Proof Social Media is Rigged

Diana Rigg as Emma Peal, The Avengers

How Twitter Rigged the Covid Debate

The platform suppressed true information from doctors and public-health experts that was at odds with U.S. government policy.

Inspiration from an article about the connection between the US Government and ALL the tech companies written by David Zweig at The Free Press, here.

Summary via ChatGTP:

It is alleged that both the Trump and Biden administrations in the United States pressured Twitter to moderate content related to Covid-19 and the pandemic in a way that aligned with their agendas. The Trump administration was concerned with preventing panic buying and sought help from tech companies, including Twitter, to combat misinformation. 

#WorkingFromHome Is A Battlefield

I received this message in my LinkedIn box, a few weeks ago:

"Thank you for pressing the #WorkFromHome influencing messaging. Many of us out here can't say it and don't react to your posts because we're afraid our companies will see us advocating for something that can be construed as self-interest rather than company interest. Makes us targets if we do. You're blazing the trail for all of us.  KEEP IT UP PLEASE”

Pretty cool, eh?  I've been remote for just over a decade, outside sales is conducive to working at Starbucks, and parking lots - it was the beginning of work from anywhere.  Indeed,  I was cold calling businesses, on my Nextel, from the beach in SoCali back in 2003.

Consider this rudimentary timeline:

• Data(files) were always at the office; everyone had to be under one roof just to be 'on the same page'
• Fax machines allowed us to send copies around the world
• Email helped us share bigger documents with prospects and clients 
• Laptops made us more mobile; I could now bring my files home to work on over the weekend
• Pink phone message notes were the standard until numeric and alpha-numeric pagers became the rage
• Cell phones replaced pagers
• Smartphones let us connect to email from the palm of our hand
• Ubiquitous WiFi gave us the ability to conduct online meetings from hotel lobbies and poolsides
• Today, with data in the cloud and apps on phones, the CEO can track revenue, sales reps can monitor delivery schedules from the 9th tee or pontoon.

Who wouldn't want to be free to work from anywhere?

Here's why the establishment doesn't want you working from home:

The Managed Print Services Renaissance is here.

"Whereof what's past is prologue; what to come,
In yours and my discharge..."

The die was cast a decade ago; the rise, fall, and rise again of managed print services was foreseen. Even as office printing wanes, and withers, we are amid a Managed Print Services (MpS) Renaissance and age of enlightenment.

"Remote work is accelerating the A4 shift at lightning speed, ransomware and bad actors heighten the need for analog backups (paper), user authentication and print tracking/control are becoming normal, and that all adds up to new ways of doing business and new opportunities to manage that print."

Those survivors stand at yet another precipice:

Do we move forward with managed print services, or do we leave it in the dustpan of history?  

What do, the Anti-WorkFromAnywhere movement, the Biden administration, and "V is for Vendetta" all have in common?

#WFA, Fighting for the Soul of Society

What is the common thread?  How do these points connect and what constellation is formed?

The Answer:

• Centralized, Authoritarian rule.  
• Propaganda-fueled messaging through controlled media.  
• Self-centered interpretation of established norms.  
• Elimination of a "higher power" and inalienable rights.  
• The demonization of those holding differing views. 
• Maximizing fear to leverage and presenting their solution as final.

What's this got to do with selling #copiers?  Nothing. EVERYTHING.

Why The Work From Anywhere Movement Is Important & What Your Peers Are Saying.

At one time the range of ‘office technology’ consisted of expensive devices and platforms like networks, printers, copiers, filing cabinets, desktop computers, postage machines, telephones, and fax machines to name a few.

Technology evolved. Fewer company networks, smartphones in every pocket, laptops instead of desktops, faxes in the form of email attachments, and filing cabinets in the Cloud.

What remained was the physical place to meet – meeting rooms, company kitchens, watercoolers, open

and shared areas, and the essential, Executive Conference room.

"Fighting for the Soul of Society: The Impact of Politics on Business"

In this society, where politics and business blend,

We must stay informed and not pretend,

To think that our work is separate from the rest,

For copier sales, like all, are affected by the test.

