Dear Charles: You might start by looking at your hiring practices. It sounds as though you could do a better job of spotting salespeople who want to be around for the long term. (See "Hiring for Growth," July 1998.) But you'll still lose people occasionally, so you also need to be proactive. You're asking for trouble if you're not regularly in direct contact with your customers. That's the only way to make sure a customer belongs to the company, not to the salesperson.
Listen, I give my salespeople a lot of freedom as well. But whenever we sign up a new account, my wife sends a personal, handwritten note to the customer, offering our thanks. I myself make a point of meeting with the decision maker at each large account at least once a year. With smaller accounts, I send personal letters, call from time to time, and occasionally drop by for a visit.
I give all our customers the same message: "I'm sure our people can handle any problem, but if they're not available, feel free to contact me directly. Here's my phone number." I'm careful not to step on the toes of our salespeople, and they're happy I'm so visible. My presence gives them a competitive advantage. They'd have only one reason to object: if they didn't really have the company's interests at heart.
The right price: Five years ago my father brought me into his company so that he could spend more time doing outside sales. Lately, he seems to be working less and taking more cash out. Once I was told I'd be given the company; now it turns out I'll have to buy it. I'm 30 years old. I want to grow the business, but I can't unless we start reinvesting our profits. So I guess it's time to make an offer. How do I avoid both insulting my father by offering too little and hurting myself by offering too much? --Robert
Dear Robert: Before you offer anything, you need to do some soul-searching and planning. I always advise people to start with a life plan. Where do you want to be in 10 years? Once you've thought it through very carefully, you should ask yourself, "What would it take for me to achieve my life plan if I stay in this company?"
The idea is to come up with an offer that will allow you to attain your life goals. You should probably do some research into the value of comparable businesses. You should also figure out what you can afford, given your expectations and needs. Then put together a proposal specifying how much you'd pay, when you'd start paying and over what period of time, how much salary your father could continue to draw, and so on.
You can't fault your father for wanting to sell you the company. He built it. He has a right to get something for it. But you don't necessarily have to buy it. In fact, you may eventually decide it's better to leave. Just make sure you can leave on good terms.
How? Once you have your proposal, sit down with your father and say: "Dad, here's what I want to do over the next 10 years. I think I can do it if I buy the company from you under these conditions. If you have other ideas, I'd like to hear them. I want to work something out that's good for both of us. I love you. I love the company. I'd love to stay here. But I need a plan that's going to let me achieve my goals." And you do, by the way. Otherwise, someday you'll be 40 years old; your father will still be alive, knock wood; and you'll be in the same position you're in today.
Loneliness: I have a personal problem and no one to share it with. Two years ago I started a food company that produces, distributes, and markets a specialty food item. The business started with a bang, but production problems turned it into a bust. I persevered and have come back stronger than ever.
My problem is procrastination, which may come from loneliness. I'm doing the business on my own, and I've just moved to a small town where I don't know anyone. I was the most popular guy in school. Back home, everybody wanted to be around me. Now I spend my evenings drinking alone. I'm having trouble coping. I'm desperate and feeling indifferent about my life. Am I normal? --Name withheld
Dear friend: I don't think normal is the issue here. In the course of life, we all get lonely and depressed from time to time, and starting a business is often a solitary process. But when you're feeling depressed, you need to go for professional help. I've been in counseling a number of times myself, and I've always come away better as a result.
Some people -- men especially -- feel there's a stigma attached to seeing a psychologist or a psychiatrist. That's wrong. I would never look down on anyone who sought professional help. On the contrary, I respect people for taking that step. It's a means of bettering your life. It gives you insight into yourself that you often can't get any other way.
As for procrastination, I'm also a procrastinator. The small issues, I find, tend to take care of themselves when you leave them alone. The big issues, and the most difficult ones, I try not to procrastinate about. I force myself to tackle them first and get them out of the way. They seldom turn out to be as bad as I expected.
Norm Brodsky is a veteran entrepreneur whose six businesses include an Inc. 100 company and an Inc. 500 company. This column was coauthored by Bo Burlingham. Previous Street Smarts columns are available on-line at http://www.inc.com/magazine/columns/streetsmarts/.
