We're about 4 posts from the finale of this The Conversations with the Past arc, for those of your wondering when this will end. I will be offering a "lessons learned" post at the end of this arc.This arc is based on a nine year old article by Chris Locke, Faster Horses! sent to me by Jim Sterne and is an experiment in trans-temporal communication; a kind of "What can we learn from the past?" gedanken, if you will.
Part 1 had Mr. Locke waking up in the middle of the night and asking me some questions. Part 2 went into why we dream what we dream and what would have to happen for someone to dream about ecommerce. Part 3 ended with Mr. Locke going to a prospect meeting and in Part 4 Mr. Locke was engaging with the prospect. Part 5 found Mr. Locke going into metaphor and being distracted and Part 6 delved into a cynicism that can develop between client and consultant (and hopefully note mine!). Part 7 found Mr. Locke turning his well-deserved cynicism into a moral philosophy, a difficult task and one that I can easily appreciate, and Part 8 left Mr. Locke concerning himself with what, exactly, the prospect does.
To make things a little easier to read, Mr. Locke's article will be in standard text, my responses in italics.
"We produce a suite of collaborative software tools that enable productive group interaction and deliver cost-effective bottom-line results." Mother of God, where do they get these talking mannequins?
My gut level response is that they get them from every business school in the country. Fortunately, I've been exposed to the students at KBarUMass Lowell so I know that's not necessarily the case.
"Well then, there you go!" Before the obvious pleasure of the assembled at this entirely pointless interjection can evaporate, I quickly continue. "So that means you're competing against Lotus Notes, right?"
I remember them. Aren't they still around but as something else? {Yes, this is nine years old, dear readers.}
"That's correct."
Thanks. {Thought so.}
"You should be hugely successful then. That stuff is dog sh?t." A new warmth circulates about the table and I am gently folded into it. I am being accepted as One of Their Own.
I knew people who made entire careers out of being able to program in 'Notes. I remember thinking "You need to program email?"
There is more discussion after that, but I can't remember anything that was said, so vast is my relief at having lived through the pitch. Which, by the way, was accepted in toto. What would I actually do for the ten grand? Oh, this and that. Advise. Shepherd their dull ideas toward some vague notion of success. "That's great, Frank. No, I really like it. Seriously."
(more to follow...)
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Links for this post:
- Chris Locke's Faster Horses!
- The Conversations with the Past blog arc
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