Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.
—Napoleon Hill

The fourth change-type is the “Beaver.”

The Beaver is the most stable of all of the change types. The Beaver stays close to home (i.e., the current situation) and makes small incremental changes. He perceives that large-scale change brings large-scale risk, which he does not see as necessary. Over time, his constant, incremental changes may have a large impact. For example, the Beaver’s lodge becomes very large, dams the stream and forms a lake many times wider than the original stream. The Beaver is full of action and activity and is extremely confident in his ability to make the changes he has defined. However, he is not quite confident enough to explore entirely new territories, and he will abandon his current situation only as a last resort. The Beaver’s tolerance for risk is relatively well adjusted. He does not seek risk, nor does he fear it. The figure below shows the Beaver’s profile.

Beavers can be highly profitable, long-time, repeat customers. So you will want to cultivate and maintain your relationship.

Beavers are extremely busy, so you will need to be persistent in getting their attention.
Be careful to propose changes that fall within the boundaries of the Beaver’s current vision. Only propose significant changes if a response to a specific environmental force is warranted.

Beavers do have a long-term vision, which they approach systematically over time. The more you can help the Beaver with that long-term vision and participate in it, the more profitable a customer he will be for you.

Whenever possible, try to engage in long-term contracts with Beavers. However, make sure you don’t lock yourself into static businesses that prevent you from evolving with the broader market.

Develop beavers as long-time customers. Keep proposals within the Beaver’s current vision. Be careful to evolve faster than your customer and don’t get locked into status quo.