The pandemic has shown us, all politics is local,

It shapes the economy, it shapes the vocal,

It shapes the way we sell, the way we lead,

It shapes the future, of which we are the seed.

As copier salespersons, we must be like "V",

Well-versed in all aspects, vigilant,

From elected leaders to local school boards,

We must stay informed, and not be ignored.

We must anticipate regulations and laws,

And make strategic decisions, without pause,

We must stay informed about the latest trends,

And understand the needs of our friends.

We must pay attention to our community,

And tailor our strategies accordingly,

For the survival of our business is tied,

To the soul of society, on which we must rely.

So let us stay informed, let us be "V",

For victory in copier sales, and all we do,

For the fight for a sustainable future,

Is a fight for the soul of society, and our culture.

In today's society, politics and business are inextricably linked. The common thread that connects them is centralized, authoritarian rule.

Eight Reasons the MetaVerse is better than Hybrid Work

#WorkFromAnywhere #wfh is all the talk now and so is:

• the effect of Covid vs the effect of the fear of Covid
• gas prices are too high
• increased productivity
• happier with 'work', vs working
• office appearances are lower in priorities than family, fun, Netflix, & sweatpants 
• real friends (vs work friends)
• lower crime in the 'burbs
•  etc., etc., etc.

New to Copier Sales: Cold Calling Post COVID-19 is More of the Same

There is great pressure in the sales realm no matter what you’re selling. But for those of us in the imaging industry, the stress is exacerbated. Our volumes were dropping before COVID-19, consolidation was a daily occurrence, and layoffs happened almost every month. COVID-19 kicked all that into high gear, accelerating the transformation in a most turbulent way. 

Today the talk about town is working from home, the death of the office, and surviving the next month. Few meetings are centered on new copiers and toner supply management. When the world presents chaos and uncertainty, returning to our core values and foundational skill set is both rational and confidence building. 

Back to the basics like blocking and tackling, throwing, catching and batting, dribbling, jump shots and layups — for the selling professional it’s more like clear messaging, open-ended questions, relevant talk tracks, and phone calls. 

That’s right. Cold phone calls. Chills run down your spine, don’t they? 

Fear not – there are volumes of books on coaching, dozens of techniques, and hours of seminars chock full of advice and wisdom. 

 Unfortunately,... Read the Rest, here.

Amazon Plant Just Voted to Unionize: This is What Happens Next

Robots Don't Strike -

Or catch Covid or spread Covid, for that matter.  Robots don't mind the commute, need few employee benefits, work three shifts, and couldn't care less about "Blue Jean Friday" or "Taco Tuesday".

Robots hate corporate picnics

Of course, robots may break down or need routine service - but that's what Service Drones are for.

Hailing from Detroit, I know a bit about unions - maybe no more than you, but most of my friends' fathers were either in or despised unions.

All I need say is "Jimmy Hoffa" and watch for the response.  Either you know or you don't.

Today, 2022, unions are making one last grab at members as the times are skewed towards the employees. The Great Resignation is upon us, 24 months of Covid scare has illuminated for most the futility of empty work and little recognition.

Folks "on the line" are motivated into hating ownership, C-level executives, management, and stockholders. If not hate then at least envy.  

The caldron requires little stirring

Maybe We Shouldn't Get Into Managed IT Services

Are we marketing the edge of forever or yesterday's Enterprise?

I'm beginning to think the road to #digitalTransformation, for #TheImagingChannel, doesn't require stepping into the managed (IT) services niche. 

Maybe we've been looking at and been told the wrong thing by well-meaning yet misguided know-it-alls. (me included).  

I.T. isn't all that sexy. 

I know, I know, compared to #copiers, firewalls and anti-virus are #seductive.  

Wouldn't it be easier to deliver, and install coffee machines connected to the IoT? Or design and implement an IoT Connectivity Policy? Or how about looking to the fringe of technology beyond the curve? 

