To Sell or Not to Sell (And What About the Cheese)?

June 11, 2010 at 12:54 pm (Musings)
Tags: , , , , ,

For the majority of my career I have worked in operations.  Many roles were of a customer focus and eventually graduated in to service supervision and ultimately in to general operational management.  This operational progression culminated in an executive role as Vice President of Operations.  As one can imagine throughout this litany of roles my knowledge of process design, systems functionality, user experience etc. was honed to a fine edge as was my disdain for sales.

A ubiquitous reality in business is the contention between ops and sales.  Much like the experience of young soldiers when they arrive in boot camp to find out that everything their recruiter told them was horse pucky.  “Sure the base has a swimming pool!” translates to “You will tread water for twenty minutes while holding this brick above your head.”

Inevitably operations personnel will encounter similar experiences where the client says “Bob said that your tool will cook me dinner and bath the kids” and the newly appointed ops bad guy must say “ma’am I understand but our tool provides medical transcription”, you see where that can go.

For several years I was prodded to move in to a sales position because of my perspective on operations and that prospect froze my blood.  I could never sell.  I wasn’t cheesy like that.

Well in 2008 the band aid was ripped cleanly off and I moved in to a dedicated sales role.  I found something on the other side of the fence that I truly did not anticipate.  The grass was just as green.

As is true in most realities there are two sides.  On the sales side instead of feeling as though we have over committed to a point that delivery was not possible I noticed that just as often operations missed basic deliverables that impacted customers.  Suddenly what was a perfectly galvanized universe where sales were wrong and ops were right became a muddy, multifaceted reality where every case must be investigated.

What was also surprising to me as I recovered from my operations condition was that selling is actually easier when you come from operations.  I found myself becoming the SME in the sales process, the go to person for complex solutions.  My operations bend coupled with my passion for the business quickly defined a style that has lead to significant success in the sales arena, all while preserving a healthy respect for the back of the house.

It really is possible to be confident without being cocky, to be passionate without being pushy and most importantly to sell without being cheesy.

Now when I hear talented operators say “I could never sell” or qualify themselves in conversation by saying “I am not in sales” I jump up and tell them that they are missing the boat.  The very fact that they are ops experts who loath the stereo type of sales will make them powerful solutions sellers.  I strongly encourage the operators of the world to buck up and go on sales calls, you will find green pastures on the other side of the fence (and by green I do mean grass but I also mean money!).

1 Comment

Timeshare Tours are the Anti-Chambers of Hell

September 10, 2009 at 10:20 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: , , , , , ,

Somehow on our recent Labor Day get away we were convinced that it would be a good idea to attend a timeshare tour.  I know what you are thinking (or yelling at the screen right now) but I have never been on one and they offered $100 cold hard cash, for whatever reason we agreed. 

The tour was described as a ninety minute event which included a free breakfast, not bad.  Starts at 7:45 AM, cool we will be back at the room by 9:30 and at the pool to meet our friends by 10:00. 

As soon as we walked in we knew we had made a dreadful mistake.  It would have been better to forfeit the hundred bucks and chalk it up to a silly notion. Alas we convinced ourselves that at the very least it would be a learning experience.  The room was packed with families.  Most looked confident going in, as if they knew exactly what they were doing and we were the only novices who were in over our heads, a feeling that always makes my stomach sink. 

Turns out the ninety minutes does not begin until your name is called by one of the smarmy, overly cheesy sales people.  In our case an extra twenty minutes of standing around drinking coffee so bad others were actually pouring it out (not me, I’m no coffee snob). 

Then I saw him enter the room.  A young guy staring bewildered at the piece of paper in his hand.  I could see him trying to sound something out under his breath.   He did not know how to pronounce the name on the page, had to be us. 

“Sharon and Jeff?” he called out weakly.  Our names are actually Shereen and Geoff (pronounced Joff).  He did not even attempt the last name. 

I let him off the hook without drawing any attention to his total lack of effort to even use phonetics, which for our names does actually work. 

His small talk was so well rehearsed that it flowed easily though he rarely made eye contact instead staring at my chest (which I imagine with the ladies does not go over so well).  He is “a timeshare owner himself”.  In hindsight I should have asked if he was subjected to the tour. 

The first hour was okay; not too exciting not to painful.  I finally had to prompt him about breakfast as our eleven month old had not eaten and neither had his thirty six year old father.  It was then that I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that we have voluntarily walked in to the anti-chamber of hell. 

