10 Apr Change is inevitable.

I remember the day, oh, 30 something years ago, I was making a sales call to Harris-Lanier. My hope-to-be-client asked if my company had a fax machine yet. “Nope!” I proudly answered. “I believe in face-to-face customer service.” At the time, Coca-Cola was a client and I bragged that I was making 4-5 personal visits back and forth to their offices per day. I was not about to let some sleazy piece of equipment replace me. Harris-Lanier, I later found out, was Atlanta’s first distributor of fax machines. Needless to say I didn’t get that client. I ate those words, and at $1200, my new fax machine paid for itself in less that a week.

Macintoshes in the early 80s.

Fast forward a few years later when computers were hitting the ad scene. The younger members of my staff (mind you I was only 29) were pushing me to purchase some Apples. Three computers for $40,000, oh, but that included a printer, they chirped. “Nope, we’ll lose our creativity if we go that route!” Imagine giving up the scents of rubber cement and the perils of exact-o knives for a stupid, plastic keyboard. Those words were simply de-licious!

So, here I find myself in the same boat again, forced to make some real changes in order to stay in the business I so dearly love. This time I’m a bit wiser and much more open-minded. I recognize the benefits. I’ve learned after all these years that change is inevitable –  ‘except from a vending machine.’

Thank you for that quote, Mr. Gallagher. You put it all into perspective.

~ Robert C. Gallagher ~