“Fewer clients. Less money. More attention. Caring for them.”

Speaking to the next generation of copier dealers - those who have survived, inherited, or still fly under their original colors - If every copier, printer, and paper document disappeared tomorrow, what would you do? 

What would you sell? 

Greg Walters, Inc./DOTC & All Associates Reignite Relationship

 The DOTC Office Technology Partnership Ecosystem Expands R&D Division

Plotting the Data-Based Course Into a World Without...

Our crack team of researchers, data scientists, investigators, and web-surfers have been enhanced - dare I say, 'augmented'.  

We've rekindled an alliance with a company known by the biggest players in the industry.  Their computational analyses comprise more than 1,000 variable elements and scientific approach has been referenced in thousands of client engagements. 

I've worked with All Associates Group on many projects from Mayo to Mission Health - indeed, back in the IKON days, their analytical engine was available to every salesperson in the company.  The cream of the crop professionals engaged the tool often, with resounding results.

Stop saying you're going to save customers 30% in print costs.

How Long Until We See "Work from the office" mandates?

"We need people back to work."  Is this the new mantra? 

Is getting back to the office a matter of national security?

Could a "Back to the Office" mandate be in your future?

Why would back-to-work mandates evolve?

1. The powers believe in mandates.  
2. The powers know how to spin anything into a National Security issue.
3. Getting the economy going again is "a national security issue".
4. The powers are influential.
5. The powers know the populace is numb to being directed.

Consider Canada.

Our cousins to the north have always been the most polite society in our hemisphere.  Easy going, if not over-apologetic. So it was refreshing to see protests occur without burning buildings, smashing windows, or occupying city blocks.  

The juxtaposition of Canadian police horses stomping a woman and law enforcement kicking a protester while he was down was shocking.  It seems in Canada, authorities are more violent than the protesters - a testament to how far an unhinged government will go.

Consider Australia.

Australia, another western, free society has locked down society, built and populated Covid quarantine camps.  

They've banned singing and dancing. 

Enough cannot be said about the situation down under. One can only imagine what the next global crisis will instill.  All this took place over a willing populace.

Consider New York City "Shattered".

     

"This town's full of money grabbers. Go ahead.  Bite the Big Apple.  Don't mind the maggots."

Bloomberg Asks - "Is the #Office More Important than Ever Before?"

Bloomberg posted a veiled 'back to the office' commercial highlighting Accenture and the importance of a centrally located, geographically common area for workers to adhere to corporate policies.

Commonly known as the 'office' - albeit the office of the late 20th century.

A $19 billion, one-hundred-year-old, global real estate advisory and investment firm, recognizes we are "...no longer living in a 9 to 5, 40-hour week work profile..." and the "Omni-connected world is defined by being in an office..." 

They also question the productivity of hybrid meetings.   How does anyone know if"hybrid meetings are underperforming..."? Compared to what, pre-Covid meetings? 

This is a nicely produced, visually attractive piece that lost credibility and my attention at the mention of ESG. Mentioning ESG is like the President recommending a Covid shot in preparation for a hurricane. 

New to Copier Sales – Use Local Events to Share Your Expertise

The COVID impact is creating turbulence and waves of change moving through all facets of life. One of these waves is flowing through the ocean of business meetings and face to face appointments. You, as a new copier rep, can catch a wave to more success. We used to call them “networking groups.” 

Local Chambers of Commerce and small business groups would put together an after-hours event, inviting local businesses to connect with each other and prospects. They met once a month and ended up being full of real estate agents and insurance salespeople handing out business cards and trading stories over drinks. 

It seems almost old school, but I think these types of get-togethers are more important now than pre-COVID. But there is a difference and I’m suggesting you take...

Read the rest, here.

Unions at Amazon

I was reading how Amazon employees voted to unionize at one DC and it got me thinking about robots. Robots don't vote. Or strike. Or catch Covid...or even spread Covid.

Then I read about it will be another ten years before "fully automated shipping warehouses" are a thing.

I don't believe Amazon.

