If a history of family businesses has ever been written, it’s probably replete with anecdotal evidence that it’s hardly a slam dunk that family members can work together successfully.

Even the most cursory study of the subject will uncover examples of families that have allowed business concerns to split them apart, others that have plowed ahead only with the assistance of some fairly intensive counseling, and still more that have seen retirement plans drastically altered if not cancelled in the face of unsolvable problems.

Consider for a moment the ongoing experiences of Bob and Dave Gerrard, whose consultative selling perspectives were explored in the previous article.

The father-son combination joined forces about three years ago to form the backbone of Gerrard & Associates, Mooresville, North Carolina. The rep firm has been meeting the dry bulk material handling equipment and systems’ needs of the Carolinas and Virginia for more than 35 years.

Bob Gerrard, the father, begins this family tale by good-naturedly explaining that “Just like so many other reps, I think I’m the smartest guy on the planet. There’s a purpose and a reason for everything I’ve always done.” He continues with a laugh, “The way I complete reports is the right way and the fact is that anyone who joins me will realize how smart I am.”

Gathering Storm Clouds

He recalls that some storm clouds began gathering during the transition of bringing son Dave into the business. “It was then that I began to realize that all the practices and policies I had established might not fit my son’s personality and business style.”

As if Bob and Dave need a benchmark event to show them things weren’t working as smoothly as each had hoped, it occurred one day when after a less-than-fruitful father-son session ended with Dave leaving the office in a huff and Bob realizing his best laid plans for the future may have just gone off a cliff.

Describing how he and his father arrived at that day, Dave Gerrard admits that perhaps he and his father had no idea what they were getting into when they joined forces. “In terms of following a career path,” he says, “I began working in a company where I’d start with the grunt work and make my way up the corporate ladder where I could make good money. As I successfully began making progress, I became frustrated and came to the realization it wasn’t for me. At the same time I had gained confidence and knew I could make it without anything being handed to me. It’s then that I decided to come back here to the family business.”

From the beginning, both men admit that they enjoyed a fairly blissful honeymoon period.

“Initially, I was working remotely from Greensboro,” explains Dave. “I did a lot of training, making sales calls with Bob, but was basically left to my own devices. Shortly after deciding to move closer to the office, the bottom fell out of the economy and things changed. I wasn’t making as much money as I expected and things got a lot tighter. What we thought was going to happen didn’t. Add to that my change from working virtually alone to working with family and the economic, family and relationship problems began to rear their heads.”

At the same time Dave was feeling those pressures, Bob was faced with the challenge of creating the business around Dave and not himself: “What remained for me was to do that and stay out of the way.”

No Job Interview

Shortly after having the aforementioned disagreement that caused Dave to walk out of the office, it dawned on the elder Gerrard that “I had never conducted a job interview with Dave. I never told him what my expectations were of him and how I thought he should conduct himself. At the same time I realized that he never told me what his expectations were of me.”

To rectify the situation and, they hoped, set a new course, the two men set a date to conduct the job interview and perhaps more important, to communicate.

“Basically, we started over. When Dave joined the agency, I knew I had absolutely no misgivings about his work ethic.” He adds with a laugh: “At the same time I figured that he would immediately sense my brilliance and do things just as I was doing them, thereby doubling my brilliance.”

“We put everything on the table, thought about all that we were going through, shared our expectations with each other, and resolved our issues.”

The Difference in Generations

Dave Gerrard’s recollections of how things got back on track mirror his father’s, but he adds the words “generational differences” to the relationship equation. “The root of any friction that may have existed between us resides in the generations we each came from. My father is of a generation where you take a job and stay there for 30-40 years. Not so for me. He came out of college, sold insurance for a while and then became a rep.”

“I, on the other hand, followed college with a number of things including selling insurance, the automotive industry and music production. I’d say my perception of business is different from my father’s. I came into this job conducting business in a way quite different from my father.

“Add to that my father had become used to doing things just the way he wanted to over the years. To his credit, after our meeting he knocked out the structure of his business so we could start all over.”

Different Views of Technology

Asked separately if any specific generational differences stood out over others, without hesitation they each looked in the direction of technology.

First up is the father, who explains, “Historically my cell phone lived in the car. That’s where I use it. I use our contact management system and everything we do is keyed into the computer. Then Dave joins the agency and I see what he’s doing. He was insistent on getting a SmartPhone and I’m thinking people only want them as a toy. While I take notes on a conversation and then key them into a computer, Dave doesn’t do any type of dictation and handles all his e-mail correspondence through his phone. Dave conducts business until 9 at night, or later, by speaking with customers or texting back and forth. Because so much of the business contact resides in his phone, there’s no way all that information is accessible to me.

“The thought could have occurred to me that the job wasn’t getting done — but it was. It was all just in his phone. All this is one of the things we put on the table. Now he’s started copying me on his e-mails and at the same time I’m wondering if I should get a SmartPhone for myself.”

Dave Gerrard adds to the technology discussion when he says, “Beyond a shadow of a doubt, that was the greatest cause of friction in the business. My opinion is that you can buy generic pens for your business, but when it comes to technology, there’s no such thing as going cheapest. I’m a firm believer in spending for those tools that will make your business better.”

Both men agree that they’ve put any differences behind them — whether it’s how to use technology, spend time most efficiently or plan for the future. In planning for the future, Bob Gerrard says, “I’ve learned very quickly that Dave is at his absolute best when the phone rings and one of our customers says they need him out in the field. I recognize the benefit of his marvelous business talents and it’s up to me to allow him to maximize his strengths.”

Dave Gerrard echoes his father’s thoughts when he says “I know that we’ve gotten over the rocky part in the road. Moving forward, whatever we do will require a continual discussion. We’re clear on our financial and personal goals and we both feel a real sense of accomplishment for what we’ve done.”

In conclusion Dave offers some words for others who might be anticipating involvement in a family rep business: “Is it good for everyone? I’m not sure about that, but I do know it takes special people to make it work. You either understand what you’re up against, or not. Not everyone can pull it off. What I do know is that my father and I are tight. We’ve been together a long time and are now in a place where we’re doing the very best that we can.”