By Pete on Dec 22, 2008 in Frugal Living, Money Management | Post a comment
There are a lot of companies out there who now offer a lifetime warranty on their products. Some do it because they love to please customers. A reason for this: happy customers will return time and time again, and they usually brag about your services to at least 20 of their friends, the experts predict. Word-of-mouth advertising is the most effective, and least expensive, way to attract customers, and this is what a guarantee like this can produce.
The real question, however, is, “Will this company even exist in a few years, which is usually the shelf life of most modern conveniences?” You need to know this, because things usually break at the most inopportune times (you know this right?). Another thing to ask is, “Whose lifetime is this warranty based on? Your’s? Mine?” Below are some companies who have stood the test of time — mine, not theirs! Continued
By Pete on Dec 17, 2008 in Entrepreneurs, Featured, Frugal Living | Post a comment
FYI: If you never saw Talladega Nights, the following will sound like either gibberish or gobbly gook!
This article is dedicated to a white trash loner who knew a thing or two about successful marketing strategies! Ok, he also knew about abandoning his responsibilities, and adopting some transient ways, but he definitely tried to introduce this once piece of sage advice into his son’s young, “perhaps” less-than-fragile mind (before he was hauled away in the back of a police cruiser [while kicking and screaming]): FIRST PLACE IS THE ONLY PLACE! Now, I hate to agree with anyone who’s most of the time hopped up on peyote, but this is the reality “cross” that all corporate entities (big or small, or anywhere in between) have to bear. Keep this in mind if you’re thinking about a start-up company!
Timing is everything if you want the fickle public to place you on a pedestal, and being the first to market would seem like a logical way to secure your dominance in the marketplace (if it doesn’t, someone needs to pick up a few marketing courses). Most of the time, the second guy is regarded as a copycat (as they should be) and are doomed to fail eventually.
There are three distinct advantages to being first in the minds of your consumers: Continued