With the hope of breakfast dangling before us on a stick we trudged on like pack mules through the gallery of marketing materials and sales pitches for a further fifteen minutes.  I prompt about food again, he moved us in to the dining area. 

No highchairs for baby.  No breakfast spread.  Only a small tray of miniscule muffins and donut holes.  Literally, miniature fare.  Not even bagels.  My stomach growled angrily. 

My wife struggled to feed a cranky, hungry baby a dry mini-muffin.  The tension grew.  Wife has no more patience and begins to plan her escape.  As she pleads her case to leave to go feed the baby the sales rep says that she could leave me there, go feed him and come back for me.  This way we could get all of the paperwork signed and she would only have to add her signature. 

Panic began to course my mind.  Did he really believe I was going to buy a timeshare?   Had I played the interested patron role too good? 

The tension hit the ceiling, we had to leave.  We were already invested for over two hours and so I told the guy straight, “we are not going to buy a timeshare today.” 

After a few back and forth volleys he says, “If you are not going to buy one I can no longer assist you.  Someone will come to close you out and you will have to take the shuttle back.”  Keep in mind he drove us over in a stretch golf cart on a lovely scenic tour of the property. 

I snapped back, “that’s great, we get a private ride over and now we have to walk half a mile to the shuttle stop?”  He scurried off in to a back room. 

This is where a timeshare tour is a lot like buying a car. 

Another person comes out.  Very friendly, very interested in us.  I cut them off after ten or so questions and tell him, “no”.  He is off to get someone to close us out. 

Another smarmy cheese ball.  Another series of questions.  Another, “no”.  Now he is off to get someone to close us out. 

Another smarmy cheese ball.  Another series of questions.  Another, “no”.  Now he is off to get someone to close us out.  (No that is not an accidental repetition) 

Now a kindly old lady comes out.  She is retired from teaching after forty years and “does not in anyway sell timeshares”.  What she does sell is a program that let’s you lock in the price quoted for one year.  More questions.  I finally had to get rude and point out that she is the fifth person who I have told “no” to.  She groans and finally leads us to the check out counter to get our cash. 

The shuttle takes another twenty minutes.  The final insult was watching numerous sales people departing on now empty golf carts and driving directly in front of the shuttle loading area on their way back to exactly the same place we were heading on the shuttle. 

We did make it to the pool by noon and were able to shake off the overwhelming feeling of violation that we carried from the morning (with the help of a refreshing pool and lots of drinks!)  If you are unfortunate enough to find yourself in hell after you shuffle off this mortal coil you will spend eternity on a timeshare tour. 

The moral of this story, only go on one of these if you are a genuine masochist or if you’re really are going to buy a timeshare.

1 Comment

The Canvas On Which We Are All Painted

August 27, 2009 at 9:37 pm (Musings)
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

I have been carrying this around for quite some time and feel that I must finally let it go.  I feel liberated to be posting this and I sincerely hope that you find it stimulating and challenging.  One thing I would ask you to do is some of your own research before arriving at a conclusion of your own.  I can say that I have done significant reading and exploring of this topic before I arrived at the hypothesis that follows and there are plenty of web resources available to help. 

Many have never heard of the Planck scale of existence.  At this level of reality there is no matter, there are no molecules or atoms or even subatomic particles (such as quarks or electrons), there is only potential matter, molecules, atoms and subatomic particles.  What does this mean?  That is a question that must be answered before we can continue.

It is widely accepted that there are multiple levels of true reality coexisting in the physical universe we inhabit.  There is the macro reality that we observe and comprehend in our daily lives.  This is the reality that we intuitively accept and can observe and interact with unaided by any tools or machines.  This is the reality that contains us, our homes, our cars, buildings, beer, pizza etc. 

Below this reality there is a molecular reality.  Any of the observable examples listed above could also be described in terms of their molecules.  If for instance we examine ourselves, we could be described as a complex collection of organic molecules.  Though this is not something that we can observe it is just as relevant and real as saying that we are people or human beings. 

Down again and we enter the atomic reality.  In this scale we are but a mass of electrically bonded atoms, tiny packets of matter interacting through electroweak forces that we can not consciously observe nor comprehend without the use of extremely sophisticated instruments.  Yet, this scale is just as real as the macro scale. 

