July 2005 Archives

My beloved sheltie, Lacy, died unexpectedly in my arms last night. She was suffering from renal failure but noone, including our vet, thought she would go so suddenly. She was only 7 1/2 years old.

I will talk more about her in the coming weeks, but the pain is too fresh right now.

If you have never read the poem "Rainbow Bridge," I urge you to do so. Be sure you have tissue, though. You will need it.

In Loving Memory
December 27, 1998 - July 28, 2005

Is there a psychological impact from having an empty inbox? Absolutely. Tangible or virtual, a full inbox is a nagging reminder that we're failing somehow. We can't keep up. We are overwhelmed with work. The drain on our psyche affects our concentration, which in turn affects our productivity.

The good news is that there are techniques for overcoming this never-ending challenge. The better news (for me anyway)? I'm winning!

Inbox: 2
Trash: 0 (I just happily deleted 334)
Sent: 1,484 (darn near impossible to get control over)

Admittedly, it has taken a very concentrated effort to get to this level of inbox management success, but I've been able to keep a handle on my inbox for over a week now. And seeing all that white space in my inbox each morning really starts my day off well.

Now, go 4D (do, dump, defer or delegate) 10 emails from your inbox and blog me in the morning.

Found this great article about creating successful blogs on blogger.com.

Remember the entrepreneur who forgot to update the landing page for a teleclass he was promoting? I tried to get on that call tonight and the nightmare continued.

First, the call was automatically answered with a recording telling me "the new number is..." and directing me to dial another number. OK. So, I dialed the new number roughly ten minutes past the start time (I like to avoid all the chit chat and opening sales pitches).

I was surprised to find two women chatting back and forth about network marketing, Cancun and other chatter one typically endures when dialing in before a call's published start time. Thinking perhaps I had misdialed the phone number or entered the wrong passcode, I hung up and redialed the original number listed in the call announcement email. Nope, same message directing me to the new number, which I called again and entered the passcode again, to hear these same 2 women bantering back and forth.

Suffice it to say I'm no longer interested in the particular entrepreneur and have asked to be removed from his mailing list.

Yesterday I received an email from an entrepreneur (who will remain nameless) promoting an upcoming teleconference he is hosting. Within the body of the email, he notes "next Tuesday evening, July 19 I'm going to hold a tele-conference..." and provides a link to register for the call.

Unfortunately, this entrepreneur has committed a major faux pas: he did not bother to update the landing page for the link.

The headline on the landing page says "Don't miss the [John Smith] Experience Tele-conference calls May 10, May 17, and May 24." The dates are in bold red type.

If he is that careless with his own materials, how careless was he in preparing the info products for sale on his web site? How careless will he be as my consultant if I hire him? These are the questions your prospects will ask before buying your products or hiring you, so why not answer those questions in advance - by making sure your work is proofread, up-to-date, and accurate BEFORE you hit the send button.

Always do a "run-through" before you launch your promotional campaign. Even better, have a couple associates run through it for you. Test the links to make sure they work, proofread your copy (email as well as web pages), and double check your day/date combinations. I had the bad habit of putting the wrong day with a date (for instance, "Friday, July 16" instead of the correct "Saturday, July 16"), but once I enlisted the help of an editor to proofread critical announcements, that habit was broken.

It only takes a moment and the result can be monumental. Skip this critical step and the results can be devastating.

(UPDATE: 7/21/05 9:30 p.m.) When I dialed in to the call, an automatic recording directed me to a new number, which I called about 10 minutes after the published start time (I hate listening to all the pre-call chit chat and the opening sales pitches). I was surprised to hear two women talking about network marketing and one's vacation in Cancun...I held out a few short minutes but at 15 minutes after the hour, the call still had not officially started so I hung up. I don't think this entrepreneur will be building a successful business any time soon if he keeps this up.)

Our air conditioner died last night. We kept it on life support longer than most would survive (or most people would try) but even with our nurture, care, and "please hold out until we sell the house next year" pleas, when it's time to go, it's time to go. Suffice it to say it's gotten very warm in here.

We've used the same a/c company for years but have been very disappointed with their service lately, so it's no surprise the message I left at 7:25 a.m. has yet to be returned.

Fortunately, I called Marquis Air (recommended by a friend) at 7:40 a.m., told them I had a meeting from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. and would be home at 11:30. At 11:35 a.m., Art, the owner -- the owner of the company -- called to say they were on their way. This guy understands customer service!

Sure enough, the owner arrived with his key tech. They assessed the situation, ordered the new system (yep, we have to replace the entire system), and will be back tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. to get started. The owner even called this evening to let me know they had loaded the new system on their truck tonight so they could pull right out tomorrow. I like these guys already!

UPDATE 7/15/05 5:00 p.m.: It's slowly beginning to cool off in here. The guys from Marquis Air had the new unit unloaded and were pulling the old unit off the cement slab when I opened the garage door at 6:50 this morning. They finished the job shortly after Noon, which is what they had estimate yesterday, so I was able to make it to the Chamber luncheon. We have a new a/c company! And I'm a walking, talking marketing machine around the neighborhood for them now, too.

I was tempted to write a response "sharing" my problem: companies that totally disregard their long-term clients. I could give him a "generous discount" on my services but wait...I don't discount my fees because I don't discount my service level. Maybe I'll just offer a free consultation from Common Business Sense 101: "Revamp your customer service program. The cost of gaining a new client is a heavy multiple of the cost of retaining a good client."

My buddy Wayne Kelly interviewed Mike Reno from Loverboy this morning on his Top 40 radio show. Wayne knows Mike was absolutely my favorite lead singer when I was in high school, so he told Mike I was listening in Florida on the internet. Listen for yourself.

