FEED YOUR DATABASE.

As most people know, I’m a huge lover of music - Jazz, R&B Soul, Rock, World Music…I love just about all of it. As I’m writing this blog, I’m still completely amped up, as it’s been only a couple hours since I’ve had the incredible pleasure of seeing one of the most remarkable, passionate performances I’ve seen in the last 5, 10 years - Stevie Wonder, accompanied by opening act John Legend. (It’s Day 4 of Milwaukee’s Summerfest, an 11-day event that is the world’s largest music festival.)

What made the show remarkable, and unforgettable was the theme of the entire night - a tribute to Stevie’s longtime friend, Michael Jackson. Now, we’ve all probably gotten (and forwarded) an email or text this week, rehashing, or developing a new joke on Jackson’s behalf. (Heck, I thought I wrote an original one, and when I tested it out, one of my friends showed me a text message proving that someone else was just as offensive as me.)

Personally, in the wake of Michael Jackson’s death, I was extra motivated to see Wonder do his thing at least one more time. I always regretted not seeing “the great ones” Sinatra, Elvis, and others because I was either too young, or didn’t have disposable income. With Jackson, I’m particularly mad at myself for not seeing him, as the opportunities were there. Say whatever you want about Michael, he was one of if not the, most brilliant performer of all modern time. So, when I got a call from one of my oldest friends to see Wonder, knowing he would likely tribute Jackson, I jumped at her extra ticket.

The night started out with opening act Legend proving he had the chops to share the stage with a true “legend” as Stevie Wonder arguably is one of the most prolific, and ground paving artists to ever make their way to Motown. While the crowd was truly appreciative of John’s brilliant performance, it was still obvious that everyone was there to see Stevie.

Stevie was escorted on stage by his daughter, and before his most talented fingers made contact with keys or his beloved harmonica, he had a couple things he needed to get off his chest. (When you’re Stevie Wonder, you get to do those kind of things.)

He began to describe Jackson in one of the most loving ways a person could ever describe a friend…as only a close friend or family member could. He then took a few minutes to defend Jackson against all of the claims that brought Michael in a negative light, and reminding us of all of the positive ways he contributed to the world through music, his performances, and his contributions to global causes. What moved me most about the introduction, was the way this man delivered it - with complete, unapologetic conviction.

For someone who’s visually blind, Wonder’s been seeing things that many of us haven’t.

As the night progressed, in addition to Wonder’s amazing performance, and the frequent invitation to Legend to join him on stage for a duet, Wonder did something I’ve not seen before. Every so often, he’d break from the performance, and have the production crew play a snippet, of one of Michael’s recordings…as if we were all at a party, and he wanted us to listen to one of his favorite records. The crowd embraced it, and got off their feet more than once to share in showing respect to the King of Pop. In one instance, Stevie was so overcome with sorrow, and emotion - REAL grief - that he nearly collapsed right on stage…sobbing deeply with his hands covering his mouth. And while I was merely one of the thousands of people who were in Marcus Amphitheater tonight, I felt his pain, and related it to the sorrow I’ve suffered in losing two of the closest people in my life last year. As Wonder’s daughter (who tours with him as a backup singer) walked over to comfort her dad, the reality of what Jackson meant to Wonder was apparent.

So what does this posting have to do about sales? Probably nothing. I think it does have a lot to do about life, though. I got two life lessons/Reality checks from this evening.

Reality #1 - A lot of people profited from exploiting Michael Jackson - newspapers, websites, magazines, tabloid television, and even credible news sources. And still, a man as loved and revered as Wonder, who had nothing to gain tonight (he had been booked for months), defended him, and paid public tribute to him. What’s more credible, and more honorable? It’s really easy to kick someone when they’re down, or when they’re gone, especially when you never really knew them. What harm could possibly come from just showing people respect, though?

Reality #2 -  As you reach the twilight hours of your existence, will you have contributed to others in such a manner to evoke this kind of love and respect from the people around you? If you’re reading this, there’s still time to start, but do it soon. As the show was ending, Wonder asked the crowd to find room in their heart to love someone…and if there’s still room to do so, love everyone. It might not be possible, but it’s certainly not the worst goal to strive for.

I hope that each and every one of you reading my blog develops the friendships, and mutual respect from your peers, that was displayed tonight. The first step in doing so, is by demonstrating it yourself.

