John Linton
........the time for half truths (why isn't that phrase "half lies"?) and prettiness and vomit inducing weasel words to replace bluntly phrased and unadorned facts is almost upon us.
I had an interesting meeting yesterday with a company that is setting up in Australia to provide various communications services and was looking for 'partners' who would be able to provide access to their customer bases either via their own marketing processes or by giving this company some forms of 'direct access". The nice young American "development manager" cited this recent article:
http://www.misaustralia.com/viewer.aspx?EDP://20090708000031323274§ion=news
as a 'must do' reasoning for why Exetel must forsake its dinosauric ways and either change it's business directions immediately or face certain oblivion within two years. I had to admit to the charming American lady that I was unaware of that particular article (or the three others that I couldn't find in electronic versions I can reference here). I have never heard of the two authors of the referenced article and have no idea who the "experts" who are pronouncing "the death knell for companies like Exetel" but the charming lady was certain it would happen if we didn't give her company the chance of saving us from our misreading of the new directions the NBN2 would determine. As she had been in the country (on her first visit) for all of three days I decided to keep to myself my personal views that Krudd's NBN2 wont become operational in my lifetime and just decided to admire the personal attributes and persuasive charm of someone so committed to telling her story.
It was a typically American 'pitch' (well constructed, well credentialed, good collateral proof material, presented with skill and panache and totally, 100% without any shadow of a doubt, insincere). However the meeting was enjoyable and I very much admired the skills displayed and the cleverness of the 'pitch'. Why do I mention this? Because it was the third time in two days that someone had told me that "you absolutely MUST redesign your web site - it must be really holding back your company's development" - or words to that effect.
I'm beginning to recall the time I spent with multi-nationals so many years ago and my constant association with 'marketing pitches' and the 'glossiness' that is inevitably associated with them. It's far more up market now than when I was, inevitably, drawn into using some of that flim flammery and almost always deceptive material and methodologies, and incidentally began to develop an intense dislike for all aspects of "marketing" and the people associated with it.....which has only intensified over the years and has reached an almost unhealthy level of distaste (abhorrence?) now. This 'feeling' has also had the effect of making me intensely dislike all forms of marketing including ensuring we never used anything except 'facts' on our web site or our outside communications and never make any claims of who we are or what we offer that aren't immediately provable by even a casual enquirer.....or that's always been my view.
So it is not a 'culture shock' (there is no culture associated with marketing - except perhaps haute couture given the possible cost of the Dior business suit worn by the charming American yesterday) but perhaps a 'deception shock' to find myself thinking in terms of agreeing to the 'dumbing down' and 'prettying up' of the main Exetel web site to meet the needs of different views brought to bear by creating the "Exetel Country" sub-web site and the inevitability of re-designing the main web site in the not too distant future. As I created the current version, and all previous versions, of the Exetel web site and have written every word that appears on it, it is hard to accept that my efforts and all the care I've taken has been the major reason that Exetel has developed much more slowly than it should have.
So it appears that I'm going to have to admit defeat and allow the Exetel web site to be completely redesigned and at the same time consider ripping up the business plan we have just finished and replacing it with a plan to transform Exetel into a content conduit and forget about re-selling Optus and Powertel/AAPT data links because they are so 2009 and will simply not be viable by next year....or not. It's a hard call, but perhaps I have lost track of the real directions of the communications industry and my sceptical view point on Krudd's NBN2 delivery time frame is way off the money. I am a rational person, except perhaps for my views on the English Premier League and the AFL, and I really do understand that even the brightest intellects (of which I certainly make no claims for myself) gradually dull with age and either refuse to accept, or perhaps simply don't recognise changes that constantly happen as they get older. So:
will Krudd's cynical politically driven cover up for the complete failure of his stupid NBN1 election promise with an even more ridiculous NBN2 really turn out a reality and really be delivered in the not too distant future?
will 100 mbps to every Australian's home really be affordable?
Will such bandwidth availability really instantly consign current usage of data networking by residential users to complete irrelevance?
Will Optus and Powertel (and Telstra) really tell Exetel to take their pitiful business elsewhere because they no longer need it and will find a way to transfer all Exetel's "resold" customers to their own NBN2 access?
Will.....but my poor tired and aging brain can't cope with so many imponderables with so many multiple branches based on what unnamed "experts" reported by two journalists I've never heard of and utilised by an American who has been in the country for three days are apparently meaning.....and, really, do we really need to spend $A60,000 - $A100,000 to make our web site work as it should?
So, now it is early morning rather the end of a longish day and I don't think any of those things are going to happen and, if they ever appear to be occurring, I will gracefully acknowledge that I was wrong and hand over the running of the company to a more able, and much younger, person who hopefully will still have time to correct my errors and rescue Exetel from oblivion.
Now where did I leave my zimmer frame - can never remember a damn thing these days....
PS: Rules I have lived my corporate life by (before I forget them):
1) Always be prepared to take the big risk
2) Always confuse the enemy
3) Always have a Plan B
(apologies to NB who eventuallly failed to take his own sound advice)