Loverboy opened for Journey in Nasvhille, TN, at the first concert I ever attended. They were so good that when they came back as the headline band the next year, we were in line hours before the doors opened and ended up front row, center stage. It was a double bonus --John Waite was the opening act. I'll see if I can't dig up the old photos from storage and post a few.

Loverboy was featured during the first episode of NBC's Hit Me Baby One More Time, so naturally I tuned in to see how my old high school crush was doing. He did such a great rendition of that oh-so-overplayed Hero song by Enrique Iglesias that I actually like the song again.

cnet.com has posted its Top 10 downloads from the past ten years.

Launched in June 1995, Cnet.com was one of the first sites I found while learning to use the internet. It's still my top resource for downloads, product reviews and price comparisons.

My stepson is a senior in college so it's no surprise he's a computer wiz but even he loves cnet.com and refers people to the site on a regular basis. Here's the best part, though: I taught him to use Cnet.com! Ah, it's great when we can teach our children "cool" stuff, isn't it?

I just added Avery index labels to a conference planning notebook. The notebook is for an industry conference I am producing this fall for a client. The project started with a basic file folder in January but has grown into a three inch, three-ring binder.

Before working at Sprint, I used folders for everything. Then I met Debbie Mason and Alice Alfano. They put everything in three-ring binders. Everything! I thought that was really weird at the time but the longer I worked with them, the more I realized they really did have the whole organization thing down to a science. They are my office organization idols!

The big "aha" came for me when I was promoted to Manager of Special Events. Debbie handed me her notebook from an event. No files, no folders, just one large notebook that contained everything I needed. It turned out to be much easier to go through than folders and I have used binders for my events ever since. They are easily portable. Nothing falls out. I can flip back and forth through pages and sections quickly and easily, unlike papers in folders. I can expand the notebook and add another section by simply adding another divider.

Thanks, Debbie and Alice. Switching from folders to binders has kept me more organized and saved me countless hours and frustration over the years!

I have used Avery labels for years and have them in all kinds of shapes and sizes. They make my life easier. Unfortunately, I am an early adopter and don't always have the right template for the newer labels. Tonight I found the solution: Avery Wizard for Microsoft Word. I downloaded and installed the wizard and printed out dividers for my notebook in less time than it took to type this post (well, that's really because I had to take time to go back and look up the URLs so you would have the links).

Hurricane Dennis is bearing down on Florida, so we are watching The Weather Channel on TV. Hillary Andrews, is on the anchor desk and just used the word "irregardless" in her description of Hurricane Dennis' path. I'm not kidding. I have TiVO so I hit rewind to double check and yes, she did in fact say irregardless:

"...irregardless of where the exact land fall takes place..."

One would think media people, above everyone else, would have a better grasp (or grip, perhaps) on the English language! I'll give Hillary the benefit of the doubt and assume it was the person writing the copy that Hillary was reading from a teleprompter. Of course, just because you are reading something does not mean you have to say it!

My client and I just cancelled our trip to Dallas for the eWomen Publishing Network conference. Flying out of Tallahassee, Florida, on Monday in the midst of what is now a category 4 hurricane just didn't seem like a bright decision to either one of us. We lived through Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne last year. As a result, we take the Governor's and state emergency operations director's warnings much more seriously these days.

Unfortunately, eWomen Publishing Network has a no refunds policy. That means I lose $450 and my client loses more (I'm a member, she is not yet). Fortunately, both the hotel and the airline were extremely sympathetic so we are not out even more money.

Having planned many conferences and events over the years, I understand why the refund policy is in place. Facilities require a guarantee on the number of anticipated attendees so they can ensure adequate space, food and facility staff. Facility charges are based on the guarantee, whether you have that many people or not. I recommend a refund policy be established for any major event; however, I do not agree with a NO refund policy in situations beyond human control (aka Acts of God).

My client contacted eWomen Publishing Network to see if they would refund her registration in light of the hurricane. The email response was "no, but..." (they will still send the audio recordings of the sessions). My client is understandably disappointed and this lack of flexibility will probably deter her from joining eWomen Publishing Network now.

$495 (which included the early-bird discount) is a ridiculously hefty price to pay for a set of audio cds when cancellation was solely due to an act of God. Had we cancelled due to illness, a client crisis or some other "controllable" reason, I would understand eWomen Publishing Network's adherence to the no refunds policy; however, we cancelled because there is a hurricane bearing down on Florida.

What would I do if I were in charge of the conference? First, I would have event insurance that covers this type situation. We're in the midst of hurricane season after all. Aside from that, I would offer to credit the fee toward next year's conference or apply the fee toward an annual membership. At the very least, I would offer a partial refund derived by deducting my hard costs cpu (cost per unit -in this case, the cost per person as charged by the facility).

eWomen Publishing Network is a great organization. I'm sure the response to my client was sent by someone who did not realize the seriousness of the situation, which is understandable if you didn't live through four hurricanes in less than six weeks last year.

I hope that eWomen Publishing Network will reconsider. Time will tell.

Update 8/25/05: Just moments after I responded to the post-conference online survey, Jan King, the Founder and Editorial Director for eWomenPublishing, emailed me with her apology for the situation and her cell phone number (it was nearly midnight!). I called her the next day and received a credit for next year's event. She offered to call the accounting department for me and make sure my $55 credit was processed ASAP (I paid in full but was charged the multi-payment plan fee). The credit appeared on my next credit card statement./em>

Update 10/22/05: I still haven't received the conference cds.