From: "Creamer, William" <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: This guy could give Hugh Smith, ....no he can't
> Date: July 7, 2014 at 2:13:22 PM EDT
> 
> 
> There are two points that came to mind when I read the latest rambling missive from Hugh:
> 
> 1) Great communicators are concise.

I am not a great communicator.  I am a salesman.  I like to tell stories among friends, and I always feel I am among friends when I stop in here to chat.  I always admired Mark Twain and Will Rogers and they certainly are not known for brevity. In my defense, I have made multiple trips to Ireland and kissed the Blarney Stone twice. 
> 
> 2) Great communicators don't use jargon, or in this instance, foreign phrases, to an audience that is not likely to know the phrase, without translating it.  To not do that is to lose the audience at a basic level. To those who wondered, but couldn't be bothered to look it up, "Nem di gelt!" translates to “get the money".

I may have missed the mark, if you are correct……. But; I have always assumed this network is filled with erudite souls.  I would be shocked to learn that most had no knowledge of the phrase made famous by Henny Youngman and other comics during the Catskills heyday.  My assumption of thinking that everyone here commands a wide and eclectic mix of knowledge follows the linear thought of the scholar Thomas Aquinas.  When his Domincan brothers tried to trick him with the exclamation of “Come quick Thomas and see a donkey flying!”  Thomas ran to the window and when they mocked him, he responded as to why he ran to the window:    “I would rather believe that a donkey can fly than that my own Christian brothers would lie.” 

So it is with me, I simply could not comprehend that this group would not grasp such a well known phrase.    (Typically it is me that must run to “Ask.com” to see what you are talking about. ;~) 
> 
> As to the merits of Hugh's points, well.... 
> 
> 1) Hindsight is a cheap way of criticizing people for making the best choices available in a past time when circumstances were different than today.

The archive will reveal that I have been pointing out these issues for over two decades.  It is not hindsight but simple reiteration of a problem that must be resolved by someone. If for no other  reason than Information Governance demands it!  What are the different circumstances you reference?


> 2) A sales perspective can be valuable in many instances, but no amount of salesmanship skill is going to convince a person to buy your product until they see some need for it.  Or to put it in other words, you can bring a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.

As Brother Louis often exclaimed “Au Contraire Mon Ami!”  [ “On the contrary, my friend!”  for the non-erudite who might have slipped in when I was not looking.]  It is the salesmanship that uncovers the latent need.  Using your analogy, I simply keep walking the horse around and around the pond until that horse is dying for a drink.  Even though, when I arrived at the scene, he was contented and lacking in thirst. 

When I arrive at a client’s site, I try to avoid talking about my product at all until I see their facility. I ask for a Tour.  I view and attempt to understand their current situation. I ask to see how they protect their records now? I look at the location, the risk sets and the client will point out the issues that made him request to see me in the first place.  They are often very open about their problems.  In many cases, even apologetic or embarrassed.  The client will also reveal their wants along with their needs.  At this point the horse has made himself thirsty.

If I can only satisfy a “Want” then I doubt I will win the sale.  If I expose the latent need or the client displays “the need” that developed the meeting, then a sale can likely occur.

I am curious about the addition of “Conflicts Manager” to the title of Records & Conflicts Manager.  Is the conflict brought about because different departments practice records management in different ways or is due to the fact that missing records create a conflict?   Or the providing of the missing record resolves the conflict. This is a unique title and I wonder how that works in your organization.  

> Bill Creamer
> Records & Conflicts Manager
> 212.728.3448
> [log in to unmask]

Cordially,

Hugh

Hugh Smith
FIRELOCK Fireproof Modular Vaults
[log in to unmask]
(610)  756-4440    Fax (610)  756-4134
WWW.FIRELOCK.COM


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