I am a big fan of Agatha Christy. One of my favorite stories involves a Halloween murder. As I read the book, I was struck by a game they call “Snapdragon.” I had a difficult time imagining how the parlor game worked. As often happens when one reads material written almost a century ago, what was taken for granted back then does not garner a great amount of detail in the description. Thus, when reading about the game I was forced to take-it-for-granted that it was just another board game like Monopoly or Life. Boy, was I wrong! I watched a movie based on the novel and was able to see the game in action. This Halloween game, which originates from the 16th Century, involves soaking raisins with brandy, placing them on a shallow tray, setting the alcohol on fire, and letting the kids pull the raisins out of the flames. As all the lights are shut out when the game is played, the burning alcohol makes for an eerie ghostly glow. The children then chant:
Here he comes with flaming bowl,
Don’t he mean to take his toll,
Snip! Snap! Dragon!
Take care you don’t take too much,
Be not greedy in your clutch,
Snip! Snap! Dragon!
With his blue and lapping tongue
Many of you will be stung,
Snip! Snap! Dragon!
For he snaps at all that comes
Snatching at his feast of plums,
Snip! Snap! Dragon!
Don’t ‘ee fear him but be bold —
Out he goes his flames are cold,
Snip! Snap! Dragon!
I am not surprised the popularity of the game fizzled over time. Eating brandy-soaked raisins is probably illegal for children in the U.S. and burning the fingers and tongues of the participants doesn’t sound like fun!
Reading about something in a book, even by the best authors, does not always do justice to visually seeing the event or image. Another example that springs to mind is my attempt at making a “Yorkshire pudding.” Hint – it does not involve pudding, it does not look like pudding, and is terribly confusing if you do not have a picture of the finished dish. Similarly, looking over descriptions of software can have the same effect. Few companies will take screen shots of every feature their product, few companies will have the word power to accurately describe all its features, and few potential customers would want to read boring material about software features. The answer is to ask for a demo.
Demonstrations of software programs allow you as the potential client to review the parts you are particularly interested in or provide you with a quick overview of the product in its entirety. Investing the time into watching a demo is not unlike reading a book – both take time and afterward you know much more than you did before. Whether it is Absence Management, eSmart, Intelliview, or Intellitrack – don’t limit your knowledge by reading snippets of marketing material on the website. Give Pipkins a call and we will be happy to provide a demo to your specifications. Alan, Jim, or Rafe will promise you won’t get burned by the presentation. Snip, snap, dragon!