Getting your attention

Network World columnist Scott Bradner writes that the new WebEx Sales Center “attention indication” feature, which tells the presenter whether an attendee as the WebEx screen in focus or not, makes the service a no-go for him. He likes being able to occupy the time spent on a sales pitch call doing other things (multitasking!) and doesn’t necessarily want someone watching his every move, especially what he refers to as a sales ‘droid.

In a way I agree with Bradner in that the indicator can be a bit misleading. Many times, when I am on a call with a vendor, I usually takes notes using WordPad, meaning I am watching the presentation but it’s not necessarily the active window on my screen. (Hint: The key to see if I am paying attention is whether or not I am still typing…) So sales droids, don’t always assume that an off indicator light is indicative of your inability to hold someone’s attention. A poor pitch with minimal details… that’s another story.