www.NeilGilmer.com: 2012

Friday, February 10, 2012

The little things

The below expresses, well, some of Neil's final weeks of reflection he shared.
Dean
__________________

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."
-Robert Bault

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Memories of Neil on his 71st Birthday

As I sit at my computer, looking out the front window over the sweeping yard where Neil and I grew up, memories are flashing back today, Neil's birthday. Actually, now that I think about it we DID grow up outside.
That's probably why Neil remained devoted to the great outdoors and all that it offered him throughout his life.

Here are a few of the strongest images that are flashing in front of me today:

The dust flying up from behind his great green Schwinn... as he'd tear down the road. Rapid, responsive acceleration was always important to my big brother. That bicycle is propped up against a horse stall in the old barn to this day, probably in the exact place he left it the day he purchased his green '55 Chevy.

Ah, how he'd speed shift through that "three-on-the column" classic. If only that car could have talked. I know it held secrets of Halloween pranks that were cooked up -- year 'round -- in that car. Halloween was never just an October holiday to Neil. You know how some people keep a cheerful Christmas Spirit in their hearts all year long? Well, Neil held onto that Halloween Feeling through all four seasons!

Of all the thousands of hours we spent together in the great outdoors here on the farm, we probably spent the most down at Morgan Creek. I'll always remember the impressive raft he built on top of a huge tractor tire's inner tube. We dreamed of sailing all the way to New Orleans, but discovered the payload carried the tube too deep in the water to even make it over the rocky rapids just 100 yards from where we set sail. So, we were content to keep it in the old swimmin' hole... spinning and pushing and overturning and screaming and splashing. And making lifelong memories.

Then, there were the firecracker capers. We went to Florida the first time when Neil was 15 and I was 12. Of course, he loved the Atlantic Ocean -- Briney Breezes is where we usually stayed, Amazing how close that spot is to Ellen's home today. As much as he loved Florida, he couldn't wait til we passed through Tennessee on the way home, where he'd stock up on a year's worth of cherry bombs and various other explosive devices. I'm not sure Mother ever figured out why her vacuum sweeper attachments never fit quite right after a new crop of bottle rockets were launched from the great ElectroLux tubes. It's not that she actually SAW what he did with those vacuum parts, some of which never made it back into the closet.

It's dreary today and there's no snow on the frozen ground. Now, most people would just wait out the arrival of Spring in Indiana's frozen tundra. Not Neil! Days like this, he'd grab his clubs and head for Hartley Hills Country Club for a quick 9. One such day, I questioned his sanity as he dashed off in his Chevy. "Naw, it's perfect today. I'll get a great roll!"

I miss you, big brother. But, you're very much with me forever.
Love,
Mary Anne

Birthday

The second since his passing. Neil's 71st birthday is today.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

It's that time of year yet again!

Happy GroundHog Day!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

There was always a plan and sometimes a piece of paper

Although well known for writing on cocktail napkins, menus, or anything that would accept ink - when there was a plan or idea that was not impromptu Neil would invariably use the Eaton graph paper - paper pad. There was always one at the top of his briefcase ready for him to grab. I rarely saw the other contents of the briefcase, but he was always getting out the pad. As much as he used these at home to express almost any idea- from a baseball play to a fire drill - I would guess everyone at Eaton got at least a memo or two on the graph pad? More than 10 years after his retirement these are still popping up in Neil's stuff.

Another memory though I could not find one: the pocket calculator. Neil always had a small calculator in his shirt pocket, prior to retirement. I don't recall him carrying one after. He was always calculating something.

