So if you are on our update list, you probably have been getting some emails that aren’t making a whole lot of sense or are repeats of older emails.

I apologize for that. We are updating the website and moving the whole thing onto a new private server. So the email programs are getting confused and sending the old out with the new.

Hang on a few more days and all will be back to normal.

Again, Thanks for the patience and keep the emails, questions and comments coming.

I first met Tony while managing a kiosk next to his at Mall of America in Minnesota.  The first thing that attracted me to him was his ability to call a spade a spade.  He could rip an employee for bad business practices one minute, and spin around the next minute and woo a passerby into stopping to look, than buy whatever he was selling.

Turning screaming and unruly kids into passive, obedient children is another trait he has.  To him, that was the key to getting the parents to stop and look.  That and a magic ball in a bag trick…  I will have to get a video of that… It’s hilarious.

Okay, his no sugar coating style didn’t play well with mall managers.  Who, for the most part, where totally clueless idiots that Tony would annoy just because he could.

That and his humble desire to help, showing them better ways to make the mall money, got him bounced from a mall or two.  How dare a lowly kiosk manager tell a highly educated mall manger how to do his job?  Then after bouncing him out, they would implement his ideas and keep the credit.

In that area, Tony excelled.  Making the kiosk money.  He is a diligent worker and keen observer, who can turn a losing kiosk into a printing press of money in very short order.  A walk in the park for Tony because he has an instinct for understanding the customers better than anyone I know.  He can spot the buyers and the testers.  Watch as he turns one into the other quickly, or gets them to move on with a smile.

I dare anyone to walk with him through any retail store, and he will find fifty ways to improve the sales in the first five minutes.  Give him ten and he will rewrite the sales planner, fifteen and he will have you convinced you need to remodel the store because his ideas will pay for it.  And they will.

His humbleness goes to his passion… Womens Basketball. He knows more than most coaches and recruiters do about the sport.  And they agree he does.  Walk into any game with him, and you would think you were walking with royalty.  Just by the shear number of people who stop to say hello, or to ask his advice on a certain player, or his thoughts on a certain team.

He runs a community website for that purpose…  www.communityhoops.com.  To expose and profile rising young basketball stars. To give advise and critique to the teams and the coaches.   As well as giving opportunities to struggling journalism students by opening doors for them as they cover the games for the website, and meet the people he knows who can hire them.  All at his own expense.

This humbleness also got Tony into a jam.  As of right now, the economy and his desire to help others while neglecting his own situation, has cost him his health as well as his home.  Tony is now homeless and struggling with depression.

Tony is a good man that is having a little bit of a bad luck and could use a little help right now.  If I could get you to go over to his website and see what he is doing.  Than make a donation, I would really appreciate that.  Or if you need a great marketing, give him a call and see what he can really do for you.

Article: Dedicated Basketball Fan Makes a Difference

I have a new friend.  This new friend goes almost everywhere with me and I can really say it has been a blessing to my life and my business.  My new friend is a Palm Pre Smartphone.

Shocking, I know.  I truly resisted. I did.  I fought a long, hard and brave battle to not do it, but now I am glad that I surrendered to the new world of telecommunication and that I did it with a Pre.

About two months ago I finally gave up the battle and became an owner of the new, ultra slick Palm Pre.  My intentions were to buy the iPhone, but everyone I know is on Sprint and I have been with them since birth, I went with the Pre.  And I am glad I did.

When I say I really went into this purchase kicking and screaming, I mean it.  Everyone I do business with was encouraging me to upgrade.  Maybe they were laughing because I still had a simple cell phone that made calls, yet I resisted.  My simple ole’ cell phone worked great and served me well (so I thought).  Besides, I didn’t want to become one of “those” people who were hooked to their smart phone like a junkie is to their dealer.

After two months of having the Pre, I can say I am not one of “those” people.  What I can say is that I have found being well connected makes life a lot easier for me and the Pre has been a great help in better organizing my life and business.

The Palm Pre has also proved itself a real workhorse compared to some of those other Smartphone’s my friends have.  Never broke, stalled or refused a command.  And yet is very stylish to look at and to use. Not to mention that the Pre has stood up wonderfully to my abuse.