Time for a confession - A few months ago, I fell off the health kick wagon for about four weeks. Yeah, I’m pretty disappointed in myself.

Don’t get me wrong - I had excuses…just not very good ones. First a bad bout with the flu put me at serious risk of dehydration, then a senseless heel injury sidelined me for a week. So, instead of working around the injury/sickness and continuing to eat right, I fell right back into bad habits. So when I made my first appearance in the gym in nearly a month, and was shocked by how much progress I had made was lost. My strength and conditioning was down, and I was spent pretty quickly.

Physical atrophy. Lethargy.

I’m writing this, because I know that this can easily happen in sales. Many years ago, I took the Sandler Sales course, and while I probably can’t recite every single step in the “submarine methodology” there was a concept called that I kept in my back pocket, and think about all the time.

“Behaviors, Attitudes, and Techniques.” (I tried to coin the phrase “BATting average” but my Sandler dude didn’t gravitate to it.) Seems kinda simple. If you practice good behavior, and you maintain the right attitude, and you use the right techniques you will be reasonably successful in ANY endeavor. If you don’t implement all three, you’ll likely be less successful than you could be. Like I said - really simple.

What he didn’t tell me (or I failed to retain this), is the UNIVERSAL TRUTH in all forms of training. Each aspect of the “BAT” model is intertwined with the others. Without getting into a Sandler sales pitch, let me briefly illustrate.

Last night, at 5:05pm, somewhere in America, a pretty average sales rep chooses to meet up with his buddies for a couple beers “to blow off steam” because the boss is “on his ass to move get his numbers up.” (I know, I know - this NEVER happens, right?) He’s got an important meeting tomorrow at 8:00am sharp, but he’s done this presentation like, 100 times…in his sleep.

He leaves the bar, not at 6:00, or 7:00pm, but at like 10:50pm, a little juiced, with not enough time to get 8 hours of sleep, but just in time to hit Mc D’s to grab a Double McWhatever, some fries, and a shake. He goes home, shovels McCrap in his stomach, and sets his alarm for 5:15am - 15 minutes later than he should, but you, know…he’ll magically make up the time in the commute, or skip shaving…or something, flips on the TV and flops into bed at 11:30, waiting for his heartburn to kick in.

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF BEHAVIOR. Behavior refers to the actions or reactions of an individual in relation to an environment. Behavior can be conscious or unconscious, overt or covert, voluntary of involuntary - and yes…CAN BE INFLUENCED by attitude. See, had our sales guy been in a good mood, wasn’t feeling like he’s got pressure on him, and had an attitude that his work, and his contribution to his company was valuable, he might have been inspired to walk into the bar for only an hour, spend his time with his buddies having fun and enjoying 1 beer instead of 10, and leave in time to prep a little before hitting the sack at 9:00.

Let’s get back to our guy. As predicted gets up late - a couple smacks of the snooze bar (BEHAVIOR influenced by a hangover), skips shaving and instead of missing traffic, endures a longer…drawn out drive to work in the morning sun. It’s a good thing he’s done this presentation 100 times in his sleep, because between going home 2 hours later than he should, suffering the heartburn attack, and making multiple trips to the head to relieve himself of all the cheap beer he swigged, he only got two “real” hours of sleep.

So, since our “wittle Mr. Sales Professional is sleepy” he isn’t asking compelling questions, or watching for confirmation of a concept received, or even using a normal cadence in his speech. Instead he’s tweaked out on coffee, with a throbbing head, exhausted, and twitching like Flava Flav in a spelling bee! Think he’s able to hit the ball out of the park in this presentation? Me neither. TECHNIQUES INFLUENCED BY BEHAVIOURS? Ding!

Every professional athlete knows that you’ve got to eat right, sleep well, exercise, and be around positive people in order to kick the 50-ft field goal, hit the hurdles in cadence, or focus enough to see the break on the putting green. Imagine how good Babe Ruth would have really been, had he not been a drinker, smoker, and dramatically overweight. The athletes today are machines…and so are the professionals you’re competing with. I know companies who incentivize their employees to eat right (free healthy snacks), work out (healthclub memberships, personal trainers) so they can kick their competitors butts. I don’t know of any companies that pay their employees to smoke and drink, though.

