Ask Dr. Carl…

The Promotional Products Distributor As Change Agent

 Definitions, Applications, & Implications

A Question From Roger: You have often referred to the promotional products distributor as a potential change agent. What do you mean by a change agent? What is important about me becoming a change agent for my clients?

Answer:  Thanks for your questions, Roger.  If you become a change agent for your clients, you will become a huge added value to your clients and their organizations.

First, consider the definition of a change agent. The classic definition of a change agent is a person who brings about or helps to bring about change in an organization.  Put another way, a change agent is a person who helps to alter organizational systems and helps the organization achieve a higher degree of output.

Next, think about what characteristics are embraced in a role as a change agent for an organization. What motivates a change agent to affect change in an organization?

*A change agent understands people and their organization.

*A change agent recognizes that change is a constant in business and in order to help businesses in a positive way, he or she must construct positive scenarios that help companies to grow sales and profits and increase customer and employee satisfaction and loyalty in a variety of ways.

*Self-motivation must be a part of a change agent.  It sets you apart from others in this world.

*The change agent feels passion for change and possesses the energy to inspire and implement change in the organization.

*The status quo holds no hope for the change agent.  Rather, the prospect of a brighter future for the organization is the inspiration for a change agent.

Now, if you are not sure if you see yourself in the role of a change agent for your clients, consider the following scenario and what you must do in order to be effective in your role.

Case Study.  You are invited to plan and implement a fulfillment program…a company store…for an organization that has just merged with another organization.  There are still bitter feelings in all sectors of the newly formed company as the result of the merger and the new president of the organization tells you that she expects the new fulfillment program to play a major role in closing the gap between the two entities.  She believes that through the new fulfillment program, the new company will gain a common corporate vision.

Here’s what you need to consider as a change agent for the new company:

*Do you possess the task and process knowledge required to facilitate change?  Salesmanship, product knowledge, and knowledge of fulfillment programs are important, but you must also be able to facilitate conversations and meetings with your staff, your vendors, and your client and understand and respond to their needs.   

*Can you create the stage for organization change?  As a change agent and fulfillment program expert, you must form a psychological contract between the new company management and yourself.  The primary goal here is to gain an agreement with management that they will support the fulfillment program and will provide the necessary input to insure that the program is a success.  Make sure that your vision of the fulfillment program and its purposes are the same as the company’s vision (i.e., internal/employee \centric in this scenario which may morph to one more external/customer centric in the future).  Emphasize that a successful company store program is one measure of a successful merger and positive change within the new organization. 

*Can you be honest and realistic about what the organization can expect as the result of your role in their organization change?  The new fulfillment program you will plan and implement will not cure all of the ill feelings created by the company merger.  The fulfillment program can generate goodwill towards the new company’s employees and clients and provide excitement and energy for the new company. 

*Do you know what organization members are thinking?  Develop a strategy through which you can tell what organization members think about the new program.  Sometimes, a survey will help point out how organization members perceive the program.  Once you have quantified and qualified this information, share it with top management.  Accentuate the positive information and find the means to overcome objections to the program.   

*Can you tell the organization what’s in it for them?  A new, hopefully large, fulfillment program is exciting indeed to you as a promotional products distributor and your suppliers.  However, you must go beyond dollars and make sense. It is important to tell every part of the sponsoring organization…management, employees, human resources, et al….about how a fulfillment program can become a positive part of their lives in the organization.  Paint both little and big pictures.  Discuss how the program will impact individuals in the company as well as how the program might affect the company as a whole.

*Monitor the change within the organization.  The biggest mistake that change agents and sponsoring organizations can make is to think that a program such as a company store can be placed on “automatic pilot.”  The promotional products distributor becomes “fat and happy” with the commissions derived from the program and the sponsoring organization moves on to other projects.  All parts of the program…sales, usage, product quality, delivery…must be monitored constantly.  The most successful fulfillment programs are usually those programs in which the sponsoring company designates a person or persons who work in concert with the promotional products distributor in order to insure the success of the program.    

*Know what to change and what not to change.  The true test of the promotional products distributor as a change agent usually is not measured by selling a fulfillment program or implementing a fulfillment program, but is rather the longevity of the fulfillment program.  If you make the correct decisions about the fulfillment program as it progresses, you will have an opportunity to be a part of one of the most satisfying experiences you can have as a promotional products distributor…and you will have earned your stripes as a change agent. 

Dr. Carl. For more than 20 years, Dr. Carl has helped people at all stages of their lives from children to elderly people. People began to informally ask for advice and help; later, he began to write articles about the human condition and then began to teach classes at the University of Georgia and other colleges and universities relating to various aspects of personal and campus life and the transition to the world of work. Dr. Carl also consults with government and business and helps to solve problems from individual dilemmas to group problems to organization-wide situations looking for solutions.

Dr. Carl lives happily in the mountains of the Southeastern United States and Europe where he finds solace from his relatives who…while professionally successful…have the interpersonal skills of red fire ants.