I’m sitting here at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C. and it is a very good thing I am a morning person. It is 5 till 6 in the morning – been up since 0430 – and I am writing this blog. I know this sounds corny but I am so excited about a new year. Personally, 2014 was a rough year with plenty of medical issues with our one and only saint-of-a-son, Nicky. But professionally speaking, it was ideal.
InterConnect Wiring, for the first time in our 22 year history, pulled together a spectacular Sales and Marketing team. We had 1 full-time Marketing Coordinator, 3 full-time outside sales guys, and a terrific inside sales team including 7 awesome members. What a great reason to welcome 2015. 2014 is over now and the inside and outside sales teams are all trained up and rearing to increase sales in the wiring harness, cockpit panel, circuit breaker panel and box assembly industry. So now what? What is the best way to kick off the new year, especially in the aerospace F-16, F-15, C-130, V-22, and UH-60 supplier arena? Here are my 4 recommendations to welcome the New Year: (1) Set Goals, (2) Journal, (3) Exercise, and (4) Help Your Customer.
My team is expected to book several million dollars’ worth of business selling aircraft electrical wiring 
harnesses and aircraft panels to aerospace giants like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Sikorsky, BAE, L-3 and Bell Helicopter, therefore, they first need a set goal. I recommend all companies, especially in the aviation and aerospace industry, assign very specific dollar value goals to each sales person. They can easily track how they are doing depending on their bookings throughout the entire year. Second, I recommend every person (not just in the military aerospace industry) take time to journal each and every day. An article in The Harvard Business Review posed this question: What does Oprah Winfrey have in common with World War II General George S. Patton? Answer: Being an avid diarist. Many well-known figures throughout history, from John Adams to Andy Warhol, have faithfully kept records of their daily lives. In business and in life, are there any real benefits of keeping a diary? There are. In particular, there are four reasons for keeping a journal: (1) focus, (2) patience, (3) planning, and (4) personal growth. So by my journaling, I can focus on what my job is here at InterConnect Wiring, have patience in landing these nice aircraft wiring contracts, plan for my company’s (and incidentally my family’s) future, and establish personal growth. Wow! Why wouldn’t I want to journal?! I do journal and I highly recommend you do as well. In fact, here is a link to a great article called, “8 Reasons Keeping a Journal Can Help You Reach Your Goals.”
Now for the hard New Year’s recommendation: exercise. Why is it that I fight myself over and over again about going to exercise? How hard it is? Let me tell you, I can be working late at InterConnect in my Fort Worth office and decide within 2 seconds – well, I need to work more hours to get caught up on bids for the F-16, the AH-1, the UH-60 and the F-15. I don’t have time to exercise. Well, ya, you do. So, I DO recommend you exercise. I have started doing it and the benefits far outweigh not exercising. And I feel so accomplished when I am done! Finally, help your customer. Let’s face it – when your customer is happy, you are happy. I love it when I read that Lockheed has booked another contract, or that Sikorsky has successfully completed in important milestone in a program that InterConnect is making all of the wiring for. So you ask, “Okay, what is the best way to make your customer happy?” Well, that is for another day and I have a whole lot of information to share in a different blog. The main things are: show that you care, respond rapidly, be forward-thinking, be honest, and have a “can do” attitude. As I stated earlier, 2014 was a difficult year for me and my family but company had a phenomenal year in 2014 with sales, bookings and marketing. My company did awesome! I am so excited about this New Year. InterConnect was even selected as a Small Business of the Year finalist for 2015! I sure hope we win! I will blog again in April and let you know if we won!!
InterConnect Wiring is the global leader in rewiring aircraft as well as manufacturing key electrical products including wiring harnesses, cockpit panels, power distribution panels, and relay assemblies. Customers include the US Army, Air Force and Coast Guard, as well as Lockheed, L-3, Sikorsky, BAE, and Bell. Platforms we support include the F-16, C-130, F-15, F-2, F-35, UH-60, H-92, MH-60, and V-22.
