Friday, July 4  

These are my stories

1. Thanks to those kind people who let me know that some of the archive links don't work - I'm onto it. Trust me....... I'm a man.

2. I'm having this site redone. I've had some feedback that it looks, for want of a better term (!), crappy. Before we put up the new site I want to tell you this story:

We used to have a 200 page databased site with a huge amount of info on marketing and web stuff and media work. It took us about 10 hours a week to maintain.

One day the server crashed. I designed this site myself in about 5 minutes (and I cannot design at all!).

We made more sales from this site in a week than the bigger and better site had made in a year.

Why? I really have no idea. I kind of think it's the no BS approach - I think that a lot of people (like me) have had enough of the overhyped firms out there.

The moral of that story is that sometimes you'll be surprised at what works.

3. Marketing 101 - I have a gorgeous 12 year old daughter. Laura plays hockey and they are fundraising at the moment. It's the old "Selling chocolates" trick. My daugher (Laura) brought the chocolates into the offices for us to sell. I sat the box on the coffee table in the reception area. We didn't sell any at all.

Then Jo, the Manager, took 4 chocolate bars out of the box and put them on the table. She then handwrote a sign saying "Chocolates $2 each." We sold 12 chocolates in 2 days.

The lesson: tell people what you are selling. Make them an offer. You sell more that way. Do you advertise? Do you advertise to the right people? Do you advertise enough?

4. A salute!

I may well starve over the next 2 days. I won't get enough sleep. I'll spend more money than usual.

My wife's uncle died this week. She flew the 2,500 kilometres to attend the funeral yesterday. She comes back on Saturday. My children are on school holidays and I've work myself to the bone trying to get everything organised. How do single mom's and dad's do it??!! I have no idea on this one either! My wife seems to do everything so effortlessly.

I barely have enough time to feed everyone, work and sleep - forget about cleaning the house, school work, recreation time.....in fact, anything else at all.

So to all you single mom's and dad's reading this - good on you.
To my wife - hurry home. I'm begging you!