Read the article here.

#WFH. The Death of the "Work Spouse".

“…men and women can’t be friends because the sex part always gets in the way…because no man can be friends with a woman that he finds attractive. He always wants to have sex with her.” 

 - When Harry Met Sally

The "Work Wife", and "Work Spouse" has been around since the '30s.  The Pre-Covid office environment was a petri dish for interpersonal relationships - the label recognizes, if not legitimizes, a third-party 9-5 relationship.

The phrase, the idea, is an acceptable, even encouraged, practice of the work-in-a-cube(plantation) status quo.  When one stops to think about it, is having a work spouse and a home spouse a good thing?  I can't answer that one.

"Work From Home gives new meaning to the phrase, "Work Wife", and that's a good thing for 'committed' personal relationships, not so good for the solo runners."

Consider this, #WFH diminishes:

• 12 hours with somebody other than your wife, husband, or significant other.
• Latenight PowerPoint brainstorming meetings
• Working lunches
• Post-meeting cocktails

WFH also impacts:

• Business trips, out-of-town conferences.
• After-hour team-building events 
• Christmas parties
• Client dinners

The fear of Covid is changing everything from business to commerce, religion, politics, and personal relationships.

Could one benefit of #WFH be a decrease in the number of divorces?

Of course, this issue goes deeper than sharing space with the opposite sex.  Says one male worker regarding his work spouse, 

'I don't like showing vulnerabilities to my real wife in case it makes her respect me less.'

This base insecurity strikes at the core of most affairs; fear of being judged by the person one loves is a powerful motivator to keep "bad news" off the significant other's plate.  So the issue is shared with a non-romantic, third party, not the significant other leading to mistrust, and emotional connections outside the relationship.  

We all know this...

Regardless, we'll see how this all pans out over the next few years.

Interesting.

 

 Sources:

https://www.inverse.com/article/35392-work-spouse-wife-husband-office-psychology

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4665480/Why-work-wife-threat-marriage.html

https://www.glamour.com/story/career-advice-why-everyone-needs-a-work-wife

https://www.savvymom.ca/articleiframe/?url=http://www.jodyrobbins.com/work-wife/&id=105993

WFH: The Death of the 'Work Spouse'

The "Work Wife", and "Work Spouse" has been around since the '30s. The Pre-Covid office environment was a petri dish for interpersonal relationships - the label recognizes, if not legitimizes, a third-party 9-5 relationship.

Accelerate Managed Print Services with the New Model

There is a bounce, a resurgence, a renaissance in managed print services. As the fear of Covid fades and offices around the world repopulate, albeit, by 40-60% of pre-Covid numbers, print and copy functions are grabbing temporary attention. But this uptick is fleeting and short-lived and not based on increased volumes or growing fleets of devices. Today's rekindled interest is based on managing the reduction of print and the increase of digital workflows.

Our traditional business theory of pivoting into managed IT or an adjacent niche was an idealistic idea in the MPS Model 2 (see below, Photizo) 

Today, expanding or diversifying services is less of an option and more of a survival tactic and a foundational plank of the continuing generation of Managed print Services (MpS).  

The circa 2012 model is still relevant, we just need to refocus and recognize new opportunities.

With this in mind, I've updated the model to include new innovations and directions for office technology.

New to Copier Sales: Experiential Selling

The plan was that, once COVID-19 receded, employees would return to the office, their printers, copiers, coffee machines, and cubicles.

But will they print? Will they copy? Will they return to habits of the past? It really doesn’t matter.  Print will happen and your clients are exploring cost-reducing processes and offerings – managed print services can be your vehicle for higher revenues.

Selling MPS and copiers is nothing new.  There are thousands of articles and dozens of tools in the market designed to help you find prospects, build a total cost of operation, generate proposals, and close deals.

I’m not going to regurgitate facts and processes a decade old.  However, in the new way of selling that is post-COVID-19, I point out one important view: now is the time to expand from transactional selling to experiential selling.

This is a big shift, and it starts between your ears.