Beyond the atomic level we get down to the scale of the smallest particles of matter, the fundamental particles where we are indistinguishable from our car, our house or any other material substance.  The entire universe is just a vast ocean of these particles with some observable clumping (which manifests as the things we observe at our level like stars, planets, people, cars etc).  Again, though this concept is alien to most of us it is none the less just as real as the shirt on your back or the beer in your hand (a glass of wine if you are my wife).  At this level of reality we lose all connection to intuition about how things should work and why they exist at all until we descend yet another level further down.

 At the very bottom of existence, in the deepest reaches of reality there lies pure potential.  This is the Planck scale, so named for the Dr, Ernst Planck who discovered that the universe is not infinitely sub-dividable.  That there are minimum sized packets of energy that give rise to the fundamental particles such as quarks, muons and gluons.   At the Planck scale atoms are immensely huge.

The inevitable question becomes, if there is nothing but potential at the Planck scale of reality then what ultimately decides what matter coalesces in to particles, atoms, then molecules and eventually us.  There does appear to be an answer to this question but before we can explore it we need to understand another bizarre, counter-intuitive nuance of the observable universe. 

Many will remember from their school days that electromagnetism (all forms of light included) are waves that travel through the universe at the speed of light and whose attributes are defined largely by the wave lengths.  This is a concept that has graduated in decades of late to an intuitive truth since our civilization is saturated with television, cellular phones, wireless internet etc.  These conveniences are simply the use of electromagnetic waves to carry information from a source to a receiver. 

What is far less intuitive is that not only are electromagnetic transmissions wave in form but so is matter.  Yes, the hard stuff of matter that we know to exist since we are made of it is not only comprised fundamentally of particles but also of matter waves with no single, definite location in space.  In order to truly appreciate this we need to review an experiment commonly known to physicists and science buffs (but has rarely been exposed to the lay person) as the Double Slit Experiment. 

The Double Slit Experiment demonstrates the inseparability of the wave and particle natures of light and other quantum particles such as electrons which are the smallest pieces of matter. 

Originally conducted by Thomas Young in a paper entitled “Experiments and Calculations Relative to Physical Optics,” published in 1803 and replicated innumerable times since the Double Slit experiment has definitively proven that matter typically conceptualized as particulate is also simultaneously a wave in form (or mathematically a wave function).

The most baffling part of this experiment comes when only one “particle” at a time is utilized.  In an effort to spare you a long winded explanation I have chosen to rely on video.

Please take a few minutes to watch this excerpt (without it the rest of this post will not make nearly as much sense) from a mind blowing documentary titled “What the Bleep Do We Know”, a must watch if this post at all peeks your interest; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfPeprQ7oGc

If you are at all like me you are reeling from the implications of this.  If matter is only particles in form when observed then how do we explain all of the matter we observe in our daily experience?  It could be argued that matter only requires the presence of consciousness to maintain its form independent of the nature of that consciousness.  This would mean that any conscious living organism could qualify as an observer, which may in turn explain the existence of much of the matter in our present environment. 

This explanation breaks down, however, when we shift focus from our immediate surroundings and contemplate the most remote objects in the universe.  To say that any living organism observed the quasars from 500 million years after the big bang is folly.  Any observation made of these objects is being done in the relative present (even if you consider the oldest conscious creatures from Earth’s history) since the light from these objects left them nearly 13 billion years ago. 

We are faced with an inescapable problem.  Given the vast complexity of the material universe, which requires the collapse of unimaginably vast and distant wave forms, what level of consciousness would be required to hold the universe in its current form?  

Let us now examine the potential influence that the human mind can have on matter.  Dr. Masaru Emoto’s work with water crystals is perhaps the most scientifically verifiable research done on this topic.  In his book, “Messages from Water”, Dr. Emoto chronicles the experiments his team performed where they affected the structure of frozen water crystals through human thought alone.  (http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Messages-Water-Masaru-Emoto/dp/0743289803/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251420857&sr=1-1) 

The experiment was elegantly simple.  They took a measured sample quantity of water that represents a single drop and froze it in a deep freeze to 30 degrees below zero degrees Fahrenheit.  Once thoroughly frozen they photographed it using a high powered microscope camera.  

The team then brought in a group of expert transcendental meditation practitioners who focused specific emotional thoughts on another sample of the water.  In one such experiment the meditation practitioners focused thoughts of love on the water.  

When the meditation was over the scientist’s repeated the freezing and re-photographed the crystal using the same camera and were delighted to find that the crystalline structure of the water was different. Not just different like two snowflakes are unique but drastically different in form and aesthetics.   Instead of the simple structure of the unaffected frozen droplet, the crystal was now an elaborate and beautiful snowflake formation.  When the experiment was repeated with the thought of hate the crystal changed to an asymmetrical blob with little or no aesthetic beauty.  

