Success only runs one direction....
Do I agree with last weekend’s Amazon scan-for-credit sale? No.
Do I think it may go down in history as one of the smartest marketing moves ever? Yup.
Jeff Bezos (CEO, Amazon.com) knew exactly what he was doing…and he got all of us, present company included, to help him. [click here to continue…]
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‘Tis the season for scammers, apparently. This one is now making the rounds—it hit no fewer than three of my inboxes, each of which uses an address published on one of my websites. As always, DO NOT open the attachment. Just click delete.
Crazy thing? I’m not a property owner in Washington State, have never lived there, and can’t fathom why in the world these bozos think telling me I paid property taxes there would make even one modicum of sense.
Proof positive that “sleezeball” and “smart” are mutually exclusive terms.
Click the image above to see full size
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Twenty years ago, I began an important exercise. When life gets tough enough to keep me awake at night, I pull out a journal, then jot three things from the day that were positive, just before turning out the light. Simplistic, yes, but with time, it actually does make a difference. I refer to it as my Three Things.
In the past, there were lists that required serious effort (the Cheerios stayed crunchy until the last bite). Eventually, Three Things became a running stream of positives—I trained myself to see upbeat moments during the day instead of letting them race by unnoticed.
As a result, it’s been a long, long time since Cheerios were a high point (she says, with gratitude).
How does this translate for merchants this holiday season? [click here to continue…]
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An enthusiastic thumbs up to Oren Teicher (CEO, American Booksellers Association) for posting the following open letter to Jeff Bezos (CEO, Amazon):
Dear Jeff Bezos,
We’re not shocked, just disappointed.
Despite your company’s recent pledge to be a better corporate citizen and to obey the law and collect sales tax, you created a price-check app that allows shoppers to browse Main Street stores that do collect sales tax, scan a product, ask for expertise, and walk out empty-handed in order to buy on Amazon. We suppose we should be flattered that an online sales behemoth needs a Main Street retail showroom.
Forgive us if we’re not. [click here to continue…]
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Among the myriad of things that can make a small business owner wig out fast as lightning is an alert from the local Better Business Bureau, announcing that a consumer has filed a formal complaint against them. If you see a message in your inbox from the BBB with the subject line “Complaint from your customers,” don’t click on the link to respond. Turns out yet another scam is making the rounds, this time targeting merchants understandably distracted by the holiday season.
If you’ve already clicked the link, run a full virus scan on your computer…now (even if you’re a Mac user since it’s only a matter of time before one of these pests breaks through).
If you’re concerned that it might be a legitimate complaint, go old school—pick up the phone and call the BBB. If it’s real, and it’s new, the filing shouldn’t appear online yet, so the phone’s your best route.
For info about the scam on the BBB website, click here.
A huge thanks to Julie Horowitz Jackson (owner, Virtu, Chicago IL) for the heads up.
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Thanks to John Ranes (owner, The Frame Workshop, Appleton WI) for sending in his photo of The 3/50 Project’s Keep the Cheer Here banner, hanging proudly in front of his store. Gotta love it!
To download the banner file for use in your town, visit the Resources page of the Project website. In addition to the banner, there are loads of other marketing materials to promote Keep the Cheer Here, so knock yourselves out. From postcards to posters to blog slugs, we’ve got it all.
Have fun!
Photo used with permission.
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The 3/50 Project has been blessed with a lot of great media exposure since launching nearly three years ago. Coverage has been consistently positive, upbeat, and frequent, on both the national and local level, beyond what other “buy local” or “shop local” organizations typically receive. That, I chalk up to two things: (a) our positive, achievable message of balanced spending with all types of independent brick and mortars, and (b) the enthusiasm of those merchants, who breathe life into the Project every day.
But make no mistake…wonderful media coverage plays a big role, and it’s reporters like Nick Winkler that help move the needle forward, as they say. Thanks not only to Nick, but to the producers at KSTP-TV (ABC) for recognizing an important story, then letting the local merchants in it shine.
I couldn’t be more proud.
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