Graham Dodds, Have you built a manufacturing company with your own distinctive products, loyal customers, investors, suppliers and employees?
Do you understand the personal pride of making truly superior products for a sophisticated clientele who look for the best: to whom price is a secondary consideration?
Last week a guest beamed with pride over the $19,000 in Dell equipment he just bought for his one-man business: "I checked them all and Dell is absolutely the best! Best products, best features, least problems." Bob Cohen isn't a stockholder, just a very smart customer.
This spring my son spent $4,000 for his Dell. Mine arrives next week. A good friend bought a stack of Dells for his business, and brags. That's $50,000 in Dell purchases in my small circle, and I didn't conduct a survey.
Dell's magic is your access to the company. In my company we did without salesmen and dealers, just advertised and sold to large accounts who became members of our corporate family. We didn't let them down, so they ignored competitors because they had better things to do than trying to make the wheel rounder; and everything else was downhill anyway.
I like to do business at The Top. That defines Dell. I'm dumb enough to believe that a genius with the incredible capacity to construct a phenomenon like Dell can solve the problems ahead and come off victorious.
At 33 Alexander the Great conquered the world; then died. What could he have accomplished in another 30 years? The real question is: what can MD, now 34, do in the years ahead? I'm sure Alexander was told 'It's impossible' by men of lesser energy and vision.
So what are you saying, Graham: It can't be done?
You'll be the poorer for it!
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