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Larry, watermelon &
friend (1959)
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My customers say, “We don’t like your new melon;
it’s not right for our market. People in this country are slow
to accept change. Farmers want to plant what they’ve always been
planting. Don’t even change that old picture on the label; even
if you have a better one, we are used to the old one.”
I’ve heard all
the excuses. What they are really saying is: I don’t want to
WORK for change. I’m resentful of this attitude for a very good
reason — change is where the money is. Not just for my company,
but for our customers and their customers as well.
For decades
there was no change in the kind of squash used in the Middle
East. Many suppliers had small shares of the market with a cheap
commodity product. It was a white marrow type squash. In 1969, I
sent samples of our hybrid to several countries. It increased
yield by 50% but the color was light green instead of white.
My customers
were critical of the idea that I would suggest such a change.
“Larry, Larry, Larry. You have to understand. We want the white
squash, not light green squash.” I heard this story from
customers in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. Two years later
Petoseed introduced Clarita, which was nearly the same as ours.
Clarita became the best selling squash of all time, capturing an
astoundingly large percent of the market. It laid the groundwork
for follow up varieties and gave their brand momentum to
introduce other novel products.
Years later, I
was visiting a customer in Amman. He reverently showed me the
tiny garden in his parking lot where he discovered Clarita. Not
only did he grow the plants, but unlike my customers that grew
my plants, a light bulb went on. He realized he could introduce
something that was different. This light bulb event made him
rich.
What are the
necessary steps in acceptance of change?
· An
open mind, and curiosity
· A
light bulb event
· Willingness
to work, to work for change
· A
marketing test
· Work
and persistence
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Duke Layton,
pioneer in watermelon breeding
(ca. 1960)
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Change
requires work. But when the world changes from the standard
product to your product, it will be worth it.
Perhaps there
is resistance to change within your organization due to family
dynamics. People from different generations need to listen to
each other. They need to listen, and then have an open mind and
a willingness to test something new. If your company has one
dominating older person that listens to no one, you are not
alone. There is something about the personality of founders, of
the entrepreneurial generation, that leads them to be poor
listeners. They can be obstinate know-it-alls. The next
generation has these options:
· Work
somewhere else. Not a bad idea, at least until The Old One sets
a retirement date.
· Put
up with them passively. You can safely do this while learning
all of the good stuff that The Old One knows, but beware.
Sometimes founders are still on the job at age 95. You may want
to retire before they do, never having been the boss or inventor
yourself.
· Fight
them, push, cajole, gain power. This option depends on your two
personalities, but this is my preferred answer. Here you are
juggling your position within the company with that of The Old
One. Juggle on! |
