Goal! Next season..

He did it. The Sales Guy eeked out the win in overtime. Smashed his number for the year.  The crowd went wild.

And now he's back on the fields to play all over again. The fields have changed though. The Coaches decided it's time to shake things up (again.) And, as coaches and owners do time-to-time, they are asking the team to play different positions on different fields (territories, that is.)  This time, it's not just about the stadium changes. They are asking the team to play multiple positions.  I have a slight issue with that.

The hunter and farmer roles have become one.  Not sure if The Sales Guy's organization has attempted this in the past and it'll certainly be an interesting game to spectate but I don't get it. And what I take issue with is it happened overnight.  One day they are hunting and the very next day, just because of a calendar change, they are hunting AND farming. As The Sales Guy's Wife, I have to be honest and say I didn't notice any late night pumping iron or makeovers going on so that he was ready for this 4/1. He barely had the Gatorade gulped down from the overtime win.

So why exactly do organizations make changes like this? I honestly believe it has zero to do with what is best for the customer and much more to do with saving money and reducing headcounts.  And, perhaps they just don't get it... send a career fullback into a game last minute and tell him/her to score a goal and chances are you aren't going to get that.  Send a career right wing into a game last minute and ask him/her to protect the net and stop all goals and you probably aren't going to get that. Your midfielders have the best shot at shifting back and forth between roles but, guess what, they are trained and conditioned to do that.

The interesting thing here is organizations who make calls on-the-fly like this are ones which seem to underestimate the power of pristine customer relationship management and perhaps care less about customer satisfaction. And perhaps ones who have great faith in their teams to become midfielders overnight. Not saying The Sales Guy's organization is one of those. I am just saying the less devoted time you spend on relationship management, the more likely you may be to have customers at risk. And, the more time you ARE doing relationship management, the less time you are spending on the next new takedown. And, perhaps, I've lived this type of change both in the workplace and on the soccer field.

I don't doubt that The Sales Guy will work his tail off and do well. And I'm sure his teammates, who have also been successful in the past, will do well too.  Let's see how the customers react and what the numbers show as this all unfolds.