 based on hubs. I recommended the replacement of at least the central hub with a switch. But back then, switches were expensive, and only the largest of companies could afford to make such a change. The management refused to replace anything on the network and insisted that I look further into the servers. They felt that something had to be wrong with the servers, Why Everything Is Messed Up because that was what they understood. They had no idea how networks operated and that there were limits to how much traffic they could handle. I gave the management a small lesson on networking and explained why they were having problems. I offered them a guarantee that if the introduction of a switch did not resolve their problems, we would take the switch back at no cost. The switch did solve their immediate problems, and I made a regular customer into a loyal customer. Small companies like that one focus on what they're good at. In this case, the client was good at advertising. They didn't care about computers or networks, but they un- derstood computers because they used them on a daily basis. They had no daily inter- action with the networking equipment; it just worked, until it started to become a problem. Truth #5: Sometimes, the problem is simply that no one knows or even cares that there are problems. People in advertising should not need to learn how a switch works. The network is there simply to facilitate the work they need to do. How to Sell Your Ideas to Management You've got a great idea that you believe will change something for the better. Maybe it's the network, or maybe it's the way the company hires and interviews people, but you know it's worth doing. The problem is that you can't get anyone in management to listen to you. In your mind, they're all idiots. In their minds, you're wasting their time. Who's right? You both are. Good managers want to know what you're thinking and will listen to you. If your idea does not have merit, they will give you meaningful feedback and help you refine it. Other manager