The two images on the left are from the same sample of water as are the two images on the right.

Sample crystals 

The implications of this experiment were clear, human consciousness affects the state of the material universe.  While there is ofcourse harsh criticism of Dr. Emoto’s work no one has been able to disprove it.

Though this article is not going to explore the other more specific implication of thought affecting water and the human composition being 90% water, or how the power of intention in other areas may affect our lives, it is interesting that there might actually be a provable physical connection between positive thinking and human wellness. 

So if a team of expert, life-long practitioners of transcendental mediation can affect the crystalline structure of a single drop of frozen water, what type of consciousness is required to collapse the wave functions of all of the matter in the universe?  

We are left with only two alternative answers.  First that there have been conscious creatures permeating the universe since the big bang whom have maintained an observable proximity to all matter in order to maintain the particulate form.  Aside from intuitive resistance to this scenario there is a scientific argument to be made.  Biological life is derived from organic material, namely organic elements such as carbon.  These elements did not exist in the original generation of stars and galaxies that emerged after the big bang since they are actually “cooked” inside the ovens of burning stars. 

Only after a star has run out of nuclear fuel, which averages about five billion years, and exploded in a super nova are these organic elements released in to the universe to seed new star systems.  And only after those star systems form to include planets where sufficient organic elements are present can life even hope to exist. 

This creates an impossible scenario when considering the possibility that some organic life form observed the earliest, first generation, galaxies. 

The second choice is that there is some form of consciousness that permeates every facet of the universe and by its very nature holds matter together through its observation.  Given the vast scope of the known universe this mind would have to represent an equally grand scale to achieve the ubiquitous coverage required. 

If as we learned earlier, disciplined, trained human beings can use their conscious minds to alter the presentation of water crystals, what would a consciousness such as this be capable of, is it perhaps the creation of the universe itself? 

Imagine at the Planck scale that all potential matter emerges from the ocean of vibrating energy through the conscience thought of this super intellect.  That the forms that emerge are actually all seamlessly intertwined because they are all fundamentally the same pool of energy shaped to appear as disparate objects on the macro level where we dwell consciously. 

This would imply that we are all extended parts of this fundamental energy that is the core reality of existence.  That this grand consciousness has shaped us in to the forms we take and infused us with its consciousness.  This infusion is evidenced by the earlier example of human minds affecting the physical properties of material in the macro reality.  This ability is likely a trace remnant of the consciousness that created us, and in fact actively observes us, which is to say binds the universe together through its personal power of observation. 

This model is much like a human experience we can all relate to.  It is very similar to what we call imagination.  We conjure people, places, emotions and situations out of nothing in our minds or in our consciousness.  This power of the mind to affect reality when compounded to infinity could easily create things like universes and people.  We are simply the dreams and artistic imaginings of the creator and the Planck scale is the canvas on which we are all painted. 

Now please do not infer from this that I endorse an impersonal, esoteric view of the creator.  In this thought experiment I am simply making a case for the existence of a super conscience with the faculties to create reality with the same ease that we think excitedly about our next meal or our next meeting with a loved one. 

In summary if matter exists only as a probability arising from the fundamental energy field known to us as the Planck scale under the observation of consciousness then all physical reality exists only because it is being observed.  And because original matter that pre-existed any organic material is still observable by the light it emitted billions of years ago we know that the matter we experience in our lives does not exist through the observation of living things. 

These two inescapable realities force the conclusion that if the observation of living things is not collapsing the matter wave forms to hold matter together then some consciousness outside of the universe must instead be the observer.  Additionally, because of the proven miniscule influence of human consciousness on the material world this outside observer must have an unimaginably vast intellect and consciousness, such that it could actually have created the fundamental tools of material creation in such a way that the Planck scale is actually a vast receiver tuned to the mind of God.  This receiver simply translates the thoughts, desires and imaginings of the Creator in to what we observe as the glorious, terrifying and wonderful universe in which we exist. 

It is time to abandon our petty differences and accept the fact that we are all part of one energy derived from God for His own enjoyment.  If you consider this for a moment is it really hard to believe that He could manifest himself in to a physical form and move among us?  That His “spirit” could be infused in to all of us at His whim?  That through His “incarnation” in to a matter form and His performance of a set of actions could create a ripple effect through the fundamental energy underlying reality that would create a new version of humans that brings us back in to alignment with His energy? 

