80s Memories
For us children of the 80's, there is a site that lets you play classic video games. However, this doesn't need all the emulation software and downloads, but just pops up a browser window with the game and you're off. I tried out Pacman and although the controls are a little slow, it's the real thing.

Hat Tip: Outside the Beltway

posted by Director_Mitch @ 10:29 AM (Permalink)
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Friday Happy Hour Review
Rorschach here with a Special Scotch Review:
You like a nice smooth blend? A Little Dewar’s and soda? Some Walker Red? This review is not for you. Disclaimer 1: I enjoy a nice blended scotch from time to time as well, I’m not some crotchety purist who demands only single malts or death. But for the case of this monograph, we will consider two very polarizing single malts from the Islay region, and two of my favorites. Expand your horizons, and you may find a friend for life. Disclaimer 2: very much like Cuban cigars, I would not choose to drink these kinds of scotch every day. They are to be savored and appreciated, special occasion and all that. There are two standout features for Islay region Scotch that I love (and some hate) : the flavors of Smoke and Peat. (And what is peat? the upper stratum of soil bound by grass and plant roots into a thick mat, That’s right: DIRT)


A great introduction to Islay malts is Lagavulin. (pronounced "Lagga-voolin") It is by no means smooth when compared to your Dad’s blended scotch. But it has a certain refinement for its appellation. Lagavulin is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland, so these lads know what they’re doing. I am not a great poet of tasting notes, if you must read about whiffs of chocolate and clover, see here. I will say that the aroma of this Islay is subdued, and the peat flavor is not so strong.





But when you want to go Xtreme Islay (sigh), you must consider Laphroaig. (“La-froyg”) As my good friend at redleopard put it: “Man it’s like chewing on a bog.” And he meant that with love, truly. This is an intense PEAT experience. The aroma alone may put you off tasting, but I urge persistence. Like truffles, it can truly be rewarding. So pour a wee dram, get into a pensive mood and have a flavor explosion.




One last note: how do you take it? Some purists demand that the scotch be taken straight up, room temp (cool-ish). This can be the best way to enjoy the aroma and the flavors, but I have been known to throw a block of ice in my glass from time to time. Just don’t ruin these gems with any water or (gasp) mixer.

posted by Rorschach @ 5:01 PM (Permalink)
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Vegas? Again?
I will be attending my third trade show in four months tomorrow in Vegas. Not a big surprise since it is the city picked most often for trade shows, but it is getting OLD. I have been to Vegas dozens of times on business and pleasure and the city has just lost that magic it had when I first started going.

I have stayed on every major hotel on the Strip and Downtown. I have been to all the casinos, most of the shows and many of the better restaurants. While I enjoy gambling as a form of entertainment, it is something I am simply not interested in doing for hours on end, so, in short, Vegas gets boring for me in about a day. The grand hotels and glitz just seem like the tacky, Americanized bastardizations of the real places I have been to (Paris, Rome, Venice, etc.). It's "been there, done that".

Anyway, the trade shows are interesting, and that is why I am going. I will post a report on PMA/DIMA (Photo Marketing Association/Digital Imaging Marketing Association) by Monday. I hope to see some interesting products and trends for consumer imaging products, sort of a specialized case of what I reported from CES.

posted by Director_Mitch @ 10:04 PM (Permalink)
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Fourth Day on Job - The Truth Comes Out
It has actually become apparent over the last few days that the situation of my product isn't exactly what I was lead to believe when I interviewed. The implication was that the product I am marketing was a new entry that my company made a large investment in last quarter in PP&E (Plant, Property, Equipment) and this quarter in people (like me).

Turns out this isn't quite true. Well, it IS true, but it isn't the whole story.

While the company did invest a lot of money last quarter to bring this business on-line, it turns out this isn't exactly a new product category for my company. In my conversations with potential customers and with field sales, I find out that my company had actually entered this market several years ago and pulled out 18 months ago pissing off more than a few customers. Turns out that my three biggest leads were actually being sold this product when my company pulled the plug, leaving these guys "high and dry".

Now 18 months ago was near the bottom of the tech bust and a lot of tech companies were cutting products, people, overhead, you name it. Apparently this product category was cut with little notice to field sales or customers, so one sales guy had the distinction of traveling overseas with the president of the customer company to do a factory tour to show how committed we were, and then telling him a week later we were canning the product.

So my job is not only to market this product, but also to mend fences with some pissed off customers. Surprisingly, the customers I have contacted have been open to meeting with me, perhaps due more to my personal connections than anything else. My first job, however, will be to convince the customers that my company is serious about being in, staying in, and supporting this product category, making my job just a little harder.

