Selling a clue. $1 obo

True conversation from earlier today, partner/friend of years that seems to be stuck in the past, finding the future isn’t for working out for him:

Bob: Economy sucks.

Vlad: Really?

Bob: Yes.

Vlad: Are you selling anything new?

Bob: Nobody is buying anything.

(Quick glance at Bob’s service tab in Shockey Monkey – no Exchange, no SharePoint, no ExchangeDefender, no Offsite Backups, no dedicated servers got two clients on web hosting)

Vlad: So has your message changed in the last year?

Bob: My message is not the problem, I’m following all the best practices and what I feel is the best for the client given their requirements.

Vlad: And how’s that going for you?

Bob: So what, my future is being your sales monkey?

Vlad: How else are they going to experience your service and hire you as a consultant? Through your overpriced proposal designed for 2007?

Whether you choose to admit it or not, whether you like to participate in the depression economy or not, whether you voted for Obama or McCain, we are in a different place in technology than we were when you last looked at your business plan.

Business requirements may not have changed – but their options have and if you don’t have an alternative then your competitors will.

So innovate or go find a business in which things don’t change with technology every 18 months. Drywall, painting, ditch digging and pottery community college classes welcome you.

And you can keep your $1, hope you can earn one.