ATCP, LLC

Could you just imagine if here in the US we used mascots to make the public more aware of issues relating to our safety? We already screwed up with Elvis as a Drug Czar (Thanks, naive Nixon), so which mascot would be our Drug Czar today?

They are all so loopy and quirky that you could say that all of them have symptoms of some sort of medical/recreational use.

Full article on Japanese mascots here: Japanese Mascots: A New, Effective and Charming Invasion.

If you understand what Sales Engineers are, then you realize that they should be isolated from the general population in the same way that field reps are-and for the same reasons. The same traits that make a Sales Engineer effective are the same that alienate them from the common cubers, and I’ve recently proved this is true.

For one thing, successful Sales Engineers are able to convey confidence above all else. That confidence, in a sales situation, translates into credibility for the Sales/Account Rep. That confidence is completely 180 degrees against the flow of a successful cuber, in that they learn to survive by being passive in all matters, avoiding making decisions. A no-decision is a decision that can never be wrong, right?

But in the Sales Engineer’s world, there is no room for indecision-we may only get this one chance in front of a prospect! We need to be able to say what is needed, and say it confidently. There are many funny names/phrases for what we do in a tight spot, such as “being frugal with the truth”, but one of my primary axioms for Sales Engineering is:

Never leave the call with questions about your stuff.

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Mandatory viewing for any Republican, or anyone who watches Fox. And you know how they dismiss this? “Nobody takes Glenn Beck seriously”. Sorry. Not buying it.

In a recent article, Matthew explains the importance of the various pitches we do in sales every day. But as I’ve pointed out many times: we are all selling, all of the time.

My point is, people not in sales can benefit immediately from these pointers. Those of us that do sell (that includes Sales Engineers) use these exercises and techniques as second nature, which helps us exude credibility and confidence.

And lets face it, everyone can use a little more of that.

CultureLab: Artificial ape man: How technology created humans.

Timothy Taylor has published a book called “The Artificial Ape”, and he posits that hominids had to develop technology, like a sling for a baby, in order to introduce survival of the weakest.

What this means is that sick babies were able to be carried instead of being left to die as the pack wandered in search of food.