This model of existence provides an elegance so simple and yet profound as to explain and overcome all objections to the influence, involvement and observation of a loving God.  Love is simply the reality that we are animated by His thoughts and His energy.  Now imagine if He was willing to let you detach from Him and His energy by your own choice (free will).  

What would be the inevitable outcome for a being that voluntarily separates itself from the foundational energy that gives it form and existence in the first place?  Imagine also how that entity would find its way back.  Can you consciously affect the underlying energy of the universe?  Of course you can’t and neither can those who pull away from find their way back.  This is hell. 

I find immense comfort in the support of faith through the core logic of existence.  I believe that we have moved, as a civilization, past any hope of arguing against the existence of God.  Now we are left to argue the nature of God and what our relationship with the Creator should be.  

I, however, will leave that dissertation to another. 

I encourage strongly study and contemplation.  A couple of resources I would recommend are (some already mentioned): 

“What the Bleep Do We Know”, http://www.amazon.com/What-Bleep-QUANTUM-Three-Disc-Special/dp/B000FKO3JO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1251421861&sr=8-2 

“I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist”,   http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Have-Enough-Faith-Atheist/dp/1581345615/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251421908&sr=8-1 

“The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality”, http://www.amazon.com/Fabric-Cosmos-Space-Texture-Reality/dp/0375727205/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251421967&sr=1-3

4 Comments

Want to move up? Get out of your own way!

August 24, 2009 at 11:01 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: , ,

I find myself wondering frequently what differentiates those that achieve from those that do not.  Please note that when I use the term achieve it is meant to avoid any particular definition or criteria of success.  It should be interpreted as intended, success in the eye of the individual. 

For some this will of course mean earning lots of money.  For others it will be a gauge of sporting prowess.  Whatever interpretation you ascribe it is accurate. 

Are there those in your life that appear to have the talent to achieve but never seem to get out of their own way and let their talent drive them forward?  There are a few missing ingredients that leave the recipe bland and unappealing.  I have narrowed this issue to three missing attributes, without which people get stuck and wallow. 

First there is the internal issue of pride.  I observe again and again the symptoms of a proud person.  In our modern vernacular this is often referred to as ‘entitlement’.  The notion that a person is owed something that they are by their very existence entitled to have.  How often have you heard phrases like “if they want me to work fifty hours a week they’re gonna have to pay me.”  Or, “if they respect me I’ll respect them.” 

This prideful attitude often stands in the way of otherwise talented folks who might very well achieve great things.  Pride seems to be a growing epidemic among the younger generations evidenced by the near total lack of drive in the emerging workforce.  One Gen Y’r explained to me like this, “in older generations people thought ‘if I work hard now I can enjoy life when I retire.  In my generation they think I am going to enjoy life now and work hard later.”  The pride of this logic is apparent and yet it is an undeniable mindset of the current generation. 

Second must be a lack of self discipline.  All too often people feel as though they work hard but can never be caught studying their job or sport or industry during off hours.  They would never think to spend free time researching the trends or environmental conditions affecting their organization.  They would not sacrifice time to practice their craft when not being paid (see attribute number one). 

I have coached so many individuals who feel that their career is stagnated.  I advise them to surf the net on the weekends and find resources that will better educate them on the big picture.  To gain a deeper understanding of why we are doing the things we do and what organizations are leading the way.  Who we should be emulating?  Who are we competing against?  All too often when I follow up with these individuals I find that they have heeded no advice nor pursued any knowledge. 

As a senior member of the staff in my company there are few things as tedious and frustrating as trying to converse with a co-worker about our industry to find that not only are they out of touch, they barely understand our business and how we are positioned. 

Whether you are the receptionist, a department head or the starting quarterback you will not advance if you do not possess a command of your organization and its core strategy, this is not information that will be forced on you.  There is no spoon feeding in real life.  You must have the discipline to get the information yourself.  If you have ever wondered why someone else got promoted there is a great chance they had this information and you did not. 

The third problem for most is the complete absence of the knowledge that the work you perform is, at best, half of what matters.  The perception that others have of you is equal or greater a factor of your success than the quality of your deliverables. 

Your work could be absolutely stellar but if people believe that your work is crap how far will you go?  Conversely, your work could be shoddy but people think that it is genius; you will ride a rocket ship through the ranks.  Of course, the latter model is very difficult to sustain long term but be honest, have you ever known a co-worker whose work was crap that got promoted and wondered how? 

