What lies ahead for your company in 2019?

January 8, 2019
Posted by: Jennifer Lawson
Categories: FreshXpertise, Retail Management, Ron Pelger

What lies ahead for your company in 2019?

by Ron Pelger

It’s amazing how professional sports teams can become so highly victorious one year and fall flat on their backs the next. It’s a whole lot easier becoming number one than to remain number one.

The produce industry is a lot like any sport. Every company works hard to build a winning team and reach a top recognizable spot in the industry. But what lies over the horizon after success for all the victorious champions?

As this year rapidly moves forward, a number of companies will probably be enjoying satisfactory results from the previous year. In spite of those successes, this year may be even more challenging than the last. After all, how many newly invented packaged salads can the stores handle? What new competitor will open a store in town? Will consumers eat more potatoes or grapes than they did last year?

If your company achieved suitable progress and is one of the successful businesses for 2018, what will it be like at the end of 2019? After celebrating your victory from last year, be especially careful not to merely take this year for granted.

Any company can go from champ to chump inside of a short time by simply becoming complacent. It could happen to any company as competition continues to use every means of fighting for a bigger piece of the sales pie.

In order to sustain positive growth, it will take a serious effort not to allow any areas to carelessly slip away. It can happen without notice if management continues to over-celebrate the previous year’s results by thinking that 2019 will easily be profitable.

In order to stay on top of the game in 2019, your company will have to be aware of specific vital business areas. These focal points could make the difference between success or failure.

Be consistent: Several companies can’t seem to find themselves. They hop around from one theme or format to another trying desperately to connect with shoppers. Establish a program and stick with it. Just settle down and make it work.

Keep it simple: Whether your customers are wholesalers, retailers, or consumers, refrain from making them jump through hoops with complicated product items and programs. Simple and convenient is everybody’s primary desire.

Be first in something: Create something on your own and be first to introduce it. John Glenn was the first American astronaut to orbit the earth. Motorola was first to introduce the handheld mobile phone. Nobody usually knows or cares about who was second. Get the point?

Watch trends: Keep a sharp eye on the cool stuff people like.. If your company is an innovator, come up with something to fit in with the cool trends of today. Look how fast yogurt and bottled water has grown.

Get out into the field: Visit operations. Get out into the deepest areas and check things out. Be sure your programs and products are working. If they aren’t and you don’t know about it, you’re in big trouble. Concentrate on selling, not setting up camp in an office.

Get opinions and advice: Before you step over that commitment line, rely on an outside professional source for views and advice. If you’re a grower, packer or shipper with a new idea, run it past experts before producing 10 million cartons. Let FreshXperts assist in helping you get over that threshold.

Avoid being led into areas where you don’t belong. Do something better than anyone else. And above all, never lower your standards.