenges. Expect the unexpected. Finish the game with every intention of winning.
The Best is Yet to Be.
