Farewell to Pontiac

This week GM announced plans to pull the plug on the Pontiac brand. This was tough news for me to take for sentimental reasons as the Pontiac Sunbird was the first car I ever bought at a dealership, with a car loan ($164.22 a month). Made me feel like such a grownup. It was 1992, and the dealership was Wade Raulerson in Gainesville, Florida. The 1992 Sunbird is pictured to the right -- white like mine. And yes, a four-door. How many 22-year olds buy a four-door? I traded that car in for an SUV days before my first son was born. We needed something bigger, you know. Well, he'll be a teenager next month, and I still have that SUV, which is a link to the Sunbird, so you're starting to catch on to the sentimentality.

Anyway, it is a reminder that no company or brand has the right to exist. We all have to make our way and prove our worth and value. And while I loved my Sunbird, I got rid of it before the head gasket blew (as that model was prone), and I have to remind myself this was the same brand that rolled out the Fiero (it was supposed to be a cheaper Corvette and ended up being a more expensive Citation) and the Aztec (a recent winner in an "ugliest car ever" contest).

Also, Pontiac has created some iconic advertising. Advertising Age has a slide show containing some of the ads -- fun to look at, and yes, I remember some of them -- you will, too.

http://adage.com/article?article_id=136319

So, I guess the lesson here is to stay vigilant about your business, but more importantly, stay relevant. Because for some reason, I never bought another Pontiac after that Sunbird, and I guess there were too many others like me.

"Mr. Irrelevant"

Every football fan knows the NFL Draft was held this past weekend, with the Detroit Lions selecting Matthew Stafford with the coveted first pick. Stafford and all the other first-round picks have gotten a lot of attention as the focus now shifts to how (and if) they will be able to help their new teams and to the big contracts they will all sign. A side question: what kind of system rewards the newest, most unproven people with the most money?
But the first rounders don’t always get all of the attention. Every year, the last pick in the draft is honored as “Mr. Irrelevant” by a group in California created and headed up by former NFL wide receiver Paul Salata, who played in the NFL for one year. Salata’s group invites Mr. Irrelevant to Newport Beach for “Irrelevant Week” and the awarding of the “Lowsman Trophy” (opposite of “Heisman” and pictured above) It’s all in great fun, the proceeds go to benefit the Orange County Goodwill Fitness Center, and the designee often joins the festivities to be part of the scene. This has been going on since 1976, and according to the group’s website (http://www.irrelevantweek.com/), there will be lots of enjoyable activities to greet this year’s Mr. Irrelevant, Ryan Succop, from the University of South Carolina, chosen as the 256th overall pick by the Kansas City Chiefs.
Now, you’d think the last overall pick in the draft wouldn’t stand much of a chance of success, and sometimes you’d be right. Some Mr. Irrelevants didn’t even make the roster of the team that drafted them (anyone heard from Cam Quayle, 1998’s Mr. Irrelevant?), but there have been some surprises. According to irrelevantweek.com, there are currently four past “winners” playing in the league, Bill Kenney (1978) was a Pro Bowl player, and Marty Moore (1994) became the first “Mr. I” to play in a Super Bowl.
This got me thinking about how often we might miss talented players, employees, colleagues, and others in our midst. How many “Mr. or Ms. Irrelevants” are in our lives? These might be the people who would be last on our list, but have the potential to surprise us with their talents and abilities if we only take the time to notice them.
This summer when the NFL teams go to training camp, while everyone else is watching the top picks, I’ll be keeping an eye on Ryan Succop, a really good kicker from South Carolina. When I’m watching him, I hope I’ll be reminded to not let anyone in my life be “irrelevant.”

Ben Stein on Sales

Ben Stein's column in The New York Times rarely disappoints, and this week is no exception. He opines on the value of the art of salesmanship and how transferable sales skills are.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/business/26every.html?_r=1