(For the skeptics -  if you get an entertainment budget, ask your boss if they’d rather you spend $100 on a client drinking, or spend it taking the client to a nice dinner, or a visit to a golf pro…well…you know what the answer SHOULD be.)

So our guy doesn’t get the sale. (No surprise, right?) He comes into the office, dragging his behind, with no contract in his hand, and the boss says “Hey! How’d the presentation go!?” He hears some excuses…sees the bloodshot eyes, and the scrappy beard, and the faint smell of Jaeger seeping from the pores of our guy…and the cycle continues. Behavior influenced technique…technique influenced attitude…attitude influenced…

Sing along with me now -second verse, same as the first.

B.A.T. So simple…so related…and so critical to everything we do.

An old friend sent me the following question via LinkedIn. Poor Steve, I think he thinks he was asking a simple question. Little did he know that he would summon my alter-ego, “Joe Answerman!”

“Mike, I have started my own independent inside sales business/ contracting.  I have 2 clients now so I am working while I am making plans to grow this into a substantial entity.

There are many opportunities out there from independent contracting to being part of a contract services group.  In your experience what has helped you decide to go the direction you’ve gone?” - Steve

My response…

A PAYCHECK!

Seriously, I found a company that wanted to grow, and one that I could have an impact at. I liked the product (and the management team), understood the value proposition, and was prepared for a couple years of hard work before my investment would really pay off. I even kept running my entertainment company, AND selling at Broadlook, just so I could maintain enough income to keep the lights on at home. But, I knew this would be the case ahead of time, and kept my eyes on the prize.

During that time I worked daily on messaging, self-branding, networking, and relationship building - all the stuff you need to do, and do well in order to be viewed as a true sales professional.

Plus, in addition to selling, I made myself available to assist in other areas that needed help. I devleoped systems that became standards in our organization, I lent my advertising and marketing experience to create product slicks, webinar, and tradeshow presentations. I did a lot of copywriting that was used on our websites, etc…whatever was needed to make Broadlook a better brand, I was, and continue to be, willing to contribute. THOSE efforts promoted me from sales professional, to true partner to my company.

Today, while I’m not a sales rep out generating new business, I’m a vested member of this organization, and the “go-to” guy for a lot of the unique things we do. I’m primarily responsible for onboarding, and client retention, but I’m also called upon to discuss strategy, branding, marketing, and still act as an ambassador for our company at some of the most distinguished, and influential professional associations within the industries we serve.

I’m blessed with the opportunities presented to me, and the smarts to take advantage of them.

In my situation, I found a home that I knew was going to be right for me for a while and merely kept outside interests intact until I knew I was dialed in enough to make the leap and fully fund my lifestyle here.

You’re taking a different route - working independently - but from a personal investment/partnership perspective, I think you can do the same. Regardless of what the arrangement might be between you and the person signing your checks, you want to find a project that you can dig into, and be there for a while. Just as it takes time to develop true customer relationships, it’s going to take some time to truly establish the relationship you really want with your partners.

That’s a long answer…but that’s what you get for asking an open question like that, Steve…a long, retrospective answer!

I deliberately waited on writing, and posting this blog for some time now. I wanted to write this on a particularly excellent day; as I didn’t want personal bias to affect the message. Today was fabulous - I worked with fun clients, moved some great deals forward, and even got three really nice, very flattering testimonials on my hard work. Couldn’t ask for a better day to count blessings and reflect on how much the interaction between customer and vendor is a two-way street.Today I want to “flip the script” and convey my thoughts about buying. Someone once said that “we buy things, pretty much the same way we sell things.” I find a lot of truth to that…and in too many cases, this isn’t good. Far too many times, I’ve witnessed confident, well-trained sales people who in most selling situations show a tremendous amount of empathy toward their clients, turn into demanding, dickering, apathetic buyers when given the opportunity.

If you’ve ever heard someone shout something along the lines of “Listen, I work with people all day…and…blah blah blah! I want to speak to your manager!” in the most condescending manner, you know what I’m talking about. Often it’s over the top, and completely unnecessary, yet…amazingly effective.

Personally, I find it embarrassing to our profession, and have no problem with calling someone on it. Listen, no one should make you feel like garbage, just because you are paid a commission, a salary, or an hourly wage to deal with them. It’s bad for you, and it’s bad for the people you’re likely going to deal with moving forward.

Now, I’m not telling you to go off, or pound on someone that ticks you off, but I think it’s outright silly to try to form a lasting sales relationship with someone who’s abusing you.

