Representor Winter 2021 – Executive Commentary
by Walter E. Tobin
ERA CEO
wtobin@era.org
T: 617-901-4088
We listened and calibrated our products as we went along, all to make ERA better and stronger … to become an even better resource for our members …
I never really understood this saying. I thought it was a bit self-serving. Like we were super-humans who survived where perhaps others died. How could that be fair? Why should we survive when others did not? Were we better than they were? Smarter? I think not.
Why should other organizations or associations be so badly affected by something so evil that their very survival was at stake, forced to close their doors while others lived on? Were they worse managers than we were? I never understood this saying until 2020.
COVID-19 is an unbiased killing machine. It does not care if you are rich or poor. It does not care about your race, wealth, house of worship or political beliefs. It attacks — some worse than others, some survived the attack and others succumbed. Folks died and companies/organizations collapsed.
There was simply no rhyme or reason to it. We all took precautions that we were comfortable in taking and yet, these same precautions protected some but not others.
At the start of the pandemic, ERA looked internally and asked: “What do our members NEED from us? What do they WANT from us?”
What new activities or services do we have the budget and expertise to take on? How could we step up or pivot (the word of 2020) while trying to survive?
We first looked within ourselves and then took an honest assessment of our talents and capabilities. We matched our resources against the “wishlist” of what we were hearing from our members or what we felt we needed to do NOW to help our members (and non-members) get through each day.
Off we went, pivoting from our Teleforum series to our Water Cooler initiative, and also launched a podcast, ERA Talks. All in an effort to provide several different platforms for our members to share common fears, questions regarding software and hardware options, how to communicate best practices to our customers, manufacturers and fellow reps or channel partners so that they could get things done in this “New Normal” world.
We listened and calibrated our products as we went along, all to make ERA better and stronger … to become an even better resource for our members than pre-COVID.
Guess what happened? The industry responded. Attendance of our Water Coolers grew each week, the number of downloads of our Podcasts grew with each release, our membership grew even at a time when we had put our membership drive on hold to not come across as “tone-deaf.” We went with a softer approach in soliciting new members while companies were closing and many were losing their jobs.
As we began to develop a cadence, we were feeling pretty good about ourselves and how our messaging seemed to support what the industry was seeing — the manufacturers’ rep model “rose like the phoenix” in supporting the customers in their local territory. The reps maintained their existing “book of business” and developed NEW opportunities at both existing and new companies. They never missed a beat. Their customers were grateful that the reps were there to support new designs and partner with their channel partners to ensure that the supply chain was in place.
However, another challenge reared its ugly head in the June-July time frame — our annual conference, scheduled for March 1-3, 2021, in Austin, Texas. Surely COVID would be gone in nine months … “We all want to get back to Austin, to see each other again …” was the battle cry.
Unfortunately, the news was not getting any better, and we would NOT risk the health of our members or our staff in any way just to hold a conference.
So, another pivot! We reached out to the ATT Center in June and inquired about canceling our in-person conference that was nine months out! They thought we were crazy. Surely the virus would be gone by then; it will be okay to travel to Texas by February … back to normalcy, etc.
However, we wanted to be cautious and safe and concluded that the ONLY way to guarantee that we would have a conference was to do it virtually! Thus, our first-ever virtual conference will be held on March 1-3, 2021. Are you registered?
We have never planned a virtual event, but our ERA National team said: “Let’s do it!” And here we are — well-into the planning process with speakers hired, the virtual platform secured, breakout sessions finalized. Here we go!
As the saying goes: “If you build it, they will come.” So, we encourage you to sign up and be proud of your association who built this conference from ground up. We are the “Little Engine that Could,” so to speak, but think of ourselves as a giant locomotive, trust me!
EDS Update
ERA has partnered with ECIA and GEDA to reschedule EDS to late August 2021. The decision was driven again out of concern for the safety of our staff and attendees.
What does all of this mean to you? YOUR ERA will emerge from the horror of COVID an even-stronger organization! We were battle-tested and faced the challenges of 2020 with thoughtful analysis and honest introspection, and we decided, “We can do this!”
None of any of this would have been possible without the support of you, our members, and the trust that you have given to ERA! We work hard every day to never let you down … that would be worse than letting COVID win … Learn new ways of doing things.
The Electronics Components Industry Association (ECIA), the Electronics Representatives Association (ERA) and the Global Electronics Distributors Association (GEDA), co-sponsors of the EDS Leadership Summit, are excited to announce that registration is now open for EDS 2021, which will be held at the Mirage Las Vegas, Monday, Aug. 30 – Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021.
The ERA Conference Committee announced that Phil M. Jones will present the March 3 General Session “Exactly What to Say … Now” at the 2021 ERA Virtual Conference, scheduled March 1-3.
