Just why aren’t you using this ?”, asked the salesman as he sat opposite me.

We’ve known each other close to two years both in good times and bad. From when they appeared to do an upgrade without their software to now, when they have a viable product but little interest from us in it, we have worked together to take the rougher edges of it and make it a viable product.

“We came over just to talk to you”, he says, spinning as only he can, a situation when he probably came over to meet half a dozen people for a dozen reasons.

The truth of the matter is that this has been a rocky road when they have taken the product off the table and we have failed to find a customer prepared to take the leap of faith.

“It’s FUD”, I say, watching the look of confusion on his face. “Fear, uncertainty and doubt”. His eyes brighten as he repeats the word in every subsequent sentence.

Whilst his colleague, the technician, is still unhappy, the salesman beams happily, he has a new phrase to add to his armoury and new thing to spin. FUD.