28/Nov/2011
It’s Cyber Monday. Personally, I like shopping on Amazon.
At the very least, I always start my research on Amazon. Occasionally I buy from another e-tailer, but most often, I come back to Amazon to make the purchase as well.
Exactly how big is Amazon? Frugal Dad published this excellent infographic last week:
Did you notice item #7? Kindle Fire preorders are double the number of the original iPad preorders.
Speaking of which, there is an excellent article in the November issue of Inc. Magazine about the brewing competition and market overlap between Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google.
Source: Frugaldad.com
25/Nov/2011
“You take criticism as an opportunity to grow” ~ fortune cookie
Two co-workers meet in person, over lunch, for the first time. They had communicated by email and by phone. They’re not unknown to each other, but meeting in person is different. There are added dimensions – facial expressions, body language…
One is new to the company, works at headquarters, and runs the manufacturing function.
The other has been around a long time, and is a sales rep working from a remote sales office.
The lunch meeting is a disaster. The sales rep complains the entire time. About everything – about the company, about the product, about manufacturing, about customers, about market conditions… on and on.
Here’s the problem:
That lunch meeting was more than three years ago.
But the impression remains. The head of manufacturing still considers this one sales rep the negative one. Anytime his name is mentioned, the image that comes to mind is that very unpleasant lunch meeting.
That one hour defined the relationship.
[Image Credit: Lars Plougmann on Flikr]