Going Globa

In the early 1980’s we began to market our system outside the US.  We initially worked through large partners who had a global sales and service presence.  Our most largest and most successful relationship was with Phillips Industries of Holland.  They provided us with entrees to major banks in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Europe, Tai Won, Singapore and South Africa.  We opened small offices in Hong Kong, and London to provide them with sales and technical support.  We did work with other large companies but the Phillips relationship seemed to work the best for us. 

In the other major markets, Mexico, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and South America, we developed specific distributor relationships. 

All of this development work required extensive travel to establish good working relationships and provided me with the most memorable experiences of my life.  Unfortunately it took me away from home and my family for long periods for about three years.  It was also during this period that my father and early mentor passed away and my mother began to suffer from some of the early effects of Alzheimer’s.  Fortunately with the help of my family I managed to get through all this and still help move our business forward.

Again thanks to my family and my great support from my Diebold team, I was able to recover from a case of pneumonia that I contracted on one of those international trips.  My recovery was about a month and I was not able to leave my home or do any work during that period.  Thanks to my great assistant Mary Anne and a super team the business carried on very well.

I will discuss key country experiences in subsequent chapters.

Lessons learned:

1.  Global market development takes a great deal of your personal attention and energy until solid relationships are established.

2.  It pays to establish as many international personal relationships as possible.

3.  Spend time in the homes and in recreational activities with key international contacts.

4.  Never forget the importance of family and friends when in personal distress.

5.  Trust your team to continue what you have started in your absence.  In fact you will learn they will perform at a very high level during those times.