Not that you asked, but I have some things to say.

We receive many answers. Yes, no, maybe...silence. All are forms of answers. I was faced with a rather unique epiphany to a rather old and repeated answer to a question I asked of a prospective client today. I won't get into the question, or it's answer. What I will discuss is the epiphany. The answer didn't serve my purpose. My options were a) accept the answer as gospel; b) re-ask the question, but in a different manner; c) try to change the situation that made the answer correct, or d) find the real answer elsewhere. I may have missed an option, this is a complex scenario. But the summary above served my purpose, and in the spirit of expediency, I limited it to those three. How should I address this? Step 1: Assess the individual. Is there historical precedence that would lead me to believe that the person is not being truthful? Is there precedence that the person may believe what he or she is saying, with the answer being incorrect? Does this person even have ...

In a recent post I used the term 'atrocious' to define my new office. After consideration, I felt it necessary to expound on this a tad. The office is located in the area of BNA airport. It is dense with business offices, a blessing for a salesperson. It has free parking (my old office I had to pay), a conference room twice the size of my old settings, an impressive entry foyer that could almost be called an indoor arboretum, and a fully functional kitchen that I look forward to using soon. It is, as offices go, quite lovely. So why the word atrocious? I'll say it speaks more to me than the office. It's location is strategic and highly functional. The several locations (that we telco types call POPs) are deployed based on how they will tie together a fiber network. This generally means they will be dotted around the periphery of a city. So again...why the word atrocious? It's strategic location, on the periphery of the city, means that many of the things I...

I'll admit...I stole the word 'Co-opetiton'. It was either from Frank Platt or Ron Styers, two of Nashville's Technology Titans, and all around damn good guys. The idea was one I already followed, but they both cemented it for me. Thank you both. The brief definition of this (and I've already blogged about it before, excuse any repetition) is to embrace your competitors as inevitable and, where possible, to engage them on behalf of your client. To expound a tad, my client will be looking at CarrierX. They currently do not have a contact. I will ask, on the clients behalf, to make an introduction. The iPad carries a strong app for Windows Office suite. This is due to the inevitability of Windows Office. To not have co-opetition here would be fruitless and detrimental to Apple. So it goes. At a Golf Tourney today and a Technology 'special interest committee' meeting yesterday, the idea of Co-opetition arose. Many at both events could not accept the ide...

Today I attended my first sales meeting at my new company. The meeting was presided over by the same sales manager I've had for years, but the subject was change. Not just the change for he and I, but the change our arrival will mean to the others on the team. He challenged them to take a hard look at their approach, their performance, their attitude and commitment. Being new, I had no such evaluation, at least not similar to theirs. But I did do some thinking about the past few years of my life at my previous company. What I came up with was hard to admit. I had been morbidly bored. This boredom had infected, infiltrated, and eroded at me. I had become complacent, jaded, angry, and somewhat lazy. To any peers or clients that read this, my apologies. I have been trained to self-motivate...to control that which I can, accept those things outside of my control, and push for results without falter. "Not happy? Get there or go elsewhere." Sometimes it's alright to admit ...

Inevitable, constant, lovely change. I have, over the past decade or so, faced changes. Clients, corporate policies, leaders, peers, etc....all have changed over the years. I have harangued many times about change....all from the comfort of the same desk I've had for years. The biggest change in my career just occurred this past Monday. It was then I knew that I had truly seen little change. I had 10 years of momentum and success that I could wrap around myself like a comfy blanket. That all changed Monday. But maybe not...my reputation, years of great training, relationships that I've had longer than I've known my wife, my old boss....they are all still with me. This is comforting. My new office is atrocious, my new team mates probably have no idea how to take me, and my new company is very process oriented. I'm not a process guy. But I am invigorated, excited, and (dare I say) ready to accept this change. But several times this week I have longed to wrap myself in my ...