Yes, I used the term “abuse.” It’s a powerful word, and it often brings the image of violence, of dominating a weaker person, of hurtful words and actions performed to enforce that one person is greater than the other. No one should make you feel that way. Not in your personal life, and certainly not in your professional life. Conversely, no matter how poor the coffee is, or how goofy the electronics store’s policies are, you have no right to direct unbridled, demeaning public anger on someone.

Just as much as I would encourage a person to sever an abusive relationship, I encourage you to break the chain of customer abuse, by refusing to be their victim, and by refusing to make the people you deal with pay for the way you’re treated by lousy customers.

Hold your head high in both roles.

Happy 2009 to each and every one of you! It’s been long overdue, but I’m finally getting back in the gym. No, it’s not a New Year’s resolution  - I think that making resolutions on the first day of the year are often nothing more than an excuse for acting like a fool for the last 2, 5, 10 days of the previous year.

“I’m going to take better care of myself in the new year, but in the meantime, hold my cigarette and drink, while I finish off this chocolate cake!” (Yes, I’ve actually said that some years ago!)

Anyways, I’ve been watching what I eat for a bit now, and I’ve quit smoking, AND cut down on the booze intake, and it’s paying off. I actually survived the Holidays without gaining a pound! Increasing my activity level was a natural - and necessary - step in becoming a better “physical” Mike, which will help me with my confidence, my sales presence, and my stamina to get through my crazy life.

(PLUS, I’m hitting 40 in a couple months…and being a single guy, I still want to be “datable.”)

If you’ve ever been in my boat - not being in the gym for a while - you might be able to relate to that awkward, uncomfortable (even painful!) experience. You kind of fumble from one machine to the next. You get tired easy. You can’t lift as much/run as long/do as many reps. And, depending on your attitude, you might even get a little dejected. For me, it’s been a bit of a lesson in humility…and a big old dose of reality.

The old adage “if you don’t use it, you lose it” becomes REALLY evident.

I’ve also noticed that the same can be said of sales, and sales technique. Skills get rusty if they’re not used frequently. Haven’t made “new” (cold) sales calls in a while? You’ll likely fumble a little bit. Haven’t done a formal presentation/demo in a bit? Your timing might be a little off. You might get nervous, anxious, or even feel fatigue from making calls. Sound familiar? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a salesperson EXHAUSTED from a non-productive day. The conversation goes a little something like this…

“Oh man…I made like, 30 calls today…I’m spent.”

“Did you make any sales?”

“Nope.”

“Did you move any sales along, or get clarity on where you were in the sales process?”

“Nope.”

“Well, did you at least set any new appointments?”

“Dude…I know what I’m supposed to do, and all…but it’s the flippin’ (INSERT YOUR B.S. EXCUSE HERE!)”

First the bad news. In the gym, you can shake it off, get a good night’s sleep, and try again the next day. In a sales environment, well…you don’t make the sale, and your paycheck reflects that. Now the good news. If you exercise your “sales muscles” (that weird-shaped gray matter between most people’s ears) you can become a Sales Adonis!

Oddly enough…the two workouts are almost identical.

Intake. Food, and food for thought. You need to fill both your body and mind with good, wholesome stuff - quality, nourishing ingredients as fuel, and positive inspiring information for your soul. And no, I’m not talking about watching “Glengarry, Glen Ross.” The “ABC/coffee’s for closers” speech is garbage in terms of helping you be a better sales rep. (It IS amusing, though.) Read/watch/listen to things that enlighten you, put you in a positive “give back” state of mind.

Get a personal trainer. You deserve this investment. If you can afford to, find someone who is very, VERY good at sales, and pay them to consult you. Got someone at the office who’s surpassing their numbers every month, and getting the spot next to the boss’s while you’re parked in the back? Pay/reward them for their time spent showing you the ropes. Can’t afford to do either right now? Find and read the great trainers out there. My favorites include Jeffrey Gitomer, Seth Godin, and picking tips from fellow bloggers. Who knows…maybe some day I’ll be reading, and wirting about YOUR stuff!

No pain, no gain. Okay, as someone who was once in one of the most prestigious physical therapy / athletic training programs in the nation…I hate this adage. Pain is a signal that something is truly wrong…and it’s an alarm that you shouldn’t be doing that particular action. The same is true of mental pain. No one, no thing in your professional environment should ever make you feel mental or emotional pain.

