CHANGE - PAIN OR PROGRESS, REVOLUTION OR EVOLUTION?
by Alan J. Zell, Ambassador of Selling

In business, Change is either the result of a smooth evolution or a rocky revolution. We read about Change in the paper, listen to friends and family relate what they are going through, and hope it doesn't happen to us. Change, however, is what we are constantly being asked to do; and is what we constantly ask others to do. It is sometimes elusive and sometimes controversial.

Change has many facets that manifest in the way people look at Change. It can mean different things to different people at different times so it can be:

1. Change we insist others inaugurate

2. Change we wish others would inaugurate

3. Change we have to inaugurate

4. Change we can accept or decline

5. Change we see coming

a. . . that may affect us negatively,

b. . . which will be an opportunity that can be positive for business and/or the activities of customers.

Where does Change come from . . . or who are we asking to Change? They are:

Change is not something new to anyone. It is an everyday occurrence. We are asked or we ask, "Change from what you are doing or have to something we want you to do or have" ... or ... "Change from what you are not doing or don't have to something we want you to do or have."

Change can affect many aspects of business, such as:

Everyone has been involved in Change of some kind -- asking and being asked to Change. But too often people see themselves as victims of negative Change. Unfortunately, when they offer Change people seldom see that in doing so they may be making other victims of Change.

This leads to a very important factor in Change which is Change by association. When others are going through Change, their Change can cause us to Change.

Change can cause a revolution:

1. if you do not consider how others will react to Change.
   
   
2. if you do not take into consideration and put into writing what it will cost others in time, space, effort, and money to accomplish Change.
   
   
3. if you do not understand that as Change is restated by staff and those outside the business, the presentation gets weaker and, that as presentation gets weaker, the negatives increase.
   
   
4. if you do not answer these questions to the satisfaction of those being asked to accept Change.
   
   

   a. Who is requesting Change?
   
   

   b. Why is Change necessary?
   
   

   c. What does Change consist of?
   
   

   d. Where did the agents of Change get their information?
   
   

   e. Did they originate Change or are they passing the information on?
   
   

   f. Is Change being made to benefit them or me?
   
   

   g. Am I being asked to accept something I know nothing about from someone I know nothing about?
   
   

   h. Is Change unimportant or dumb (from the recipient's point of view)?
   
   

   i. Is this version of Change the best choice to get the intended results?
   
   

   j. What will I have to do to make Change workable?
   
   

   k. Does the person offering Change understand what will have to be done to make it effective?
   
   

   l. What else will Change affect that hasn't been talked or thought about?
   
   

   m. Will Change affect me positively or negatively? How? Now? Later?
   
   

   n. In asking for Change, are the agents of Change using language, words, or instructions I don't understand?
   
   

   o. Are they giving me the information I need?
   
   

   p. Will Change go with what I am doing, planning to do, or would like to do?
   
   

   q. How does Change fit into my budgets of time, space, effort, distance, and/or money?
   
   

   r. How will other people outside the business view Change? How would I like them to see it? What should be done to achieve this?
   
   

If these questions are not answered adequately, Change can cause a revolution. Grumbling turn into griping, griping turns into rumors, rumors take on an aura of truth and before you know it a simple Change in procedure, or policy or product, has the staff management or customers in an uproar. If these points are not covered, it will have a negative affect on conversations outside the business environment. This, in turn, can lead to a Change being less effective than intended.

Who are the people outside of a business that can make or break how Change is accepted? Believe it or not they are family, friends, acquaintances -- even one's own conscience. In business, Change which cannot be explained to these people is likely to fail or be less effective than desired.

Can Change be managed? Yes, if one thinks through these points before initiating Change:

1. How and who will present Change? Crucial to the presentation's being accepted is how effective it will be. A sloppy, haphazard job of presenting Change will usually receive a negative reaction from the audience.
   
   
2. Who will Change be presented to? In what order? Who are the primary and secondary audiences? Who will be making subsequent presentations on Change?
   
   
3. What information will be needed by your audience to understand and accept Change? Providing the audience with good information will allow them to talk with confidence about Change.
   
   
4. How will the effectiveness of Change be measured? Simply making Change is not enough. Did it accomplish what you was intended or was it a waste of time, energy, and money? Can you make other Changes that will improve its overall effectiveness?
   
   
5. How will you provide for feedback on Change? Allowing staff and/or customers a mechanism to respond to Change is a good way to test how Change is being accepted.
   
   
6. Progressive Change can help lead people, firms, and customers into doing more business, more easy, and more profitable than before. Isn't that what Change should be about?
   
   

Are you ready to Change the way you think about, offer, and accept Change?

This article was written to help you and your business. If you believe some of these articles will be helpful to your business, please e-mail me your comments on how you will apply them. ajz

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Copyright © 2000-2007 Alan J. Zell, Ambassador of Selling, Portland, OR. All rights reserved.

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