As our companies grow, we are all faced with the challenge of how we keep the interaction and synergy that we had when we were small. Wasn't it fun when you first started and everything was pulling together, figuring things out, struggling with challenges and learning as you went?

I wanted this month to share something that we do at Lone Wolf to help everyone in the company understand what we are all doing and what the common threads are holding us together. Years ago, at a trade show in Chicago, we had expanded to a two booth configuration which was a big financial decision for us. So now we had 5 people in this 10' x 20' space trying to sell product. Any of you who have worked a trade show knows what it is like. Since we sell more of a relationship than just a product, we have never had pushy salespeople or tried to get someone to buy on a whim. Given that we provide the infrastructure of your company, there is usually a process involved of doing demos, answering questions, involving several parties in the client's office, etc. But at this particular trade show, back in 2002, the industry was growing by leaps and bounds and one of our reps actually had the order forms being filled out and was getting them signed with a credit card coming out of the pocket.

At the other end of the booth, the other four of us were watching with awe! Wow, we were making a sale in the booth! When it was completed and the rep turned to our end of the booth, the four of us were lined up, watching with our mouths hanging open! He quickly drew his hands up like he was pulling out two 6-shooters and went POW, POW, PICKETY POW! Well, we all fell over laughing. When I went back to the office I told the story to our bookkeeper and she had the idea of sending out an e-mail titled POW POW PICKETY POW. She sent it out to the sales department, the support and training departments, the programming department and everyone else in the company. It listed the client's name, what city and state they were in, how many agents and offices they had and who had sold it and finally what the source of the business was. We have sent out these e-mails ever since.

Now we get to the moral of the story. A few people in the company asked why they were getting these e-mails. And I explained that; for the programmers, it was validation of what they come to work for every day and program; for the support staff, it was validation that they were doing a good job and supporting our clients; for everyone it was validation of what we do. This has always been one of our secrets. How with almost 100 team members now, we keep our staff engaged and feeling that they really contribute to something. I hope you've enjoyed this story and that it helps you think of how you keep your office connected.

Thank you for your continued partnership with us and good luck.

Lorne C. Wallace C.A.
President