While it’s not as catchy, what the the saying should be is “Reaching past your comfort zone, can yield great results.” We can all learn from new experiences that reach past our “core” sales processes. Asking compelling questions, being firm with your prices, getting commitment from your prospecton what will be the next step in your engagement  - these aren’t easy things to do. But then again, if they were, everyone would be doing it.

Here’s an idea that might be a little uncomfortable, but I think I’d like to try. The technology I sell, is pretty complex - Internet research automation tools used to mine industry, company, and contact data. I’d love to do presentations to both a bunch of high school students who would have no problem with showing their boredom AND, a bunch of senior citizens who might not have the slightest idea of what the Internet holds. Now THAT would be a lesson in engaging a crowd, as well as educating a group.

 Do the reps, work in sets. Remember the “other” lame adage for working out, and in sports? “Practice makes perfect.” Phooey! Practice does not make perfect. PERFECT practice, makes perfect. If you exercise with poor form…you’ll either not benefit from the workout - or worse - you’ll risk an injury.

The same can be said in you sales work-out. Remember my “friend” above? When he made those 30 calls, I used to pause, and listen to his work. They all sounded the same - scripted, redundant calls. You could almost hear him over and over again drag the same words through…always leaving voicemails.

You’ll likely not learn much from doing sloppy calls over and over again. The key is to work on your calls in sets, carefully monitoring, and if need be correcting/tweaking each set until your flow is natural, and your confidence is high.

Personally, I like to work in sets. I like to group new, hunted calls in one block, incoming leads into another, referred leads into another, follow-up calls, on and on. I’ve found that, if I’m guiding my prospects through my sales process; while each person’s needs differ, the message is similar in those groups, and I work more efficiently. I see a lot of people waste time at the gym running from one machine to the next, then back to the original machine…and I see sales people do the same thing on the floor. Efficiency allows you to work at greater capacity, in shorter periods of time.

 Rest, relax, reward. Muscles need time to recover. So does your mind after working it hard. Take time to get a good night’s sleep. (Now that I’m doing it…I actually sleep through the entire night - an oddity of the last few years.) Enjoy some good, productive “blow-off” time. (During lunch today, I’m hitting the shooting range, and going to try to make a paper target look like a snowflake!) Treat yourself to something really nice - a day at the spa, a nice dinner with your favorite person…whatever makes you the happiest. If there’s no reward for hard work, what’s the point, right?

I’ll keep you posted on both of my new initiatives…do me a favor, and comment up on yours.

Okay, it’s the Holiday Season, and I hear it time and time again from recruiters.

“Our industry shuts down this time of the year. No one’s hiring, businesses close down, and a lot of candidates are on vacation, home with the kids…” Blah. Blah. Blah.

Stop whining about the situation, and leverage it, bubba! First off, NO business really “closes” for the holidays. Bosses, managers are still coming into the office, and are likely more accessible than ever. Plus, with extreme weather, and events that Christmas brings, they’re likely spending MORE time in the office, and less time on the road. Heck, here in the Midwest, bosses make a point to be in the office, especially when the weather’s bad, to set an example for their employees that they don’t “shut down” for the holidays - ripe for business development calls!

Okay, so what about those ever-elusive “at home candidates?” CALL THEM! Listen, the Holidays are a time of reflection, and of measuring the soon to be previous year. People are thinking about the economy, the promise of a new year, and what can they do to provide more for themselves and their families. Remember, you’re not soliciting them with magazine subscriptions, and shopping sprees. You’re offering them a chance to network with someone that can change their lives.

You might not lock down appointments with them in December, but you might be able to catch someone for a cup of coffee (near a shopping mall?), or maybe a quick lunch. Nonetheless, this is a PERFECT time to connect with those candidates, and begin the dialog necessary to make 2009 a year of change for them, and revenue for you.

Want to learn how to reach those candidates at home? Call me at the office, and I’ll be happy to show you. 262.754.8080 xt 216.

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Today on RecruitingBlogs.com, I ran across a person who was looking for a new Applicant Tracking System. (For people outside recruiting, this is basically a CRM system, that also includes the ability to store and search information from resumes, as well as track employment history, job orders, etc.)

