There are a few hardware and software tools that I use on a regular basis to help me in my marketing endeavors. So I wanted to address a tool that I am finding more useful everyday.
The Livescribe Pulse Smart Pen does something quite magical. As I write down notes in a meeting, it records what is being said. When I go back to my notes, sometimes a few days later, I just click on a word I wrote and it plays back what was being said at the time. In addition, the pen has a tiny camera that sees and keeps track of what it writes. These notes can be synced to your computer so that you can retrieve the notes and associated audio at any time.
Let me give some examples of why this is useful. I was on a train going to a meeting with the Director of Construction for a large transit agency. I was traveling with a colleague of mine. The day before, we had sat down with our president to discuss talking points, the key points we wanted to get across to the client.
On the train, my colleague asked, “What did the president say about this topic?” I just took out my pen and listened to what we had decided to say on that topic — word for word. I transcribed this to a document I then emailed him. It’s quite powerful to recall, word for word, what was said during a strategy session. Because it is almost impossible to keep perfect notes while actively participating in the discussion. You would be shocked how much “good stuff” from meetings gets lost.
I’m often sitting with people talking about projects and strategies. Being able to quickly find what was said about a particular issue has been invaluable to me. Few people have the note taking skill needed to record these conversations while remaining engaged.
For privacy reasons I restrict my use of the smart pen to proposal and strategy related meetings. But even with that limited use, the Livescribe Smart Pen gives me an ability that I consider to be a competitive advantage.
Speak Your Mind