Sunday Morning Coffee - January 24, 2010

Nothing like a Sunday Morning...not much open, not a lot of rush...just some time to sit down and visit with friends about loads of things.  Here's a sip of Sunday Morning Coffee...

I had TWO days last week where I wasn't doing Insight on Business on our radio/tv station, Des Moines Local...LIVE.  It was like a vacation.  Not that I don't enjoy doing the show but it takes 4 hours to prepare, write and research for the 90-minute show.  Got loads done and on time!

Ice, Ice Baby...we've been "Slip sliding away..." for days.  Went from minus zero weather to fog & freezing rain to a day long thaw (with rain storms) and now back to the freezer.  Playing hell on roads and roofs.  It's February and most of our cities are out of funds for winter and road work?  Wait til spring with the pot-holes.  Meanwhile I spent nearly three-hours with our new friends from Gannon Roofing talking about roofing, marketing, "ice-dams" and more. Great guys...thanks for the time.

While Iowa Republicans focus on the past with Terry Branstad for Governor has the National GOP found their voice in Scott Brown?  Something to watch...closely.

I don't mean to be rude...well, actually I guess I am...but are you really passionate enough to be in business?  Are you passionate about meetings, graphs, spread-sheets, commission schedules or are you passionate about meeting the needs of your customers?   Here is a sample of what I'm talking about...can I get an "Amen"?

Talking about "customers"...  Has anybody ever attempted to call Pitney-Bowes to reslove an issue?   I hope I've had my last attempt.  Friday I started at 3:55PM to figure out why I received a bill from Pitney-Bowes "Postage by Phone" for $58.17.  (Mostly because we don't have a postage machine and haven't had one in use since April - 2009.)  I called the 800 number (that was on the billing statement) and the excitement began.  In 45 minutes I spoke to six (6) different people at multiple locations with different numbers.  Everybody passed me to the next...nobody could "see" anything or actually do anything or even answer the question, "What is this for?".  Finally  "Rose" resolved the issue at 4:40PM.  "You owe us nothing, Mr. Libbie."   I'm wondering if I should now send them a bill?  What mind-bending poor customer service from Pitney-Bowes...amazing they are STILL in business.

Thanks to the Urbandale Chamber of Commerce for the speaking opportunity this past week.  It was "No Bull Marketing - 2010".  Love doing this...should have been a teacher...in a private school.

Speaking of private schools...  My friend Peter Tarpey (who took that photo at the Urbandale event) has a son in the Des Moines Catholic School System - Holy Trinity.  On Thursday he got a call from the school telling him not to come and pick up his 8th grader.  "Mr. Tarpey, the students are finding it difficult to stop playing at recess and then stand in line to enter the school.  So, we'll be practicing standing in line for two hours after our regular dismissal time."   It's not a "ruler across the knuckles" but I'll bet it was effective.  Try that in public schools....  Way to go Sister!

When was the last time you paid $5,000 for somebody to build a newspaper ad for your company?   And then spent another $4,500 to run the ad which resulted in zero response?  Just asking...  (We shake our heads around here every day.)  Now you know why folks in advertising rate slightly higher in public opinion polls than lawyers and used-car salesmen.

SHOUT OUT to Bradley Blinn the VP of Marketing for Mingle360!  I had an issue withconnections and my "MingleStick".   Sent Brad an e-mail and rather than "pass me and my problem on" (see above) he called me back and FIXED the problem...all in less than three minutes.  Word:  BIG is NOT always BETTER.   Just another reason to recommend them to your group, chamber or closed trade show.  It's magic.  Vernon...you reading this?   Think added value for your trade shows....

Dear Red Box:  Nice idea...lousy movies.  I'm done.  (And I'm not even grumpy today.)

Thanks Lessiter Publications and Farm Equipment Magazine!  We had Mike Lessiter on our radio/tv show, "Insight on Business".  We were talking about no till farming, John Deere dealer purity issues and their practice of stripping dealers of the JD nameplate in favor of, what seems, large multi-store owners.  Here is the link to their homepage.

"Pants on the ground, pants on the ground...lookin' like a fool wid your pants on the ground...Git 'em up!"  I'm sorry...if I have to suffer with that in my head....so do you.  In case you want...here is our marketing tip from the "song".

Shhhh.....  Listen.  Do you hear it?   No?  Me either.  Yesterday the Iowa Republicans and the Iowa Democrats held their respective caucus events.   You would think that by the next day, if a Saturday afternoon caucus were successful, somebody would be shouting about it.  Somebody would be saying, "Our decision to move the caucus from a weeknight to a Saturday Afternoon was met with a resounding success.  Our caucus sites were brimming with fresh new faces who had never had the opportunity to attend these grass roots events because __________ (fill in the blank) and we're so proud!"  Nada...nothing.  Last night I sent out notes on Facebook and Twitter...no response.  None...  What I did find was conflicting.  KCCI-TV 8 said  there were "huge crowds" but  Right Wing Blogger, Shane Vander Hart said it was a lousy idea while Art Smith said it was great.  One thing is true.....It's very, very quiet in Iowa....    How about you?    Let us know?   We're really interested in your take.

That's it...what a week and a better one coming.  It's Metro Monday with Todd Razor from the Des Moines Business Record to kick off the show, Insight on Business with Michael Libbie tomorrow.  Join us?

We're on TWITTER:  @MichaelLibbie (personal and business), @InsightADV (Business baby...business) or @RuralLifeRadio (our love for everything rural).