So, I ended up writing the following reply, and after looking at some of my older postings regarding CRM, was pleased at my consistency.

Cory -

We’re partners (and in many cases, close friends) with some of the most well-known ATS manufacturers, and they all have features and functionality that can be considered unique advantages. Conversely, I’ve heard just as many recruiters complain about functions that others really like.

If it were possible to do so, I’d bet that if we took all the various aspects of each ATS, and laid them out ala buffet cart, no two recruiters would pick the exact same plate. Some people would pick stand-alone software with a central database that everyone logs into, some would want it hosted and log in , and some might even prefer a hybrid model. Some people want heavy-duty marketing functionality, and others might not think that’s particularly important. Some limit the amount of data you can upload, others allow the gates wide open.

Here’s my suggestion - don’t listen to suggestions…do your homework. Here’s some stuff you should have a clear picture on, and some questions you should ask your group, before you begin to shop.

- What does your data look like now, is it important to move it, and what can you move it into? (This is going to be HUGE when you migrate platforms.)

- Do you want to host the information yourself, or do you want the vendor to host it for you? (If it’s the latter, you should know what the process of getting your information out of the system looks like, should your needs, or your vendor/client relationship changes.)

- What kind of search, scheduling, and reporting functions do you need within your system. (You really need buy-in from everyone on this - it’s super important that a new system doesn’t cause MORE work for critical members of your staff.)

- Does the software play well with other tools in your recruiting toolbelt? THIS can be huge in the process of daily activity. Here’s an example - Broadlook (my company) builds tools that rapidly gather company and contact information from millions of places on the Internet. That alone is super cool, but what’s even cooler, is our ability to export that data into a number of partner ATS systems, eliminating hundreds of hours of wasteful data-entry. You WANT to work with a company that sees partnerships like ours important. (Just about all of them do!)

- Total budget. This kind of relates back to Q #1, as some companies charge not only for the purchase of the software, but the importing of historical information, and setting up the software so it plays well with other critical applications (like merging your Word documents into templates, etc.) It all can add-up fast, and you don’t want to force a “kinda” implementation in order to limbo under a budget.

- Lastly, you want a business partner, not just a vendor. You’re running THE most important part of a recruiting business on the chosen ATS platform - your Intellectual Property. This is a serious investment, and you want to make sure you have access to people who can make things happen, people who will take responsibility if things don’t go as planned, and eminently the person in charge of it all, who understands how incredibly big their part is in your business.

If you get the feeling that the company you’re working with isn’t guided by principals, but rather hiding by policies, pull the plug - you don’t need them.

Here are some companies (and people), I like, trust, and would happily endorse (this is deliberately in no particular order):

- Michael Johnson at Bullhorn
- Matt Lachey at Fleetware
- Tammy Wirths at Sendouts
- Tim Quirk at Akken
- Chris Kennedy at Bond Adapt
- Todd Boesler at Big Biller

There’s an old adage in sales “All things being equal, you do business with people you like. All things not so equal, you still do business with people you like.”

Good luck!

Mike

Time for a sales parable.

A man was strolling along a boardwalk, when he spotted an artist painting on canvas. Surrounding him were many beautiful paintings, and when the man inquired about these works of art, the artist claimed “Of course they are mine. I can paint anything your heart desires.”

The man was quite impressed with the artist’s work, and asked him if he’d be willing to paint a picture for him, for $300.00. The artist, while quite talented was not rich, and immediately took the man up on his offer.

“I’ll paint the perfect picture for you…anything you want.”

The man told the artist exactly what he wanted. “I’d like a shoreline at sunset, with waves gently cascading over a beautiful beach to the right, and a stone breakwall to the left.” The artist began to work on the painting.” Sitting on the breakwall, I’d like a big lighthouse, with a radiant beacon ready to shine it’s light, and guide a boat far off in the horizon home” the man said.

The artist, worked his brushes with mastery, creating the painting as if it fell from the man’s very lips onto the canvas.

The man’s eyes gleamed with delight. “It’s perfect!” he exclaimed, as he reached for the painting.

“Wait!” the artist replied. “Allow me to put the finishing touches on this masterpiece.” The artist then took out a soft brush, and gently painted an intricate layer of sea spray, where the water met the mighty rocks of the breakwall.

“Excellent!” said the man.

