Posted by BJ
One of the gifts my wife and I received this past holiday (from our neighbors Brian and Jen) was a coffee grinder
I didn’t ask for a coffee grinder. I didn’t need one. I had a perfectly good, high quality coffee grinder. The coffee grinder I’ve been using for the past several years did exactly what it was meant to do, grind coffee. It was simple and uncomplicated. It had only one button. The process for this grinder is: Put coffee beans from the coffee bean container into the grinder, hold down a button for the amount of time deemed appropriate and then let go. Empty the ground coffee into the coffee maker. Push brew button (okay, so I guess it has two buttons.)
I was not looking forward to changing my coffee grinder and I did so very reluctantly and only after the new one had sat under our Christmas tree for several days (for those that are wondering, it was a live tree, all white lights, decorated in a gold, red and brown theme), with my wife suggesting (okay, those of you who know my wife Azra know that to call it suggesting is a slight understatement) “when are you going to try the new coffee grinder”. (The lack of a question mark here is not a typo as [again, those who know Azra will already know this] this was not phrased as a question.)
Upon (reluctantly) opening it, I learned that the new coffee grinder has:
One of the gifts my wife and I received this past holiday (from our neighbors Brian and Jen) was a coffee grinder
I didn’t ask for a coffee grinder. I didn’t need one. I had a perfectly good, high quality coffee grinder. The coffee grinder I’ve been using for the past several years did exactly what it was meant to do, grind coffee. It was simple and uncomplicated. It had only one button. The process for this grinder is: Put coffee beans from the coffee bean container into the grinder, hold down a button for the amount of time deemed appropriate and then let go. Empty the ground coffee into the coffee maker. Push brew button (okay, so I guess it has two buttons.)
I was not looking forward to changing my coffee grinder and I did so very reluctantly and only after the new one had sat under our Christmas tree for several days (for those that are wondering, it was a live tree, all white lights, decorated in a gold, red and brown theme), with my wife suggesting (okay, those of you who know my wife Azra know that to call it suggesting is a slight understatement) “when are you going to try the new coffee grinder”. (The lack of a question mark here is not a typo as [again, those who know Azra will already know this] this was not phrased as a question.)
Upon (reluctantly) opening it, I learned that the new coffee grinder has:
A hopper that holds two pounds of coffee; No separate container is needed for storing coffee.
Multiple settings for grinding, allowing me to select from coarse through to very fine*.
Settings for how many cups are to be brewed.
*On my previous grinder the type and amount were determined by how much I put in and how long I held the button…which, as you might guess, varied somewhat from pot to pot.
Once I made the first couple of pots of coffee I learned the following:
Once I made the first couple of pots of coffee I learned the following:
The coffee made using the new grinder is consistent and is much better than coffee made with the old grinder.
The process is greatly simplified and all work is removed.
My wife will now drink my coffee.
My wife will no longer get up and make the coffee, responding to my pleas of “But you make better coffee than I do.”
So, why tell you all this? I share this with our readers because my wife has been asking for a new, automated coffee grinder for several years and I have refused to change from the one I had. And now that I have changed (kicking and screaming), I have found that I would have benefited greatly – enjoying much better coffee, not wasting coffee, etc. – by having changed to a new grinder.
The question for you then is, “Are you sticking with your old grinder when you could greatly benefit from changing to a new one, as I have?” Said more specifically, “What changes in technology, process, thinking, etc, that might make a significant improvement to your proposal capabilities and quality, have you been reluctant to make?
Do you have a list of changes, ideas for improvement, etc. for 2009?
In his recent post – Strategic Engagement in 2009 – Jon suggests preparing a list of “must win” deals, getting insight into the forecast and speaking with sales people regarding the upcoming opportunities. That might be one you want to add to your list if it’s not on it already.
We’d love to hear some of the things on your list. And Jon and I will share some of ours in an upcoming post.
The question for you then is, “Are you sticking with your old grinder when you could greatly benefit from changing to a new one, as I have?” Said more specifically, “What changes in technology, process, thinking, etc, that might make a significant improvement to your proposal capabilities and quality, have you been reluctant to make?
Do you have a list of changes, ideas for improvement, etc. for 2009?
In his recent post – Strategic Engagement in 2009 – Jon suggests preparing a list of “must win” deals, getting insight into the forecast and speaking with sales people regarding the upcoming opportunities. That might be one you want to add to your list if it’s not on it already.
We’d love to hear some of the things on your list. And Jon and I will share some of ours in an upcoming post.