> Hope is not a strategy
Representor Winter 2021 – From the Top
by Chuck Tanzola, CPMR
The Fusion Sourcing Group Inc.
ERA President
ctanzola@fusionsourcing.com
It’s a new year — time for new resolutions. As we turn the calendar page, there seems to be a universal determination to put 2020 behind us; an aspirational hope that life will return to normal in 2021; and a renewed realization based on the start of the new year that hope is not a strategy.
So, as my term as president of ERA moves toward its natural conclusion, recognizing the fatigue of talking about COVID-19, and at the risk of “waxing philosophical,” with my last From the Top column, I’d like to leave you with four thoughts from various sources that have served me well as the basis of a life strategy. I hope they do the same for you.
1. Put yourself on the other side of the table. At various times over my business career, I have been in the position of having to evaluate if the deal I am working on is fair — is it reasonable? The best advice I was given was to answer the question, “If you were sitting on the other side of the table, and positions were reversed, would you sign the deal?” This can apply to contracts between reps and manufacturers, deals between a rep and a distributor partner, or a distributor and manufacturer. (On a larger scale, I think this applies to the current, caustic political environment in our country today.) Relationships and being connected make it much easier to accomplish this. That’s why the theme of the upcoming ERA Virtual Conference — “Stronger Together: Reconnecting & Reinventing for Success” — is so appropriate.
2. If you think you’ve done it well enough, do it a little more. This is a lesson from a father to his son. The son was given the task of sanding some wood to be applied in the remodeling of a dinghy; and as 10-year-olds are prone to do, after a quick, minimal sanding, the son pronounced the job done to his father. With the wisdom of a father, the wood was returned to the son with the instruction, “If you think you’ve done it well enough, do it a little more.” Again, and again, and again the process repeated … can you say infinite loop? While this may simply have been a strategy to keep the son occupied and out of the father’s way during the remodeling project, it also conveyed a drive for excellence from the father to the son. As a note, I regularly see examples of this drive for excellence in our industry. One such being the production of the annual ERA Conference. (Yes, this is a second shameless plug for the upcoming, first-ever, virtual ERA Conference scheduled for March 1 – 3.) On a personal note, this has been perhaps the most influential lesson in my life – thanks, Dad! I’ve tried to pass it along to my son (again, and again, and again …).
3. Of those to whom much is given, much is expected in return. I first heard this statement, attributed to Sir Edmund Burke, from my high school Political Theory teacher, Dr. Vincent Buscareno. Initially, I interpreted this through the filter of an over-confident, brash 18-year-old; believing that the “much is given” part of the statement was referring to some extra special ability inherent in students in advanced placement classes (which Dr. B’s class was). As I’ve been humbled over the years, I have since come to the realization and belief that I have received far more than I have deserved from those around me — I’ve been given much. Either way, this statement has always led me to feel a responsibility to give back. I suspect that same feeling is inherent in the 50-plus volunteers that have been working so diligently to put together the upcoming ERA Virtual Conference (March 1– 3). Yes, that’s yet another shameless plug, but also a shout out to the entire conference committee and especially the Conference Chair Craig Anderson and Co-Chair Bryan White, who are devoting extensive hours to giving back. Thanks, guys!
4. A cord of three strands is not easily broken. This lesson (based on Ecclesiastes 4:12) became a personal goal as a result of a Promise Keepers event I attended several years ago. I have been fortunate to have many mentors that came before me who have “taught me the ropes.” At the event, I was challenged by the speaker to recognize the need for those who build into my life; as well as being willing to build into the lives of those who come after. It is something I try to do regularly. The cord of three strands principle not only applies generationally but across our industry as well. We are much stronger together! You will recognize that theme of the upcoming ERA Virtual Conference (March 1– 3). Okay, that’s my fourth, and final (probably not) shameless plug. I encourage each of you to build your three-strand cord. It is important Now – More Than Ever! (By the way, that’s the theme for the EDS Summit and my first shameless plug for that event, scheduled for Aug. 30 – Sept. 2 in Las Vegas. Does it strike anyone as ironic that what might be the first in-person event of the year would be held at the Mirage?)
As I bring this article to a close, two thoughts came to mind: 1) In the future, Neda Simeonova, who edits The Representor, will have a better chance of getting this article submitted on-time (thanks for your continued patience Neda!); and 2) I look forward to seeing you virtually in early March and in-person in Las Vegas in late August, and I hope 2021 fulfills all your aspirations!
By the way, have I mentioned the upcoming ERA Virtual Conference yet? More importantly, have you registered? As always, I can be reached at ctanzola@fusionsourcing.com and welcome your comments and feedback.