Jim Burns

Founder and CEO of Avitage which brings innovative content creation methods to B2B companies to execute a complex sale using automated digital media programs.

My interest in selling goes back as far as I can remember: paper routes and lawn services, house painting, and my first "real" sales position at ADP. My interest in acquiring knowledge and information really started at ADP when I wanted to learn and ultimately master the profession of selling.

In the 80's I worked for Ziff Davis, a publishing company, and it changed my thinking about business communications and selling. Soon after I discovered "interactive-video disc" and became hooked on the communication potential of computers for marketing and sales professionals.

Since 1987 I have been trying to perfect, simplify, make practical, the ability for a non-technical or creative person to assemble compelling and relevant communication programs that use "media" -- pictures, sound, animation and video -- to motivate the behavior change and action associated with effective selling.

When I started Avitage in 1994, it was to fulfill on this vision, as well as the desire to stretch my entrepreneurial muscle.

Our customers, partners and colleagues have helped me refine a fascinating value proposition and business model.

Along the way I developed a voracious appetite to read on many topics, to clip and collect information nuggets, and build out info-bases.

As a result, friends dubbed me the "veritable plethora of information." It is in the spirit of sharing insights, adding my voice to the broad conversation around the complex sale, and communicating a new vision for marketing and selling communications that I write this blog.