Now, do not go too far on this, you must do good work in general to survive, but the work only needs to be good enough.  Quality work is ultimately the foundation of a strong perception; however, it only takes you so far.  If you are not aware of the fact in your organization there are two realities then you lose.  There is the reality of the work performed in support of the outward mission of your organization.  But, there is also the individual maneuvering and politicking of self-promotion.  

This hidden layer of work life can be a strong negative force that causes significant reduction in overall productivity (especially when the leadership of the company suffers from issues one and two above).  A politically complex environment is certainly not ideal but is all too common.  Even in organizations that are not overly political there is a game being played on a daily basis one that you are omitted from entirely if you are not aware that is it even exists. 

When a person is not engaged in the game, whether by choice or ignorance, they have virtually no chance of achieving success by any definition.  How many people make the starting roster of the team when they do not even try out because they were not aware that the sport even existed?  There are thousands of tools available to develop political savvy though none are more powerful then the simple acceptance and awareness of the game itself.

I am not going to attempt to teach you anything about the game, its rules or how to win.  Please seek the advice of more learned teachers then myself.  I am only imploring you to acknowledge its existence and get in the game!  

In closing please allow me to summarize.   Get over yourself, get your head out of your ass and realize that you are being played if you are not playing (it seems so simple when you say it like that.)  Until next time…

2 Comments

The Blog-o-sphere speaks, and its breath stinks.

July 26, 2009 at 11:26 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: , , ,

I feel that I should not be surprised, yet I am.  And I wish I was not disappointed but I am. In an unintentional social experiment I have illustrated in clear terms the gulf between early adopters and later comers to the new world of social media.

 When you listen to the `experts’ discuss the new age they speak of authenticity and inclusion.  They talk about socioeconomic barriers being torn down and the dawning of the age of true intellectual mind share.

 While I do believe some of that, it is impossible to ignore the reaction of the first true Blogite to offer an opinion on my blog (which is posted unedited below).  This message is of the type that many weary joiners of social media are afraid of; ultra judgmental, intellectual elitist rhetoric that in no way encourages the new blogger to post again or to continue on the journey.  No.  Instead characterize them in disparaging light so that those may be considering a blog can cower from the unforgiving oversight of the self appointed blog watch, those whose jobs it is to attack without mercy any who stray in to their sacred grounds.

 Please.  Return to your soap box and reboot.  The entire dream that is web 2.0 is that all will contribute, and that every person and every conversation matters. 

 Not surprisingly when the critic selects his sound bites (just as in traditional news media) he selects phrases that support his position and omits other counterpoints.  Please allow me to round out the story for those interested in balance.

 “This exposure to the real creative minds behind the movement has transformed me from an interested bystander to a seeking disciple.”  In most circles a seeker is not an expert and since I am admittedly at the beginning of this journey I also added, “…please forgive if it is longer as I travel lots, work more and have a family I spend all free time loving”.

 So in conclusion I wish to leave the critic with a toast.  Here’s to me and you, if we should ever disagree F you.  Here’s to me.

1 Comment

Inaugural Post

June 23, 2009 at 6:27 pm (Uncategorized)

Hello world.  I am officially and inexorably entering the Blog-o-Sphere; a step I do not take lightly.

For some time social media and user contributed content has intrigued me as a proactive forum to both promote one’s expertise and increase business opportunity.  However, in the last 60 days I have been privy to presentations by leading online companies who are driving the Web 2.0 revolution.  This exposure to the real creative minds behind the movement has transformed me from an interested bystander to a seeking disciple. 

So far I am only convinced that there is powerful opportunity in participating but have yet to realize what exact form it will take.  It is similar to Neo.  He sensed something.  He know that there was more to know and see but could not articulate what it was.  He could never have imagined what was down the rabbit hole but he new change was coming.

At this point I sense the energy of the new world but I have not yet seen down the hole.  So I have decided to enter the conversation and see where it takes me.

I have heard consistently that the dialogue must be authentic, must be sincere and real and flawed.  I have been told that efforts to sanitize the conversation, to control the content is the death knell of any person or entity who wants to benefit from the web.  That will not be my path.  I will not fear the truth.

Though my intent is to contribute weekly, please forgive if it is longer as I travel lots, work more and have a family I spend all free time loving.  I welcome feedback and interaction so please do not hesitate.

Authentically,

Geoffrey Toffetti

7 Comments