All About Customer Connections -- Washington, DC and Beyond

More About the No Child Left Behind Act

2006-09-27T00:27:00.000-04:00

Thank you to David Goodman, whose Boston Globe article tells more about the military recruitment intention of the No Child Left Behind Act. View it at http://www.vaiw.org/vet/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2775.

The "No Child Left Behind Act" -- Is it Really About Providing a Better Education for our Children?

2006-09-26T11:19:00.000-04:00

This morning CNN reported a study conducted by the AP concerning sexual and other crimes committed against children by approximately 1 in 200 military recruiters. The report indicated that military recruiters are allowed access to our schools because the "No Child Left Behind Act" was passed, in part, for the purpose of expanding our military forces. Schools receive federal funding for the "No Child Left Behind Act" if they allow access to the school's students by military recruiters. And what does access mean? It means that military recruiters are allowed to talk to your child in school and it means that military recruiters have access to your child's home address and phone number, and are allowed to contact them at home.

If your child is in high school, you should have received an opt-out form from the school. This is a form that you can sign that prohibits military recruiters from contacting your child in school or out of school.

Customer Tip -- Mission Accomplished?

2005-11-27T13:30:00.000-05:00

Notice on my previous post that even though I did not get the ipod dancing dogs at Target, I said "my two main missions accomplished."

I got my TV but not the ipod dog things. I had two choices: 1) to enjoy the rest of my shopping day; or 2) do get bent out of shape at Target because they were seemingly sold out of these ipod dog things before the doors were even open.

Of course, I chose #1. There are so many options available to us, as customers, to buy merchandise, that I knew that my world wasn't going to stop tomorrow just because these ipod dogs weren't on the sales floor of that particular store at that particular time. I can go online or to another retailer, physically or online, to get these these things.

Remember, getting the hot merchandise at the hot price on Black Friday is something like gambling. Maybe you win, maybe you don't. If you win, great, but if you don't, there's always another way to get it or another retailer to get it from. Moreover, it is merely merchandise, and therefore not worth getting bent out of shape over.

Black Friday

2005-11-27T13:12:00.000-05:00

There are subliminal messages to Black Friday. Namely, if a customer has had a good experience in a store on a previous year's Black Friday, he or she will instinctively know to go back there on the current Black Friday.

This is exactly what I did this year. I rose at 5:00 to make it to the Seven Corners (Falls Church, VA) Target for the 6:00 opening, and it was so easy, it was almost too easy. This Target made its Black Friday opening completely civilized.

When I got there at about 5:40 am, customers were being let in the door, into the front entry area of the store, so they wouldn't be standing out in the cold. This was the door closest to the electronics area, which was located immediately to the left. The customers were quiet and seemingly relaxed, while they were waiting for full entry. At just before six, a store manager (I assume) announced to the throng that in order to minimize chaos, about 20 customers would be let in at a time.

I was in the second group to be admitted. There were plenty of staffers standing in the aisles, with notated maps in their hands, to direct customers to their bargains of choice. I went straight to one of these people, said "The flat-screen LCD TV," and the staffer answered "There's a stack of them in the aisle by the clothes." I went there to a large stack, took my TV, and went to another staffer to ask about the ipod dancing dogs. "Those are sold out" was the answer.

My two main missions accomplished, I went back (and in that 5 minutes the entire waiting throng had been admitted), got a cart, and spent the next hour or so in the store to see if there was anything else I wanted.

I was very impressed over the next hour that I saw no scuffles and heard no shouting. Congratulations to store manager Mark Bauer for creating a great Black Friday customer opening!

A New Title for a Great Way of Interacting with Clients

2005-10-21T17:19:00.000-04:00

I've got a new title -- Espressopreneur -- as described by an article in the current issue of Alexandria Times, for which I was interviewed. Read the full article at http://alextimes.com/issues/7/hl_01.html.

Not only is doing business in neutral places like coffeehouses convenient, affordable, and practical, it also serves clients well. Clients get a break from their office environment and the related tensions; they get a chance to relax and by doing so, are better able to open their minds to options, proposals, and creative new ideas; and frankly, meeting clients in places like coffeehouses gives you the chance to treat your clients to food and drink at a price that won't break even the tightest of budgets.

Hi! And Welcome!

2005-10-20T23:13:00.000-04:00

I know that, and I quote myself, "You can sell anything. It's all in the marketing." But that doesn't mean that it's easy or straightforward. Marketing techniques that worked in the past don't necessarily work anymore. With this blog, I will be sharing with you insights and all kinds of information about what's happening with marketing, and what has to happen with marketing, and at the core of it all, is the customer connection. Stay tuned ...