I am not the only strange one out there

that watches Cris Angel. You have to check out Ricks post yesterday.
(http://rick-undone.blogspot.com/)
I really wanted to see Cris when I was in Vegas.

In some strange way Cris is really a sales guy. He sells the act, getting people to buy what is going on and lets face it if you can sell out your show for months in advance you must be doing something right.

Giving credit where credit is due.

My peer group voted me most valuable member of the year. I am very honored by these guys (and gals) for they are some of the people I most respect.

Anyway, I was thinking what this group gave to me

• The Peer Group idea (a local IT members group) Now three strong
• The Extreme IT makeover
• So many technical tools and ways to do things better technically I cannot even begin to start
• A truly deep understanding of financials and more specifically cash flow
• A sounding board (Good or bad)
• Travel to see many other parts of the country and companies
• New Managed services
• We have done business deals together
• Money for winning the great idea contest (Three times)
• So many contacts in the industry I cant count
• A victory celebration when KU won national championship (Thanks Ricky)
• Confirmation of making good decision
• Confirmation of making bad decisions
• Continued development of my career
• Continued development of me

Clearly not a comprehensive list.

I give credit to these folks for where I am at today. THANKS EVERYONE!

The political temperature

Is sure high. In case you didn't know I have a BS in Political Science. It has been quite a while since I have seen the type of "Actions" in process now. It will be interesting how the world, economy and Republicans respond.

I know you are probably thinking that this is a VERY weak political statement. Hey, I am in sales, avoid politics at all cost. That is why we have Justin McClung Feel free to visit his page (And potentially be prepared to be offended!)

www.justinmcclung.net

***This is not an endorsement of his political or religious views. (More the latter than the previous)

Another free tool.

Ever have a video that was in the wrong format?

MP4, VOD, MPEG you name it and you want to edit it but you cant?

How about seen that interesting video online and want to save it?

Try http://www.squared5.com/

(PS you can use this for purposes less than legal. ***AT NO TIME DO I SUGGEST THAT***

Interesting Sales Stragtegy

The strategy came from a company that sells blankets. Not to be too specific, but the blanket has arms. If you watch TV you probably know what I am talking about.

I heard from one person that ordered the product and they had a " 2 for 1" sale. All you pay for is shipping and handling. (Which was overly expensive)

But what shows up the next week or so is 4. And that is what is charged on the credit card. And of course for you to return these you have to pay shipping. So most people do not return the product.

Hearing this story once makes you think it was an accident. Well, I have heard this happen to 3 people. To be honest, the only three I have even spoke to about this.

Guess this is one way to make money. Definitely not a long term selling strategy.

Enjoying it!

I am sure over the years most of us have run into people that dislike their jobs. In fact may outright detest their jobs. I really can't imagine doing this for 40 plus years. I never understood this. Is it lack of other opportunities that keep these people employed?

Sure, we all have days that work didn't go quite as planned, or may have wanted to do other things. However, 95% of the time I like what I do. In fact it can be easy to fall into a trap which you do not balance home and work life.

Not sure where I am going with this today other than if your work doesn't motivate and keep you inspired, you should probably take a look around at your options. It does amaze me the options that are around. I live in a small town and the options are diverse.

The other option is to make your job into what you want it to be. I find that there are little boundaries on what can be achieved. Many time the limits are your job are self imposed. Push things forward into new realms.

Thank You NASCAR

I am not a Hockey fan, don't really care for college basketball till the tournaments, Pro Basketball does nothing for me, so I am sport less this time of the year.

However I do enjoy NASCAR. I enjoy the team aspect, the technology, speed and the access you get from the recliner. To be honest, I don't think I would enjoy the track side experience. You can barely tell who is leading, you don't get instant replay, and all the camera views.

Really, I think NASCAR has a lot to do with business.

1. The sponsors. You are not doing a good job (Winning races) you are out of a job. (Or take a pay cut)
2. The advertising. (Closely related to sponsors) Everything in NASCAR is an advertisement. From the drivers name, to the color of the cars (Every inch is worth dollars on the car) the signs, commercials these are just to name a few.
3. Each car is a business. Running the race is clearly where the focus is on the weekend, however the other days of the week are making sponsors happy, public relations, the finances and looking at the bottom line, keeping up with the competition from a technology standpoint, looking at the "Game film" from a driver aspect and the hardware standpoint.
4. Earning points. Leading laps and keeping your standing high.

Anyway, I look forward to the new season.