Bad Luck For A Price

I have recently had a string of bad luck and it has me wondering about the reviews that appear in Cigar Aficionado.  Specifically, I have been trying cigars that were reviewed in the magazine (buying four versus one to ensure a sampling) and have not been impressed with the results.  From plugged and hard to draw to flavor that is less than other labels that I have come to trust I have not been impressed with what the magazine is rating so highly.

The thought begins………..do the companies pay to get reviewed?  The possibility is daunting in that if a label can flourish based on paid reviews and not on quality then I am buying bad advice.  We want to trust the “published expert” but what is the reality of the review?   I paid a pretty good price to try these rated cigars and came away with doubt. 

For now I am sticking with the labels that have been good to me in the past and it will probably be awhile before I trust the review of a major cigar publication.

Must There Always Be Metrics?

The news today is all about the economy and the upcoming elections.  Banking profits are at a sixteen year low.  McCain would prevale over Obama or Clinton if the the elections were held this week.  All of this is substantiated by numbers.

 In turn we focus on our day and the people around us and when things get tough we turn to metrics.  How many calls?  How many contacts?  The list is long and distinguished…………….and the questions are valid.  Without production/ goals we tend to be targetless.  Still, can sheer numbers rule at the close of the day?

 What about relationships?  We have multiple contacts (that is how we meet our production numbers) but are they what we need to be successful.  Recruiters can make a volume of calls and get lucky as can sales people.  Volume does not neccecarily build knowledge and without knowledge can we really own a client? 

 When times are good it is easy to make the calls with little investment.  When the market turns south we really learn about who has built the relationships that are of value and of content.  Making the investment to build relationships can pay in the best of times as well as the worst of times.