Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1080843
48 PCB007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2019 some problem in achieving a goal. I'm going to follow that upstream, and at each step, I create substantially more value. All of your salespeople should be focused on building stronger relationships and creating more value by bringing the insight that they can gain. Just like our search consultants, a good sales rep talks their clients and a lot of that company's competitors to learn the issues. They're learning about the new opportunities and problems. Johnson: That's a huge point to consider. McNabb: Change typically comes in one of three major categories. I talked about new technol- ogies—which is certainly going to impact the people with PCBs—but there are also new reg- ulations such as tariffs or different EPA specifi- cations. There are a host of regulations. Again, every time there's a change, some people gain, and some people lose. My favorite definition of insight is understanding what's changing and the implications of those changes. What new problems and opportunities have been creat- ed? What are the implications? Harry S. Tru- man said it best: "It's a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it's a depression when you lose yours. It's about that immediate per- sonal impact. Finally, the third thing that will have the biggest impact on the PCB manufacturers are market shifts. Eighty million baby boomers are approaching retirement, which is changing the way they're investing and also changing their technology needs. That changes everything. They're also approaching retirement different- ly. In the past, if I needed an orthopedic im- plant, then I wanted to be able to walk around the house. Now, my expectation is that I'll still be able to compete in an Ironman contest. It's changing radically. We always think about the U.S. baby boom- ers because that's the greatest shift domesti- cally, but the largest shift in the world is in the BRIC nations. Brazil, Russia, India, and Chi- na where so many are moving from poverty to middle class. They want consumer goods, electronics, and choices. Johnson: For example, that's one of the reasons why there are reshoring dynamics going on. McNabb: Exactly. If your entire sales force is en- gaging people and learning about the new prob- lems and opportunities they're experiencing, then they can go to other companies and say, "It seems like a lot of the companies are strug- gling with this. Where are you in that process?" That's so much more intriguing than, "How many PCBs do you want to buy this month?" If our only relationship is a vendor relationship and that company can get that same PCB for a half a penny less, you've lost the account. Johnson: So it comes back to a relationship over a transaction. McNabb: It does. It comes back to legitimate, profound value, and that only happens in a re- lationship. I'm amazed. As a recruiter, one of my favorite questions to ask HR managers is, "How many times do you find yourself paying for postings or ads, slugging through moun- tains of resumes, and then end up paying a re- cruiter on top of all of that?" The inefficiencies in the world are epic, and the world is starving for people who will come through and create order out of chaos and certainty out of indeci- sion. Yes, I can find a world of information on the internet, but most of it doesn't relate to what I was asking for. Johnson: In the electronics manufacturing in- dustry, it's a little bit harder because there is a All of your salespeople should be focused on building stronger relationships and creating more value by bringing the insight that they can gain.