Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

It’s Only Common Sense: Dare to be Bold!

Boldness is behavior born out of belief.

—Groeschel

What you can do or dream, you can begin it; boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.

—Goethe

When things get tough, the bold ones will always act. They will forego the feelings of dread, the anxiety about what could go wrong if they took that action. They will not be afraid of the possible dire consequences if they do something different. Bold ones will, instead, analyze the situation and make the move that feels right for them—even if no one in the industry has ever made that move before.

Well, folks, things are tough right now. We have hit the summer doldrums and getting appointments—never mind new business—is difficult. My friends in sales talk to me about how hard it is to sell. Sales managers tell me how hard it is to motivate their sales people. Owners tell me how hard it is to grow their business. American companies tell me they are being eaten alive by offshore competition and the offshore companies complain to me that their margins are not at all what they used to be.

Meanwhile, the PCB market continues to grow, with predictions of it hitting $70 billion globally in the next few years, which only stands to reason when you look around and see electronics everywhere. It only makes sense that the business is growing, but where is it all going? Who is making all this money? Who is growing these days?

It’s the bold ones who are thriving, the ones who are taking steps forward regardless of the possible dangers that lie ahead, without concern for delving into that great unknown.

We all must face forward and play the cards we are dealt with a fearlessness that will drive us to success. Here are a few examples of risky moves we are often faced with. Ask yourself what you would do. I think the results will be indicative of where you stand in terms of boldness:

1. You hear of a small board shop in your area that is about to go out of business. Do you approach them about buying their book of business and hiring some of their key people? Or do you worry about what could go wrong and keep doing what you’ve always done?
2. One of your salespeople starts talking to a new customer, a customer with very high-tech requirements that you will not be able to meet unless you buy a new, expensive piece of equipment. This potential customer needs these technology boards so badly that he offers to go into partnership with you. He will even fund that new piece of equipment if you agree. What do you do? Do you take him up on his offer and go full-speed ahead? Or do you worry about what could go wrong and keep doing what you’ve always done?
3. You can hire one of the top technical people in the industry, a technologist who could take your company to the next level. But he is a bit difficult to work with and he is very expensive. Do you take the risk and hire that person, investing in the future of your company? Or do you worry about what could go wrong and keep doing what you’ve always done?
4. There is a billion-dollar contract manufacturer in China. You have a small contract manufacturing company in the Midwest. The large Chinese company approaches you about a partnership: You would assemble the smaller quantities of part numbers and they would use them to build the mega-volumes in their facility. If this works, everything about your company will grow from top-line to bottom-line. Do you shake hands and make the deal? Or do you worry about what could go wrong and keep doing what you’ve always done?
5. Another board shop approaches you about a synergistic partnership. You build rigid boards and they build flex and rigid-flex boards. They want both of your sales teams to sell one another’s products. It’s possibly a very good thing. Your salespeople are always coming across flex and rigid-flex requirements that you have to no-bid, while on the other hand it would be good to have additional sales feet on the street selling your products. What do you do? Do you shake hands with your new partner? Or do you worry about what could go wrong and keep doing what you’ve always done?
6. You have just met an IT guru who can set you up with a website that will offer “no-touch” sales. You have been selling the traditional way with live salespeople visiting live customers in real time. You are suspicious of this new kind of selling. You know that some companies are very successful at it. But it is just not the way you are comfortable doing business. Do you hire the IT guru and go for it? Or do you worry about what could go wrong and keep doing what you’ve always done?

So, how did you do? What would you do in these situations? I know what I would do, and I know what the bold ones who are succeeding today have done. They have made that bold move, that game-changer that was a little bit scary at the beginning but has paid off in the end. They dared to be great.

It’s only common sense.

If you have the courage to begin, you have the courage to succeed.

—Kushandwizdom