Archive for 2011

MAGIC x VIBE

via Hollywood Reporter…

NEW YORK – Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s Magic Johnson Enterprises and Ron Burkle’s Yucaipa Cos. have agreed to invest in Vibe Holdings, the parent company of Vibe magazine and music-and-dance TV show Soul Train, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The investment, said to be in the eight figures, will see the former LA Lakers star become the company’s chairman. The deal comes approximately a year after Johnson tried to buy Jet and Ebony magazines.
Burkle’s name has repeatedly come up in connection with possible media deals in recent years, including in the bidding for Tribune. Most recently, he worked with Harvey and Bob Weinstein on a possible deal for Miramax before they dropped out over price.
Vibe Holdings will use the capital injection in part to acquire similar media assets to help capture a larger share of the African-American market for advertisers. “We intend to build one of the most important enterprises in urban media,” Burkle said.
Vibe magazine closed down in June 2009 amid debt problems, but was then resurrected as a print magazine, now published six times a year, and online brand private equity firm Intermedia Partners and Uptown Media.

Besides the obvious cash influx, and celebrity appeal that has been missing since Quincy Jones , this deal should allow Vibe access and various cross promotional opportunities with the various businesses owned by Johnson and billionaire Ron Burkle. Not to mention the rooms that will be open to them because of the new partners.

February 10, 2011 · Comments Off Continue Reading →

REAL LIFE iROBOT

A remote operated Robot enters Red Rock Coffee, Mountain View, CA. shop and orders a scone to go through two way web cameras controlled by an engineer at anybots…Now what will the interns do?

get yours at http://anybots.com/

Spotted via @brandonhixon

February 9, 2011 · Comments Off Continue Reading →

MITCH ALFUS: LEATHER KING

“It’s my form of painting. My form of photography. My form of being somewhat different.” – Mitch Alfus

The Selby does a day in the life of Mitch Alfus, owner of Libra Leather, covering both the quiet intimate moments as well as a tense sales meeting where he had his sales team on the hot seat.. one moment that rolled out like this….

Mitch:” I’ll tell you one more thing. You guys have to think, when your are working with accounts not to be wasting time. I’ve heard how you sell. For one I’d like you to know more about the real leather…But you know more than the customers so thats a plus. but another thing I think you spend too much time chit-chatting…you ramble on and on and on. And the laughter and the joy and the pleasure.”

Nervous Sales Rep (retorts): “but that’s what keeps them back. I think that my charm and my talking to them and knowing their line is helping me sale a fuck ton of leather. I have almost 2million dollars in sales.”

Mitch: “If you’re selling 2million a year with talking that much, imagine how much you’d sell if you talk less… And you knew what you were doing?

We’ll never know the back story behind this exchange, but from my days as a sales rep, I sense that she’s the type of rep that is comfortable knowing she’s earning good money for the company. However as a business owner I could tell he’s good with her progress but doesn’t want any of his reps comfortable. Push it harder, get ALL the money, don’t leave nothing on the table,and you cant do that with all that chitter chatter…I also know, a Sales rep has to have tough skin-tougher than leather.

what do you get from the exchange?

February 9, 2011 · Comments Off Continue Reading →

TOUGHER THAN LEATHER

“It’s my form of painting. My form of photography. My form of being somewhat different.” – Mitch Alfus

The Selby does a day in the life of Mitch Alfus, owner of Libra Leather, covering both the quiet intimate moments as well as a tense sales meeting where he had his sales team on the hot seat.. one moment that rolled out like this….

Mitch:” I’ll tell you one more thing. You guys have to think, when your are working with accounts not to be wasting time. I’ve heard how you sell. For one I’d like you to know more about the real leather…But you know more than the customers so thats a plus. but another thing I think you spend too much time chit-chatting…you rmbe on and on and on. and the laughter and the joy and the pleasure.”

Nervous Sales Rep (retorts): “but that’s what keeps them back. I think that my charm and my talking to them and knowing their line is helping me sale a fuck ton of leather. I have almost 2million dollars in sales.”

Mitch: “If you’re selling 2million a year with talking that much, imagine how much you’d sell if you talk less… And you knew what you were doing?

We’ll never know the back story behind this exchange, but from my days as a sales rep, I sense that she’s the type of rep that is comfortable knowing she’s earning good money for the company. However as a business owner I could tell he’s good with her progress but doesn’t want any of his reps comfortable. Push it harder, get ALL the money, don’t leave nothing on the table,and you cant do that with all that chitter chatter…I also know, a Sales rep has to have tough skin-tougher than leather.

what do you get from the exchange?

February 9, 2011 · Comments Off Continue Reading →
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