Being a Google addict as I am, the Pre phone made my transition to mobile life much easier.  The Pre seems to be made for Google.  Already built in with Google maps for navigation, multiple Gmail accounts sets up in a snap and my Google calendar is a perfect match with the phone.  Everything is there at a press or a “fling” of a finger.  Literally.  So updating or keeping updated with contacts, calendars and Email is a snap and cut some time off my learning curve.

With the Pre, I can tweet, text and email.  I can see where I am going, where I have been and who is looking for me. Amazingly, this gadget also makes phone calls.  Only now I am making less of them and finding texting/tweeting is a better form of communication!

Of all the things the Pre can do, what sold me was the picture quality on the camera.  Yup, the on board camera is a beauty.  Seeing the quality of an unaltered pic was what finally pushed me over the edge and made me call Sprint for the big purchase.  I always said it’s the simple things that sell a product.

Have a problem?  Not a problem..  The official Pre website is a good place to start.  But what I have really enjoyed finding is the Pre community of users and supports.  These folks love their Pre and stand ready to help you with any problem, question or issue you have with the phone.

As one who stood on the fence a long time, I am here to tell others who are waffling on the decision to go Smartphone, do it….  Make the decision, take the plunge and enjoy the new world of communication.  If you do it with a Palm Pre, let me know what you think.

Mr Mark Replies:
Welcome to the new world of retail.  With the economy as it is, people are all scrambling to save a buck any way they can and shopping online is one of the best ways to do it.  Get used to it and deal with it.  That’s the new law of business.

Please notice that I said shopping online, not necessarily buying online and this is where you can come in and save the day. By shopping online, I can get some good deals on merchandise, but I have to wait a few days for delivery.  This is not really working for a lot of people who are used to instant gratification.

The big box retailers learned early about this problem and fixed it.  So now you can go online and order anything from stores like Walmart and  PetSmart, get the online prices while having your order ready for pick up at the local store almost immediatly. Instant gratification while saving time and money

You also notice that more people are shopping online and looking local. If you look at retail oriented keyword searches, more of them are now including a location along with the item they want to search for. If I want monkey wrencehes, the search would be “monky wrenches las vegas”

This means they want to see what is local and online before they place an order.  So having a website and a local store gives you a chance to compete with the online only stores by letting the customer know what you can do for them locally besides give a great price.

What I would do:

• Make sure your website is search engine friendly and tuned for local searches.
• Get registered with Google Business Services and get a local listing and map location.  It’s all free and will put your business literally on the map!
• Increase inventory storage even if that means decreasing display area.  Expecting more orders to come from the website.
• Let both online and walk-in traffic know they can save time by ordering online and you will have it ready for immediate pick up.
• Service the customer.  DO NOT take them for granted.  Especially customers from the website who come in for pickup.
• Frontline people need to know thy products intimantly.  When a customer comes in, they need to know it was worth the trip and get more from you than they could from a website.  Service them and make them your friend.
• Have an email list and newsletter.  Keep them informed and updated.  Not only on your business and products, but news and tips about the products you sell.  How to use, care and maintain them.  Include customer feedback and success stories.

With that in mind, I have enjoyed using the Clickfree mobile backup device.  This USB connected device is idiot proof.  Plug it in; let it do its thing and a few minutes later your entire computer(s) is backed up.  Plug and play.

Once completed, I put it away, far, far from my computer or office for safe storage.  I also carry it when I go traveling.  No matter what size you get, its compact, flat and easy to tote around.  Can easily be slipped into your coat pocket, purse or briefcase to take with you. (keeping a backup off premises is a great idea in case of fire or theft)

Since I like to take a lot of photographs, I use this as a perfect external hard drive/storage device. It can back up several computers and keep everything separate.

The test model I received is the small version.  If you call 160GB small.  More than enough for the average consumer or home office.  Perfect for the photographers or audio fanatics who are always needing to save room on their  laptops.

As I said, it is idiot proof. It works right out of the box.  Follow the directions, plug in the USB cables as directed, click a couple of buttons asking if its ok to back up and its done.  When you need to replace some missing or corrupt files on your computer, plug it in and tell it what to replace.

I love it.  Simple to use, it’s usually in my briefcase, so I remember to use it and it is affordable.  ClickFree