In examining today’s politics of duties the need for communication is one of the most vital things that a business can to do to instill both clarity and confidence in their customers.

In terms of communicating a message there’s an awful lot that we I have learned throughout the 20 years of GCP. I’ve also had the incredible opportunity to coach entrepreneurs across Canada from a variety of industries for over my career with a company called Strategic Coach. From this I have realized there’s a lot that I consciously try to stay focused on both in and out of GCP.

There are certain ideas that we (at GCP) bring focus to when working with both our suppliers and customers – we call these their D.O.S. This stands for their Dangers (things they have fear of), their Opportunities (futures they are excited about) and their Strengths (aspects they are currently confident in).

Something which I consider a core competency of GCP is addressing the current anxieties and fears that our customers may have. We facilitate opportunities through combined efforts with our vendors and customers as well as compliment the existing strengths our partners have.

In continuing on the theme of communication we are happy to announce that this will be the first of a Podcast Series titled Clarity Generates Confidence. Over my years being in business and coaching I have learned that confidence is so hugely important to the overall impact of one’s actions in an organization. When people are clear about what is happening in the world around them and are able to process that information, they are able to move forward with a great deal of confidence. If they aren’t clear, there tends to be a lot of uncertainty and often times confusion and paralysis.

Our goal is to better communicate with you, our customers, and work with you through these unique times so that not only do you survive these discrepancies, but thrive and continue growth.

Our commitment to you is that we will work with you and your teams through the implementation of the USTR tariffs, to ensure that your businesses remain competitive in your respective market places, with a reliable product supply that retains the highest levels of quality that your customer’s expect from you.

An option that we have consciously decided against in the short-term is the retooling of our supply chain in order to avoid the most recent China duties. Our belief roots in the fact that we do not foresee these tariffs being a long-term strategy employed by the USA, rather a negotiating tactic to force China in a handful of areas, as will be discussed in detail in a further episode.

We believe that the cost-savings are not worth the significant risks that come with quickly changing supply chains. These relationships have been built up over time and our suppliers have earned reputations for both quality and price. We have confidence in our supply chain and for the mentioned reasons we are not actively pursuing or recommending these avenues to our customers in the short-term.

We also encourage our customers to speak candidly with us if this is the route you’re looking to go – as we are happy to discuss the potential risks of either option.

As always thank you for your continued support of GCP and may some of this information provide confidence that you can positively affect change in your organization through these times.

Gary Mottershead

Episode 9: How to deal with COVID-19 as an entrepreneur

Clarity Generates Confidence By GCP Industrial ProductsMay 27, 2020