Tag: army

Now You Fool Me

Now You Fool Me

“You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”

Whoever said that, must’ve really known conmen.

Political parties disagree with the opposition, and vice versa. They even react to current events, whether domestic or foreign. But ever noticed a politician publicly disagree with another voice on the same team?

The only other place you’d probably see that, is in the army, where you’re trained never to question authority. But that isn’t the case, nor should it be so in politics. Politics is where stupid ideas must be refined in a fire of counterarguments, before anyone dares make them anything more.

But that isn’t the case in reality, the world over. And that should tell you all you need to know about the herd and the lack of individual reasoning. Something that should be of great concern to progressive countries.

In the Godfather, Michael Corleone advises his brother, ‘don’t ever take sides with anyone against the family.’

But, should it apply to people who are part of the machinery that directly or indirectly runs a country? The interest of the masses, at least in theory, should be first priority. And yet we almost never hear an independent thinker strongly and publicly disagree with a brash party strategy or decision.

Even when a politician is found guilty of a wrongdoing, the almost uniform, cinematic, tailored reactions of fellow-party members, dialogues included, reflects suspicion far more than it does unity.

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Sell Blankets to Eskimos

Sell Blankets to Eskimos

This post requires you to think a bit. Might be difficult on a Friday night, but do give it a thought over the weekend.

We all know how challenging the life of a salesperson can be. Unrealistic sales targets, unwelcoming prospective customers, unending follow-up calls and meetings. And then demoralizing posters outside offices and the crushing pressure of time as end of the month approaches. Not to mention clients who like the thrill of being pursued by multiple businesses.

Salesperson 3

image: glasbergen

And if all that was not bad enough, there are the trials of making it through the day with erratic food timings. I have spent a grueling stint in a Marketing role, and while I had the luxury of driving for meetings, lunches were more like a mirage in the desert. I always had 6-7 bottles of water stacked up, and that usually kept me going. From skipping lunch to spending time explaining a concept to a prospective client, to pecking at food at god-forsaken eateries, to the thrill of eating after a chain of hopeful meetings.

The internet connection at home was down recently. Finally when the engineer showed up, it turned out that the re-configuring would take about an hour. There was a big mug of tea waiting for me, so I offered the engineer some. He declined, saying he suffered from acidity, and tea would only worsen it. Something I am very familiar with, thanks to the poor eating regime I’ve followed over the years. But, it got me wondering about the thousands of sales people and field engineers who spend long hours chasing prospects or fixing things, resulting in them neglecting their own health. So I wanted to ask you, for ideas on how we could find a solution to the people who sell all the awesome stuff, and for those folk who fix our gadgets and appliances whenever they act up.

Salesperson 2

image: TrinityMarketingSystems

Can you think of ways by which sales and support folk can have their meals on time? Especially when they’re doing the rounds?

To get the ball rolling, here are a few initial thoughts that came to mind…

  • a very basic concept of a reminder app on the mobile, reminding the person to drink water, or have lunch, etc.
  • food delivery services specially focused on delivering to sales & support personnel on the go. They should deliver to anything from the crossroads at ABC junction, to outside XYZ company’s office, or outside the PQR store
  • this one’s my favorite, something I’ve personally been longing for, to streamline my eating schedule. Food in capsules. Just pop a few in, and you’re good to go. Beats even the army’s combat ration MREs

Let’s have your ideas, and hopefully someone can actually start working on a business service that’s focused on selling to those who sell.

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Look forward to your views. And if you liked this one, consider following/subscribing to my blog (top right of the page). You can also connect with me on LinkedIn and on Twitter.

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