THIS PAST MONTH I listened to the resolutions of several artists, agents and producers who decided to cut back on their promotional activities and expenditures for various reasons. Some felt that they were at a point in their careers where they were secure and further efforts were unnecessary.
Some were concerned over the wars our country is involved in and the economy in general. Indeed…2007 is the time to stop investing in their careers and conserve…Or is it? Some time ago…way back in 1981…I wrote a short story in the form of a parable you may want to read.
ONCE UPON A TIME…
Mom and Pop Jones enjoyed the ownership of a large, well-run convenience store in the middle of town. The store had been expanded several times and many of the townspeople became their employees. For many years they grew and prospered, worked together, raised their family and sent their sons to college.
They lived in a home close to the store and enjoyed their neighbors. Mom and Pop Jones had a happy and financially comfortable life.
Pop and his employees handed out candy to the neighborhood children, assisted their mothers to their cars and kept the shelves well stocked. Mom talked to the neighbors and she listened to their problems, giving advice. She had her own staff of employees who enjoyed mailing cards for customers' birthdays and always sent a note, thanking them for their patronage. Mom also made sure to send out mail to all the customers in the neighborhood inviting them to attend their sales and events.
They had the store so long they knew most of their customers by name and enjoyed having friendly conversations with them.
Their greatest pleasure was planning holiday entertainment, sponsoring contests with prizes and donating to community causes. Time went by. Mom and Pop were planning to expand again when their son, who had become an economist after earning his college degree, came to visit.
Son Jones urged Mom and Pop Jones not to expand. "Don't you read the papers?" He asked. "The country is going into a slump! There is going to be a recession. It's time to pull back."
Mom and Pop looked worried and confused. "How could this happen?" Pop asked his son. "The country is on its highest level of prosperity with the lowest level of unemployment and sitting on a surplus."
"That was last week, Pop. We have new leaders running the country now. It's time to cut back on shelf stocks and stop spending money on mailing and community efforts," Son Jones explained. "You should thin your staff of employees and stop your entertainment programs. We are facing doom and gloom. Probably the worst since the Great Depression!"
Mom and Pop hesitated, briefly, but then realized that their son was an expert in economics and more knowledgeable than they. They would follow Son Jones' advice.
Soon customer selections, being limited, reflected in the cash register. The joy of doing business was lost and Mom and Pop began to limit customer service since their employees were gone. Mom was quick to warn all her friends who owned businesses so that they could lay off employees and lean their businesses.
They withdrew from the community; no longer planning events. The candy for the children and the greeting cards ceased. Direct mailing stopped and new customers were not made to feel welcome into the store. Old customers went elsewhere. Where once the store was busy with laughter and conversation, it was now quiet.
Very quickly Mom and Pop Jones had to salvage what they could from the business and close the doors of the store.
Mom and Pop confided in a neighbor: "How lucky we are to have a son who was able to warn us of financial disaster before we were completely ruined! We paid his way through college and he paid us back. We are so lucky!"
