Sales Process

I can't remember where I first got this diagram of "The Sales Process" (so I could give credit where credit is due), but everyone who's ever seen it has asked me for a copy. So ... here it is.

Who's On First? Then and Now

There's nothing like the original (below), but when you're ready check out this very clever parody starring President Bush and Condi Rice, as well as this version set in a movie rental store.

Juggler Piano

Here's one of my all-time favorites!

The Buzz on "The Secret"

For my birthday last month I received a copy of "The Secret" (both book and DVD), which is quickly becoming a worldwide marketing phenomenon. A #1 best-seller, this self-help book has already gone over 5 million prints, and the DVD has sold over 2 million copies. However, before you go rushing out to get yours, I'd be careful.


First, you have to know that "The Secret" itself is basically one of positive thinking: relying on a universal "law of attraction," it espouses that you can achieve (or acquire) anything in life simply by continually thinking positive thoughts about it. Honestly, I had to struggle through the book, and I have yet to watch the 90-minute video.

Why? Well, I was actually following the arguments in the beginning, since I also believe that you can't achieve anything worthwhile in life without dedicating yourself to the effort. However, I kept waiting for the next [what I thought] logical step in the reasoning: if you continually think positive thoughts about your goals, then you are much more likely to take some actions toward achieving those goals.

[NOTE: I once read an insightful quote from Mark Cuban (and I'm paraphrasing here), "If you catch yourself daydreaming about the life you'd like to lead, stop and ask yourself what you've done today to turn that life into a reality."]

However, that next step never came. I couldn't believe that this book actually proposes that "The Secret" to lifelong happiness is to simply *think* about what would make you happy. Worse, millions of people around the world were (quite literally) buying into this notion!

Then again, I guess I'm not alone in my critique. As with most phenomena of this sort, it seems like the backlash against "The Secret" is almost as furious as the mad rush to support it. In a frustrating paradoxical cycle, that criticism also fuels more sales.

So, after reading this post you're probably going to buy your own copy anyway, right? ;-)

"Real" Worlds: Virtual and Physical

A while back I heard Esther Dyson say something to the effect that one of the major movements in the next 5 years was going to be the emergence of our "online personas." She envisioned that someday soon we would all be busy managing our various "virtual identities" and leading "virtual lives" that complemented our "real" ones. In fact, she suggested that a tremendous paradigm shift would have to occur where we would no longer make a distinction between our "virtual" worlds and "real" worlds, opting instead to draw the distinction between our "virtual" worlds and our "physical" worlds, since they would both be equally "real."

Here's my personal data point to suggest that this paradigm shift has already occurred:

A couple of years ago, I had my first (and to date only) academic article published in an academic journal. The topic and journal are irrelevant for the purposes of this discussion, but if you're interested you can find it here (on page 167). What's important is that I wrote this article with two co-authors--one in Australia and one in Texas--who I never met or even spoke with in person. We met via an online community we all belonged to, we collaborated on the piece via email, we submitted our article to various journals via the Web, and we were accepted for publication via email. There is no doubt that the end result is clearly "real," since I even received a printed copy of the journal issue in which the article appeared. However, that item was really just a manifestation in my "physical" world of the work product generated COMPLETELY in my "virtual" world.

I would venture to guess that saying my experience is not unique would be a huge understatement.

New Blog: Geek Dad

In the same spirit as my prior post about CEO Dad, here's a new blog from Wired.com called Geek Dad. Check it out!

Two Cool Videos From OK GO

Here It Goes Again

A Million Ways

LA or DC? Which Is The Lesser of Two Evils?

I'm in LA this week taking time out from the DC-area life to hang out with my friends from the entertainment industry. I thought this quote from Fred Thompson was entirely appropriate (and hilarious!):

While talking with Jay Leno on The Tonight Show this week, he referred to his tenure in the U.S. Senate prior to his long-standing run on Law & Order, "I often say after eight years in Washington, I longed for the realism and sincerity of Hollywood."

Sweet Electric-Powered Sports Cars

Here are some high-priced, high-powered alternative cars for the guy who can't decide whether to drive his Ferrari or his Prius:

Tesla Roadster

Venturi Fetish

In case you're wondering, my birthday is May 18th. ;-)

Nieve Tropical

I realize that this site is in Spanish, but here's my dad's new venture in Spain: Nieve Tropical.

Anyone for some shaved ice and a dip in the Med?

Kristine Elezaj

Speaking of cool people we met during Bullrun 2007 ... check out Kristine Elezaj's music on her MySpace page. She was one of the drivers in the rally, and we had a launch party for her new EP in Key West. Since I got back home, her three songs have been constantly blasting on my computer, in my car, and even in the home sound system (my kids love it!).

So ... when can we expect the videos, live tour, and more music?!

CEO Dad

OK ... some of these CEO Dad comic strips occasionally hit a little too close to home!

Bullrun 2007

Last month I spent 10 days with some old high school buddies on a cross-country car rally (well, more like a rolling party!) called Bullrun 2007. Some of you may recognize this event as the namesake for the highly popular reality TV show on SpikeTV. In fact, several of the reality show teams also participated in the rally, including the eventual winners, Mike and Morgan Alsop.


We started in Montreal on Saturday, May 12th, and ended in Key West on Friday, May 18th (yes, that's my birthday!). In between, we made stops all along the Eastern seaboard, including Boston, Atlantic City, Staunton (VA), Savannah, Orlando, and Miami.

We had an absolutely fantastic time, driving some cools cars and meeting all sorts of terrific people. However, it wasn't ALL just fun and games, our team also raised over $30K for the Susan G. Komen Foundation!

We're already making plans for Bullrun 2008!