Lessons in salesmanship Max Effgen, November 14, 2011 Had a great lesson in asking for the business from an unexpected source last week — my landscaper. Now I do not have a regular service, but did have some work done last summer. Living in the Pacific Northwest, I have come to learn that lawn aeration is not optional…. Continue Reading
Veterans Day Max Effgen, November 11, 2011December 2, 2013 To all the Veterans and active duty military, thank you for your service to our great country. I would especially like to thank my father. He received his 1LT bars in 1970. It is one of the only photos of him in uniform where his head is not shaved. Continue Reading
Matt McIlwain, Rock Star Venture Capitalist Max Effgen, November 9, 2011December 2, 2013 Many, many thanks to Matt McIlwain for speaking at Rock Star Venture Capitalist on November 7. Matt has a reputation for bringing his “A game” and this was no exception. Approximately 65 people from cross-sections of UW and the Seattle startup community took in Matt’s observations of the ingredients of… Continue Reading
Kefta that takes me back to Morocco Max Effgen, November 5, 2011 Somewhere where the Middle Atlas meets the Sahara in Morocco, I discovered kefta, a lamb meatball. The restaurant was a porch across from the bus station. The sheep heads for the recent cull were hanging from wall. Each had several trails of clotted blood streaming from them. The kefta was… Continue Reading
Questions to ask: Social CRM Max Effgen, October 30, 2011 Amazingly my $0.02 on questions you need to answer in mapping out your Social CRM strategy still ring true: Where are your customers? Where do they go when they have issues with your products and services? Is that channel cost effective for you? How open is that conversation? How are… Continue Reading
How to buy eyeglasses online Max Effgen, October 18, 2011 It seems like I am always talking to people about buying eyeglasses online. This is an update of a previous post. Almost 4 years ago, I realized that I needed glasses. The 20/10’s of my youth were done. I got a very nice pair at one of the cool places… Continue Reading
Why Focus Intent? Max Effgen, October 3, 2011 I have been revisiting the idea of customer intent and its implications. Social media has exploded given customers and prospects the ability to express intent. Buyers signal. Customers signal. Competitors signal. These signals are important data points for the Sales, Marketing and Service — the 3 big users of CRM… Continue Reading
Dijon, the mustard Max Effgen, September 28, 2011 I turned the bottle of Grey Poupon around and saw that there was sugar in the list of ingredients. It did not seem right. That cannot be right. This was mustard. Dijon. I started doing some research. This was 6 months ago. Turns out that Dijon mustard has been regulated… Continue Reading
So long Coach Perry Max Effgen, September 12, 2011December 2, 2013 My thoughts and prayers today are with my old high school coach, Dave Perry, and his family. He passed away yesterday after fighting complications from prostate cancer. He was a coaching legend at Fenwick High School with 17 Water Polo and 3 Swimming State Championships in Illinois on his resume…. Continue Reading
Unplug Max Effgen, September 5, 2011December 2, 2013 This summer I have come to appreciate the power of being unplugged. Just a few days here and there have made a big difference in my mental outlook. Being fortunate to visit some amazing places does not hurt either… Continue Reading