Carpet Baggers, #Grifters, and Mr. World - #TheDeathOfTheCopier Industry

"... in this modern age, attention is worship."

It's finally come. #Influencers are nothing but shills. Shills for their masters and useful idiots for LinkedIN. 

It is common knowledge, that most industry awards are given to corporate sponsors with the largest marketing budget or a member of the 'boys club'.  Consulting studies and surveys cost money to perform and panning a client is a risky business.  So you'll find quadrants and favorable reviews align with client lists and sponsorships - it's a great big echo chamber; a circle jerk.

 

Our industry has been death-spiraling since 2009 and had its share of snake oil salesmen, grifters, and film flam men. There is fewer today, but the remaining are experts in falsehoods, chicanery, and hyperbole. And lying. 

"Influencers" in the imaging industry don't promote, they demote everything around them, hoping to drag rivals down instead of building their team up. It is sad and I fear effective. 

• To hear it from them, the A3/A4 revolution is raging right now.  But we know that the war ended in 1999.
• To hear it from them, OEM toner is a joke.  But we know dumpster diving is the lowest rung.
• To hear it from them, social media, and e-commerce, are the Holy Grail while MpS, A3s, and better CRMs are a fool's errand.

The insidiousness is all these arguments make sense yet the motivation is rooted in them.  You see, honoring innovation and criticizing outdated notions is fine and dandy if the ridicule comes from an honest place.  

A place not driven by gold or represented by a shill.

I have no ill towards those who sell a product or service - to those who try to a prospect's life better and receive value for their efforts.  There is purity.

They are unpure, use techniques, hide motivations and cajole through fear, uncertainty, and doubt.

The last gasp of our fading niche will be wasted on false profits.

"Fear has no end. Fear is limitless. Fear thrives and feeds on itself, preparing you for calamity, preparing you to believe that the most important things are the most dangerous. If it’s real in your mind, it’s real in the world..."