Guest Post – Scot Duke

Well since I was up late getting the podcast online, and then up early at 5am to do the work thing, my podcast interview person – Scot Duke has written a guest blog post for me. Yes, I was going to let the podcast ride for another day. Anyways, Scot sent over a pretty cool read, so thanks Scot, and here is his post and my blog for Technically Speaking today:

Technology’s Demands: Some People Missed the Bus to the Future

By Scot Duke

I have a guy who just keeps calling me. Even after I have told him that since we live in different time zones, it would be better to email me his complete thoughts and his proposals instead of getting me up before dawn or staying up until dawn to catch him when he is available.

Now, don’t get me wrong. If there was someone who wanted to talk to me about a deal or a function they want me to speak at I would be there for them. But, on the other hand when it is a pitch for something he wants to keep allusive even after my direct question – well you understand! You have been there when someone calls and starts off with, ‘What would you think if I could make you a few thousand dollars over the next few days?’ Yep, you would tell him to email ya.

Now, this guy might be bringing me a million dollars on a platter, but you would all agree that it would be best to check this guy out and that is what I told him and thought he understood. But no, the next day after I spent a half hour with him on the phone and ending with me explaining that he needs to email me his link to his site and his proposal and I will get back with him But then he calls and says – he thinks he needs to visit with me some more.

It is a wonderful world we have with email and websites and blogging and Podcasting and webinairs and who knows what is next. Technology has really taken all of to the fast lane. And over the last few years, the lightening speed onslaught of changes in technology and different new ways of communicating has slowed down long enough to put up some bus tops so people who did not get in at the very beginning can stand and wait for the next bus to take them to the world of new technology.

Now, I am talking cellphones, Blackberries, laptops, GPS Digital Camera and all of the things that if you do not have one or know how to operate one you now cannot operate in the business would. It is shocking to know that there are still people out there who haven’t stood at the stops provided to get on the bus to the future.

Why? Well as I assume this guy I am dealing with may be, they missed all of the opportunities over the past 35 years to get involved with technology and by the time they got run over by the bus to the future they felt it was too late. So they just keep using what they know how to use and that is the phone.

When these people took their first trip into the future they were only able to grasp what was new at that specific moment in time…like they got on when the Fax Machine was today’s pager or email. And they have never seen a reason to change to something newer or more cost effective.

I image there were some who got on the wrong bus that took them to the rim of the future that was way beyond their ability to understand or interest to want to understand. Like some today just now are finding the send button on the fax machine and now they need to be able to fill out a profile on an internet site. Their understanding of the benefits and the inherent irrelevances of the changes for one not being for the other it falls well outside their ability to logically process how the two are connected. So, to keep face in the office they default to ‘The Old Way’. Quickly, they are finding there is not way back to the ‘Old Way’

So why are they still wanting to use older forms of communications when there are more effectives means of communicating? I recently visited with a friend who is in his seventies now and is more active in his business now than he was when he was in his forties. He could sell you the tires off your car if you would let him; he is that good of a sales person. He comes from the real old school of business where business was done in person and very quickly, no long out discussions or talking about the weather. ‘Just get to business and leave the frilly stuff for when I with my cronies this evening over martinis were I talk about the sale I just closed’, he would tell me.

I asked my friend about how he is dealing with people who don’t have time to speak with him live or don’t want to until they know more about what he is selling. Was he adapting to using email or other more time effective methods of communicating? ‘No way, matter of fact Hell no, I am not changing now. IF I took the time back then to learn how to do all of that stuff I would be losing too many sales’… He remarked,” Weren’t you exposed to all of this years ago when there wasn’t so much to learn?” He would tell me, “Son, I didn’t get to be the top sales person in my company by attending those classes the other rookies were attending…I was out there taking business away form them while they were in those classes.”

What I got out it was he didn’t want to stop and wait on the bus to the future that at the time was going to show him a new way of effective sales. Where would my friend be today if he had taken the time at the bus stop to get on the bus to the future? Well, I an only assume the best, but who knows? In some way, when I hear my friend’s voice this guy who keeps calling me wanting 15 minutes of my time.

Oh, well, maybe he will get the message this time and catch the bus to the future…technically speaking.

Thanks again to Scot Duke who also has a blog about Business Golf here on WordPress.