The Update

A little update:

I recently finished Dante's Inferno and I am now more than halfway through Marketing for Dummies. So the updated list of books read since I embarked upon this experiment now includes: The Inferno, Philosophy for Dummies, The Sri Isopanisad, An Introduction to Microeconomics and most of the aforementioned Marketing for Dummies and half of Sales Closing for Dummies.

I guess my list includes a lot of For Dummies books. While a month ago I would have said that I hope this fact doesn't say a certain something about me (i.e. that I am a dummie), I have since accepted the ancient notion that Shakespeare codified in saying, "The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool." If such is truly the case, I am proud to count myself among the dummies.

I've learned about the Marketing Ps: Product, Place, Price and Promotion. I've learned about the four utilities of value: Form/Function, Time, Place and Ease of Possession. I've learned about Dante's concept of Dis, and a whole bunch about ancient Florentine history and politics (there were these two parties - the Guelphs and the Ghibellines - and they were fighting over how much power the Pope should have, having battles where thousands died and the city of Florence was almost completely razed, the Ghibellines got stamped out and the Guelphs wound up dividing into White and Black parties and started killing each other. It was a pretty crazy time). I've learned about Dante's opinion of Muhammed and Ali and various and sundry popes. I've learned about sales prospecting, test closing, techniques for addressing concerns and closing sales. Positioning, the value of a good distributor, the marketing aspect of pricing. And the list goes on.

One of my biggest struggles to this point has been to maintain balance. As I have insinuated in past posts, I haven't obtained employment - up until today. So it's been difficult to keep up my energy in the very frustrating pursuit of a job when I have a much more compelling work to engage myself in. But I know that the workplace is one of the most effective places to get an education - more effective, perhaps, than even the classroom. So when I received a job offer today, I was delighted to accept. It's in sales. And I suppose that the art of salesmanship is a valuable skill to learn no matter what career one pursues. And, since I am currently studying a great deal to do with business, I think sales ability will be marvelously useful in my future.

I've had a chance to apply some of the principles of marketing that I have been learning also in another part-time position making estimates for a window-washing company. Before, I never understood that price is not merely a function of overhead and desired profit but also a function of the value that customers attach to one's product or service. And I am getting a good chance to think about price as a measure of value in my window-estimates work.

The world really is full of interesting things. I've never been one to listen to anything but music on the radio, but lately my ear has been turning to news and talk programs while I'm driving from place to place. I've learned that there is a lot to be learned from an interesting call-in radio show like Talk of the Nation, RadioWest, Fresh Air or, sometimes, This American Life.

I still don't feel like I have committed enough energy to advertising the principles behind Pandidactism. It's nice that I know the truth about learning, but unless that information spreads, it won't do me or anyone else a scrap of good. So I just need to start. I don't think it really matters how. Even if I begin advertising in a less-effective way, at least I'll show myself that I can take the initiative to do it.

So I think I'll print off some fliers and take them up to the University of Utah campus to distribute them today. Wish me luck!