Monthly Archives: May 2008

Social Ice Cream?

Posted on May 30, 2008 by randyalletag

Social media.  What IS it and how can it help my business?  The CommonCraft Show, one of my favorite web sites has posted the following video, Social Media in Plain English.  Like all CommonCraft videos, it’s a very simplistic explanation … Continue reading →

Posted in Social Media | 1 Comment

Let’s Put on a Show

Posted on May 29, 2008 by randyalletag

A while back (All Business is Show Business), we discussed the similarities between our business and the business of entertainment. Today our buddy Seth Godin posts in a similar vein. [Note: While we’d like to claim that Seth got the … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Marketing and Positioning, Sales and Salesmanship | Leave a comment

Good Business News

Posted on May 28, 2008 by randyalletag

From MSNBC, durable goods orders for April, excluding transportation, were up 2.5% last month.  Orders for electrical equipment and appliances were up 27.8%, the biggest increase in history. "In another good sign, orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft, considered … Continue reading →

Posted in General Business, The Economy | Leave a comment

An Interesting Guarantee

Posted on May 27, 2008 by randyalletag

Putting on a new pair of pants this weekend, I noticed writing on the inside of the pocket.  Was someone being held prisoner in a garment factory and sending me a message for help?  No, it’s Haggar’s new guarantee and … Continue reading →

Posted in Customer Service | Leave a comment

Memorial Day 2008

Posted on May 23, 2008 by randyalletag

As we begin the long Memorial Day weekend, some of us are looking forward to an extra day off work and some of us are looking forward to a big three day selling event.  However you plan to spend the … Continue reading →

Posted in Miscellaneous | Leave a comment

A Really Useful Site

Posted on May 22, 2008 by randyalletag

Every so often we find something really useful to pass along to you and today’s one of those days.  The site is called "Biz Tool Kit", a service of the James J. Hill Reference Library.  According to their web site, … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Marketing and Positioning, Credit and Collections, Customer Service, General Business, Human Resources, Inventory Control, Motivation, Sales and Salesmanship | Leave a comment

Good Isn’t Good Enough

Posted on May 21, 2008 by randyalletag

Anna Farmery of The Engaging Brand asked a good question on Twitter today, "Why do companies think customer service, delivering what the customer expects,and  quality are brand differentiators for customers? She’s right, you know.  In today’s world, good service and … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Marketing and Positioning, Customer Service, Sales and Salesmanship | Leave a comment

Virtual Business Cards

Posted on May 20, 2008 by randyalletag

Thanks to Steve Gardner at Steve’s Vac Shack in Willmar, MN for this tip. There’s a new service called BusinessCard2 that allows you to create a virtual business card and put it on your web site, or attach it to … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Marketing and Positioning, Computers and Point of Sale, Customer Service, The Internet | 2 Comments

Getting Back Lost Customers

Posted on May 19, 2008 by randyalletag

Over the weekend, someone (not in retailing) asked me a very good question.  "If you make me mad and I stop coming into your store, how do you know?  Can you ever get my business back?"  OK, that’s two questions.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Get It Right the First Time

Posted on May 16, 2008 by randyalletag

Thanks to Donna Popacosta for pointing out this story from the Chronical for Higher Education.  It seems that Princeton University Press is recalling 4,000 copies of a book called "Cop in the Hood: My Year Policing Baltimore’s Eastern District", by … Continue reading →

Posted in General Business, Quality | Leave a comment