Sorry ’bout the long title, but I need this to blast to Twitter too…
A respected financial publication wants to interview merchants who fit all three of the following criteria:
- Are actively working in tandem with other local businesses, promoting The 3/50 Project
- Are in communities that have seen positive impact as a result of The 3/50 Project
- Are located in one of the following states: MT, WY, CO, NE, IA, MO, KS, IL, WI, MI, ND, SD, or MN
If that’s you, please contact me via email here, as soon as possible.
The publication’s audience is made up of local community banks in the states listed above. The writer is looking for positive stories about communities who got involved in our movement, then thrived as a result. This is not a reporter looking for an ambush—he’s the “real deal,” and very excited about what it is we’re doing.
Gotta love good press!
While in Atlanta for the gift show, I was showing a retailer how to use Dropbox to stay connected with her store. Prepared to hear “Thank you for showing me this, Cinda,” instead I got “Why in the world haven’t you blogged about this???”
Yeah. Good point. My bad for not doing so earlier—especially since it’s even more useful at home the rest of the time. Here goes. [click here to continue…]
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…]
‘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
by Cinda Baxter on December 14, 2011 · 1 comment
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…]
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…]
by Cinda Baxter on December 9, 2011 · 1 comment
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.
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.