“I’m not done yet.” replied the artist. He then put a brush to his mouth, moistened it to the smallest of tips, and painted two beautiful seagulls, soaring across the sky. Just as he did this, he smiled proudly at his masterpiece, and turned to the man to receive his praise. Instead, he found himself alone. The man had left his side, and had begun to walk down the boardwalk.

The artist, confused and angered by the man’s departure, threw his brushes and easel to the ground, and ran after him.

“HEY! You promised me that if I painted you a picture, you’d pay me $300! I painted you a PERFECT PICTURE, and you walk away?!”

“It wasn’t perfect to me” the man replied. “I hate seagulls.”

Sale lost.

Man, I’m busy, busy, busy…yet completely uninspired. Work piles up, and I’m getting it “done” but without the passion I usually have. I haven’t written anything in a while, and by now, I usually have something between the ears that I can’t wait to get out in a posting. So, off I go to my iGoogle “Great Quotes” tab, to find some inspiration from the great minds of the world.

Today’s quotes…

Mark Twain - “Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.”

Not exactly inspirational for a guy with a mission to lose 100 lbs before his 40th birthday. (7 months away - I’ll post something about this soon!)

Plato - “Never discourage anyone…who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.”

Nice…good theme…but not really hitting me.

Henry David Thoreau - “Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.”

HDT, I work for a tech company! You’re not helping me at all!

Then comes one Vincent Thomas Lombardi. The glorious man from who the Packer of Green Bay, WI won FIVE Championships in merely nine years.

“Dictionary is the only place that success comes before wor. Hard works is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you’re willing to pay the price.”

Thanks, coach!

Welcome back to my place on the ‘net. It’s been a while since I’ve blogged, primarily because of some pretty stressful times in my life. Losing both parents this summer to cancer drained me mentally, and put a physical toll on me that I can’t begin to describe. More on that in another post, once I sort out all the feelings.

So, I get back to the office yesterday, and was saddened to find that one of my favorite presentation tools, “flypaper” (yes, they’re one of those cutesy companies that keep the product in small caps) is pulling the old bait and switch on it’s customers. What’s flypaper? Think of it as PowerPoint on steroids - a series of customizable templates, pages, buttons etc. with the addition of flash-type annimation; that can be saved not only in the proprietary format, but also in other flash-enabled formats like Windows Media, web pages, etc. Here’s a quick read on the product.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10787_3-10006389-60.html

About the company. Originally the company told users that flypaper was aboslutely, positively free.  The company was going to build a community of users who would freely and openly share their designs, and then monetize their offering by providing customer support of the program, as well as by producing content for those wanting the results, but don’t want to learn how to use it. It appeared that the strategy was working quite well, as many people (including myself) bought into the offering, learned the tool, and started sharing templates, “stories” (the equivolent of a slide in PP), and offered continued feedback on the product.

So much for that idea. A couple months ago, it seemed like flypaper was changing their business model. They put out a new free beta version and a so-called “pro” version. My thoughts were that the product seemed crippled to some degree, as it took forever to boot up as it needed to connect to the flypaper server; some of the nice, simple features were dramatically changed; and all designs included a marketing watermark.

Then the other shoe dropped. On September 11th (so not appropriate), users got a notice that there won’t be a “free” and “pro” version, but only one version…and you can have that version for $195.00 a year. (For existing users $95 this year, if you act fast!)

“Huh? What about my templates that I created? What about my content?” Gone. “Can I at least convert my old stuff into a format that I can still use?” Sure…you have two days to do that…oops, that already happened.

The company’s CEO is Pat Sullivan. I’ve met Pat several times, and I really like the guy. I’m hoping he’s reading my blog post as the remainder of this blog is a personal letter, from me to him. You’re on the honor system, people…look away…look away. (wink)

Dear Pat,

I know you’re a righteous dude, but I think this whole flypaper thing kind of stinks. You got us hooked on a product, then changed the offering - twice. In the meantime, you built a nice community of people who gave you content that we can no longer use, no longer benefit from, unless we give you money.

It’s kind of like telling everyone to show up for a potluck dinner, encourage use to bring a dish to pass then once we hand in our caseroles, you decide to charge a cover. Not cool, Pat…not cool at all. I still think you’re a brilliant guy, and I wish you well with your company, but I don’t think I’m coming to anymore parties that you organize.

Your Friend,

 Mike Tischer

P.S. - What’s your take on the newest version of ACT!?