One of those inspiring moments, yesterday, when I saw my employer do one of his amazing spinning deals.
We’re attending an event in two months (second time in a row I’ll be at a tech event on my birthday) and we were considering inclusion in a commercial side project. At a cost, of course.
So, John, my boss took over and worked his magic. We ended up getting a great deal and a nice little extra.
I don’t know how he did it. Sales rep must’ve felt like a rag doll in a little girl’s hands: respected and admired, yes, but without free will.
It led me to this thought on Twitter:
Everyone thinks outside the box. Brilliance is folding the box into an origami swan.
That’s it. Forget about thinking in or out of boxes. Grab that box off of the negotiating table, tear it into bits of multi-coloured confetti, draw little stick men on it, and throw it around dancing.
Well, maybe not that exactly, but you get the idea. If you’re still dealing with boxes when you talk marketing or business concepts, you might as well be locked up in one. Get out before it’s too late.
Tags: business, Thinking outside the box, Thoughts, twitter
2 April 2008 at 10:09 pm
Hey Nils.
You’re so right. That whole think outside the box thing is a real turn off for me. It’s a formulaic suggestion these days so therefore switches people off before they get anywhere near a creative vibe.
I’d go with the stick men decorated cardboard confetti – you see that phrase makes you think :-)
Clarkey.
2 April 2008 at 10:30 pm
Good of you. Not that we actually, literally, go for that stuff, but it’s close, works and still a lot more fun than using that old phrase indeed.
And, if I’m not mistaken, nice to see you this side of the Chawlk/9r pond ;)
3 April 2008 at 12:54 am
Not mistaken at all. I thought it was time to venture out :-)
I’m glad I did, you have a very relaxed and engaging style of writing. My selective reader now has one more feed.
3 April 2008 at 6:26 am
And the dim awareness I had of people reading this (sure, there’s stats, so they must, but) has now grown and made me nervous ;
No, thank you. Btw, checked yours out. Looks good. I’d read something on it before, but this time my jam-packed feed reader now has another feed added to it too.