Would knowing this info had changed my mind about accepting the position? No, it wouldn't. In a way, it just adds to the challenge of the job. But it would have been nice to have heard the whole story before I began, and at least before I started contacting customers.

posted by Director_Mitch @ 4:46 PM (Permalink)
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Second & Third Day on Job - Win Over Sales
I have commented before about the epic battles between Sales and Marketing and how to avoid them. I am following my own advice and being very proactive about getting connected with the sales force and letting them know my strategy and plans, and getting their input and advice. This was very important to do immediately since I was already contacting potential customers I knew in this market and setting up meetings at an upcoming trade show. So here are the steps I took:

Step 1 - Contact VP Sales - I actually called him last week before I started, but he wasn't in, so I left a voice mail. I followed up with an email on Monday introducing myself and my desire to make sure we had "good sales/marketing coordination in this segment". I then listed the companies I was already in contact with about setting up meetings.

I received a "Welcome Aboard" email with the names of the salespeople for the accounts I named, and a thanks.

Step 2 - Contact Sales People - Dropping the name of the VP ("VP Sales gave me your name as the person to contact") I called and emailed the sales people, letting them know who I was, my position, and my desire to speak to them about their specific account. They all called back almost immediately and I had great conversations with all of them. They appreciated me getting their insight, account history, and their advice on how to move forward. In return I gave them my contact names and information, and my promise to keep them up to date on everything that happened at the trade show.

So now that I have included them in my strategy formulation and made them a part of the process from the beginning, sales and marketing can feel (and act like) we are on the same team.

posted by Director_Mitch @ 2:24 PM (Permalink)
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Where Are They Now?
I remember protesters from about a year ago protesting the death of "innocent Iraqis". Where are they now?

Second Iraq Bombing Pushes Deal Toll to 100

posted by Director_Mitch @ 1:56 PM (Permalink)
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First Day On Job - Update Rolodex
So I hurried to work today at the new job. Traffic was light until I ran into a stack of folded laundry on the stairs. That little back-up took a second or two to get around, so my total commute time was 12 seconds getting downstairs this morning.

When I took the job, they said I could work out of the local sales office (5 miles away) or from home. I have to work out of the house this week since my work laptop won't be ready for a while, and my personal laptop won't connect to the Lotus Notes server at the sales office. Even when I get my work computer, though, I think I will end up working from home most the time. The sales office is small - about 6 people - and they are usually out at customers. So if I am going to be alone at an office, it might as well be the one in my home (Mrs. Director works and Little Ms. Director goes to a nanny during the day, so I am ALONE).

I won't be lonely if today was an indication since I spent most of the day on the phone (and I will be traveling a lot so won't be in town probably 25% of the time). The product I am marketing is in a segment I was in 18 months ago, so I spent time calling some of my contacts to let them know where I was (and to find out if they would be interested in my product). The good news is that EVERYONE was interested in my product (well, service, actually). The bad news is that some of my contacts are no longer around.

Several times today I connected to a secretary and asked to speak to someone I knew. "That person is no longer with us" didn't stop me for a second. "Can I talk to the person who replaced him", or "This is Director Mitch from Company A and I would like to talk to the person responsible for ...." was my usual response. Each time I was connected to the right person and had good conversations, but it just goes to show you how fast a rolodex can get out of date.


posted by Director_Mitch @ 9:24 PM (Permalink)
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Why Kirk is Better than Picard
Like you need a list of examples, but here's 100 (no permalink for the listing, so just scroll down to find the entry). A few of my favorites:

90. Kirk would personally throw Wesley off his bridge.
86. Kirk would never sing to children in a crisis.
66. Kirk says "Shoot first and wait for retaliation."
45. If Kirk finds a strange spinning probe, he blows it up.
26. Kirk plays god with lesser cultures, and then exploits them for resources.
6. Three Words: Flying Leg Kick

Of course Picard is better than either Janeway or Archer. I would put Archer at the bottom, BUT Archer is doing better this season, at least within the Zindi story line. Anyone who puts someone in an airlock and starts decompressing it in order to get info gets a big star in my book (I don't know how many times I rolled my eyes at some wimpy decision by Janeway). I didn't watch DSN enough to judge Cisco Sisco, but he's disqualified anyway since he is a captain of a stationary barge instead of a star ship.

Hat Tip: Poliblogger

posted by Director_Mitch @ 1:00 PM (Permalink)
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