Dean

Retirement Highligts, Selected Works, J Neil Gilmer, Part I June 1999 (Editor's note: fundamental reading if you sell anything)

AKA NEILISMS:

1. Excellent customer service generally baffles most buyers, so baffle them. Remember, a good deal is normally a perception.
2. Never, never leave money on the table!
3. Charging what the market will bear is fundamentally a good idea! But don't make it obvious.
4. Price leaders generally fool themselves -- with help from the friendly buyer.
5. Two rules apply here:
a. We're here to make money
b. Never forget "A" above
6. Part number and design changes are our best friends.
7. Buyers generally do not give you the whole story -- only the portion that is favorable to them or a version that you'll use to defeat yourself.
8. Most engineers like to play buyer.
9. Remember, if you start a little high, you'll have some room to make the buyer look good. Plus, you will generally obtain a fair price or terms. We should not feel we are above this tactic.
10. Never reveal difficulties that go beyond the scope of the question or task at hand. Remember, perceptions are very important.
11. Price alone is not our game. Differentiate yourself from the pack. Find it and use it.
12. Your competitors have weakness. Find them and exploit them. Be careful, however, not to "bad mouth" your competitor.
13. Your competitor's communication problems are generally worse than yours. Why? You are more effective and persistent then he/she.
14. Most situations generally are a result of an improbable series of blunders and incredible oversights. This is the normal human condition throughout history. Small improvements here put you in a unique position relative to the pack. Plan ahead so screwups don't happen as much.

Things Just Seem to Be This Way (1-42), Selected Works, June 1999 (continued)

1. Competitors who give away samples are in the best possible position to judge their true worth. Samples that are sold at a reasonable price invariably indicate a funded customer program.
2. Prevention is well down the priority list.
3. Small daily applications of maintenance to seemingly mundane matters prevent panics at the most inappropriate times.
4. Closets and desks always somehow manage to be full.
5. Two birds in the bush are more than enough to initiate a development program.
6. Salespeople who allow expense reports to fall into arrears convince everyone that account coverage and price increases are probably in worse shape.
7. Thinking big generally scares everyone
8. An idea before its time is functionally equivalent to no idea at all.
9. People seem to always manage to do what they want to do.
10. Bright and shiny are frequently confused with quality. This can be exploited upon occasion.
11. When it comes to either the principle or the money, you can be 99% certain it's the money.
12. More is generally learned from a customer at lunch, dinner or a social event than all day in his or her office. The CIA and KGB know well this concept. Cloak and dagger is generally appealing anyway.
13. The bigger the customer, the more probably it is that someone there doesn't like you.
14. Associates may not have difficulty keeping secrets, it's just the people they tell that have trouble. Best kept secrets are generally not interesting.
15. Profits concern buyers much more than they bothered Karl Marx.
16. Paradoxically, most corporations secretly desire to be a monopoly while simultaneously extolling the virtues of a competitive market.
17. Rumors generally have some basis in fact.
18. Contingency plans generally imply that the prime path may be flawed. A show ticket is a kind of contingency plan. The scientific approach is almost always trial and error in clever disguise.
19. When more and more data are needed, you should be convinced that there is extreme difficulty in making a decision.
20. Grey is normally the shade. Black or white is easy pickin's, so it generally never gets to you.
21. A good memory is an excuse for a poor filing system.
22. Never use the word, "bottom line" in a negotiation unless you really mean it.
23. Whether it is or not, your buyer should always believe that he's getting a good deal.
24. The more specific the instructions, the more confused someone becomes.
25. Written instructions are seldom acted upon unless confirmed verbally.
26. To make sure that somewhat important written information is promptly read, put it in a confidential envelope.
27. "Rush" generally means someone screwed up somewhere. This is normally an opportunity in disguise.
28. Only B.S. when you know the subject inside and out.
29. A ringing phone will frequently pre-empt personal appearance.
30. A buyer will try to discount technical support, etc., to manipulate you into the price arena. That's his job -- expect it.
31. "What have you done for me today?", is frequently all that matter.
32. Beware of the deal that offers the buyer the honeymoon tonight for the marriage tomorrow.
33. Decision by intuition is generally: experience x insufficient information / time bind
34. Never forget that J-I-T really means almost late.
35. Finger pointing has become the norm in our culture.
36. Some people really enjoy being mad.
37. Animal behavior is remarkably familiar. Tired horses always manage to run to the barn at the end of the day.
38. The best plans generally overlook something.
39. We should avoid self-embarrassment by telling all we know.
40. Part of the story is always good for a snap judgment.
41. After carefully analyzing all the facts, it is normal to rush off and make an emotional decision.
42. "Getting even" generally has a higher price than expeted.

(more to come later on this post)

www.NeilGilmer.com

John Neil Gilmer

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