Every fall, Joe’s Umbrellas invited all its dealers to the annual dealer meeting. The idea of a once-a-year meeting with the very people who represented his products sounded like something Joe should look forward to — but sometimes, most of the time, Joe felt fear and anxiousness: I hope the dealers like our new products…I hope they buy in to our focus on customer treatment… It would sure be nice if they actually listen to me, if they actually believe that I know what I’m talking about — and support it. Joe realized he was daydreaming, because these kinds of hopes, at least in his experience, were dreams. Usually, a dealer meeting had more than its share of contentiousness — someone, either a dealer or one of Joe’s executives, would be angry, threatening someone or something. Oh, I just wish I could make my people and the dealers work together. 3