Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1265351
86 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JULY 2020 Feature by Dan Beaulieu D.B. MANAGEMENT We all want the COVID-19 outbreak to be over and we're wishing as hard as we can that it will be soon. So what happens now? What will the post-pandemic world look like, and when will things go back to "normal?" I think it will happen very gradually at first and then very quickly. In the near future, this will all be in our rearview mirror—or will it? One thing is for sure: There will be a new world order, and things will be different. It will be up to us to figure out how to handle this new hand we have been dealt. Will we ever feel comfortable shaking hands again or going to sporting events, concerts, etc.? Will we ever feel comfortable and secure in our jobs or think we have enough money in our retire- ment accounts? Here is an interesting thought: Will we ever knock government entitlement programs again? It seems that no matter the politics, we sure had our hand out when those PPP checks were being doled out. And what about toilet paper and other essentials? Will we ever feel like we have enough? How many things have we taken for granted all these years, and will we ever take them for granted again? Think about the times when we would get on an airplane and fly anywhere we wanted, get in a car and drive anywhere we wanted, or go to restaurants, bars, supermar- kets, and barbershops whenever we wanted. Now, even going to the dentist will be seen as a treat—maybe. Many things in the world have changed, but what about how we conduct business and B2B selling? Will that ever be the same? I can tell you right now this change has already started, and will continue to change.Let's start with the big one in our industry. Will compa- nies in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere be so eager to turn over all of our business to coun- tries like China? I think we have all learned a lesson. In the past few months, we have real- ized what the price of cheap lawn furniture, party goods, DVD players, and PCBs was in the end. We now see the position of true vul- nerability we put ourselves in. It was an icy cold, rude awakening when we found out that ventilator boards came from China—espe- cially when China shut down and GE Medi- cal could not build ventilators. We also found The Future Just Isn't What It Used to Be