Success only runs one direction....
Just a quick note to thank the fine folks of Darien, Connecticut for a warm welcome while I was there to speak about The 3/50 Project. At dinner afterward, a number of business owners and community leaders shared their thoughts and experiences about today’s marketplace and the direction our economy is headed. As a whole, we agreed that the worst is behind us, but only those willing to buckle down and get creative will come through this in flying colors. [click here to continue…]
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(1) Overcharge the customer on a bill, say you’ll correct it when they call the day the bill arrives…then don’t fix it;
(2) Compound the problem by repeating the same mistake on the next month’s bill (in addition to including the original overcharge, now shown as a balance due);
(3) Force the customer to work through seven (yes, seven) different “press one, press two” menus; [click here to continue…]
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I gotta tell you, if this doesn’t fire up a few folks to get their local community development groups and Chambers behind The 3/50 Project, nothing will. See those counter top signs being carted around town for use in the local businesses? MidTown, Inc., the business association in Columbus, Georgia, took it upon themselves to have these made, knowing that a city-wide campaign could only have positive impact.
I applaud their efforts, and hope other business organizations will follow suit. C’mon…what do you have to lose (other than a few tax paying local independents if you just sit back and do nothing)?
Thanks to the folks at WTVM (ABC) for doing the story justice. Good job!
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I’m climbing on my soapbox, so buckle in. I’m ticked.
This summer, my heart was buoyed by the fact so many vendors and sales reps brought a positive attitude to their showrooms and booths. The negative complaints about buyers, marts, traffic, etc. were replaced by (what I thought was) a realistic understanding that the economy stinks, consumers need to be engaged, and that with some compassion, patience, and understanding, we’d all come through this thing together.
Sadly, now that the summer show circuit has ended, I’m getting an inordinate number of phone calls and emails about vendors who have taken off the white gloves and replaced them with boxers, using strong arm tactics designed to corner accounts into impossible situations. [click here to continue…]
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If the original announcement of big boxes Wal-Mart and Target capitalizing on KISS and Pearl Jam didn’t make your skin crawl, this latest chapter will. Never in my life have I imagined seeing (or wanted to see) a Gene Simmons or Paul Stanley Mr. Potato Head doll.
Seriously. I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried. Read about it here.
This is just fourteen shades of wrong….
Note: Mr. Potato Head is a registered trademark of Hasbro, Inc.
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Next up on The 3/50 Project road show: the delightful town of Darien, Connecticut, where I’ll be speaking at The Darien Library-—a place I’m anxious to see since it’s also the first LEED Gold Certified library in New England (quite an accomplishment). Tomorrow night’s session is free and open to the public:
Title: The 3/50 Project…Building Business From the Ground Up
Date: Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: The Darien Library; 1441 Post Road (for directions, click here)
Host: Baywater Properties
Admission: Free
Major thanks go out to David Genovese at Baywater Properties, whose kindness and commitment to the community are responsible for bringing The 3/50 Project session to town.
Hope to see you there!
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Anyone who’s been to one of my marketing or branding seminars knows I’m a big fan of MyEmma, the easy-as-pie online tool for email newsletters and surveys. Anyone who uses MyEmma knows the people behind the glasses have a charming “cool kid” vibe that makes you feel like best friends. Well folks, our girl’s come out with a new look for the autumn cotillion…and it works.
The official rollout won’t be for a few more weeks, but you can check out Emma’s shiny new bells and whistles in a video tour here. If you’re a current MyEmma user, log in on the tour page to stroll the new digs yourself.
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