In the 1989 classic, “Field of Dreams,” an Iowa farmer named Ray Kinsella hears a disembodied voice whisper, “If you build it, he will come.”
Ray becomes more than intrigued by the voice, convinced it is telling him to build a baseball field on his land. Understandably, a great many believe he is insane to cut into, literally, valuable, productive land for farming as he proceeds with his plan, but with the encouragement of a few believers, his efforts magically attract the ghosts of baseball past, including Shoeless Joe Jackson, Ray's father’s favorite player.
As the story progresses, we learn of a rift in Ray’s relationship with his father and the story culminates in Ray being able to have one last catch with the ghost of his dead father. The film hits home, particularly with men who can relate to the power—whether a son, a father, or both—of the act of having a catch with your dad. However, the Internet seems to find major fault with a proliferated mistake in discussions about the film—a mistake of biblical proportions.
The quote attributed to the film often mistakenly uses they instead of he. Whether the producers and writers intended it or not, the quote “they will come” is from the story of Noah’s Ark. Yes, from the Bible. God responds to Noah’s inquiry about how he will corral two of each animal to his ark, saying, “If you build it, they will come.”
Beyond “Field of Dreams” and Noah’s Ark, the quote has become popular in business, particularly those that produce commercial and consumer products. It is a reference, a guide even, to the idea of building a quality, popular product will gain you customers, and without magic or divine intervention. When this idea comes up in conversation, I am quick to refer to Apple. Whether I am technically right or wrong, I have never heard of an Apple salesperson. Seems to me that the company’s massive success has stemmed from creating innovative, quality products. It also seems to me that not many had to be convinced a device that stores and plays 10,000 songs from the security of your pocket is something they would want. And it is arguable that it is this mentality, and the technology behind it, that led to the most prolific invention of the past 16 years—the smartphone.
The impact of quality and innovation is not only seen in attracting customers, but keeping them as well.
“It is our core philosophy,” says JR Hassett, vice president of sales of 3D Engineering Solutions. “We don’t let work leave here until it’s correct.” This has led to not only happy customers, but repeat customers, too. “When it’s done correctly, they come back,” Hassett says. “They trust us.”
Read more about their philosophy in our profile of 3D Engineering Solutions, this year’s Quality Plant of the Year, “Measuring and Modeling Quality” and everything else we have to offer in this month’s Quality.
Enjoy and thanks for reading!
