/*start warning*/
I feel a responsibility to preface this post with a massive warning: I wrote what you’re about to read in my journal in a little coffee shop around the corner from my day-job office, shortly after a meltdown of epic proportions that involved me sitting in my car, crying like a little girl for the first time in as long as I can remember. What you’re about to read is raw, bloody, laced with profanity and carnage.
The rational part of my brain is begging me not to hit the publish button. The Tyler Durden part of my brain is telling the rational part to sit down and shut the fuck up.
Remember when I told you that you met me at a very strange time in my life? Yeah, well, I have a feeling you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. You probably should stop reading this and go do something else.
If you choose to keep reading, you do so under your own volition. You’ve been warned. This is the unedited version.
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What happens when you combine several hundred thousand square feet of the latest in consumer technology with the most unapologetically over-the-top city on the planet? I’ll tell you what: your brain melts.
Miss Destructo gave me some great advice before I left. She told me not to try to do everything. I’m glad I listened. Trying to cram the entire show into four days would have been like forcing an 80-pound kid to try everything at the Treasure Island buffet: likely to induce bouts of vomiting. It is, quite literally, too much good stuff.
That said, I’ll definitely be back next year. The CES Tweetup was far and away the most fun I’ve had at a Tweetup, the educational tracks were fantastic, and the trade show was pretty incredible to behold. And, of course, it’s in Las Vegas, and I’ll use any excuse to make a trip down there.
And of course I brought back a couple of business lessons. Stay tuned the rest of this week to hear about those, and check out my pictures of the trip on Facebook.
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I just spent 4 minutes at the DMV.
For those of you who have grown up in California, that is a remarkable, perhaps unbelievable, statement. When I first got my license more than three decades ago, a trip to the DMV for any reason, any reason at all, meant taking a full day off from work and spending 99% of your time standing in lines and 1% of your time learning that you’d brought the wrong forms.
Today was different.
The Light at the End of the Tunnel
I had an appointment for 11:20. After waiting in a short line I sat down at 11:15. I was called promptly at 11:20 and finished with forms, thumb-printing, payment and a new photo at 11:24.
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Last post, I discussed the problem with the “fake it ’til you make it” approach to business, namely the difficulty it creates for building open, honest, transparent relationships with your clients. I promised to follow with a post discussing the benefits of transparency in your business, so here goes.
#1 – Transparency Builds Trust
When I read a post by Johnny B. Truant that detailed a financial difficulty he had in the past and how he dealt with it, I felt an instant affinity for him. I could tell as I was reading the post that this was a guy who really got it, a guy who could relate to the struggles I was going through and, as a result, I trusted him immediately.
Funny how that works, isn’t it. I mean, I’ve never met Johnny; for all I know, he could be a guy who beats up Boy Scouts and steals money from nuns to support his toad-licking habit. Whatever he is, though, I trust him because he had the guts to tell the world that his life isn’t always sunshine and roses, and that occasionally he gets kicked in the crotch, too.
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First off, I’d just like to acknowledge that my American Idol predictions last week (here and here) were a bit off. No worries, though…a 25% closing ration isn’t bad! Tune in tomorrow for my thoughts on AI this week, including more predictions about who’s going home.
Second, I’d like to let everyone know that I’ve added a couple of items to the “Free Downloads” page, courtesy of my friends Skip Anderson (B2C sales genius!) and Jim Keenan (B2B sales dy-no-mite!). Also, a shout-out to Joel D Canfield for his help in getting the page to behave. Thanks for your contributions, guys, and readers, look for more great tools to come!
Last, but certainly not least, a big thanks to all you who are reading this blog on a regular basis. You guys make my day!
Cheers,
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