MarketPlace-Mail.com Delivers Facts, Opinions, Fun & Musings

Flat tires and traing for MS 150

2007-08-04T06:47:00.001-05:00

Last night, while putting air in my tires, the stem broke, though no air came out. Decided to use my spare...after 1/2 hour, thought I may have bought the wrong size because I had too much slack. So, I took it over to Dicks, where my son works.

They put the inner tube in, bought some gel and a new pair of gloves to replace my two Left-handed gloves....Dave called up this morning, he was sick. Went to North Ridge...nobody was there and I didn't know because I was too busy this morning to check my e-mail.

Come home, decide to go out again so I can at least do something.... two blocks from home I hear a "puff" sound. The faster I go, the more the sound. Is my wheel on tight, seems okay, though should there be that much play. Come home...all of the sudden the tire goes flat...just pumped it up and seems fine...but I am not going only place except the bike store later this morning....

Great way to get in shape for the 150....

sales strategy

2007-06-19T14:08:00.000-05:00

I am handing out M&M's and plants....but it's so hot. Did a quick job for Thales Academy that I hope will bring in more business.

Doing some bicycling. Did about 50 miles this weekend. Getting ready for the MS150.

An Idea on E-mail Marketing/Newsletters

2007-05-23T16:32:00.002-05:00

I want to do e-mail marketing. I hired one guy and learned a lot -- but he is too expensive for what I need.
I have started to subscribe to a much cheaper alternative. But the challenge is to create an e-mail newsletter that people find interesting.
If I do something about sales for my services, it's boring and there is not much I can do.
I am thinking of putting together a weekly e-mail of all types of articles/features. An eclectic mix of humor, how-to, ideas. It would be called MarketPlace of Ideas or something.
For instance, it could have some teaser copy about the Flexible Thinker and then a link to something on my site.

Something about -- or have Toastmasters submit articles! Good pr for everyone.

This would make something a soft-sell approach and hopefully not take a lot of time. Maybe something from the various authors. Not exactly a blog, not exactly a regular newsletter. There are a variety of formats that could be used. It's a simple matter of developing the strategy and coming up with a design to plug in.

Today my DTM Speech

2007-05-15T07:32:00.001-05:00

Today, I give my Distinguished Toastmaster Speech to my High Noon Club. I am very honored to have earned this award and appreciative of how the club has supported me. I can only hope my speech comes off well!
steve

DTM Speech

2007-05-09T18:58:00.000-05:00

This a copy of my speech that I will be giving May 15 2007:

With this speech, I earn Toastmaster’s highest award – the DTM. For those of you are new to Toastmasters, DTM is an acronym for “Don’t Time Me.”
Fellow Toastmasters and guests, I want to take the opportunity to explore how Toastmasters has impacted my family and me. I recently looked at the records and discovered that I joined Toastmasters in 1983.
I remember at one of my first meetings at a restaurant in Peoria, IL, that I passed around baby pictures of my daughter, Rachel. This is a recent picture of Rachel, who is now with an accounting firm in Bethesda, MD.
Rachel experienced Toastmasters first hand when I decided to do a Youth Leadership Program –mini-Toastmasters – in her 5th grade class at North Ridge.
I went into Rachel’s class every week for 8 weeks, and every week Rachel covered her face in embarrassment. She told me that no one liked the class, but the students’ enthusiasm told me a different story.
I remember one week there was an ice storm where the school board cancelled classes after they had already begun. I went to tell the teacher that a fellow Toastmaster coordinator couldn’t make it and that we would have to cancel the session. No way! There were 11 people who were prepared to give a speech – and they did. I gave everyone a ribbon – and Rachel was upset because she thought she had the best speech.
At the time, there was a cable Toastmasters, and Rachel gave her speech about selling Girl Scout cookies, “Making Dough from Cookies,” on TV!
Rachel was one of the charter members of Raleigh Talkmasters – she made the 20th member. She gave several great speeches about her experience traveling around the world on Semester at Sea.
When Rachel applied for the job at the accounting firm, a partner noticed that Rachel had put her Toastmasters experience on her resume. Her boss said they interviewed approximately 600 people and only chose 6, and Rachel was one of them. Could it be that Toastmasters gave her the edge? I’d like to think so.
My son Daniel has not yet become an official Toastmaster, but he has learned some lessons. When Daniel was 5th grade at Durant, I also conducted a Youth Leadership course. I remember taking Daniel to Toastmasters, where he competed in a Table Topics contest against Angus Jackson. Daniel was 9 at the time, and Angus was a spry 89. Angus won, but I really think Daniel should have.
Daniel joined the football team at Millbrook High. Daniel has inherited my athletic genes, so his major contribution was giving the pep talks before the game. Daniel was award the “Team Over Self” award for his efforts in getting the team to the 3rd round of the state championship.
Daniel, like Rachel, went on to Appalachian State in Boone. Daniel has become politically active and heavily involved in pro-Israel activities. He went to a rally in Washington and has pictures of himself with 5 U.S. Senators. Daniel organized a pro-Israel rally for 150 people in Boone where he was the moderator and Republican Congresswoman Virginia Foxx and a Democratic professor were the speakers. In addition to moderating the panel, Daniel was called on to give concise answers to hostile questions. Table Topics in action. Now Daniel is planning to go school in Israel, and I can only hope he will learn to communicate in Hebrew better than I can.
I’ve been saving the best for last. Toastmasters has had a real impact on my wife, Bracha. Bracha and I were separated for a year many years ago. As a condition of reconciling, I asked her to go to a Toastmasters club near her job in RTP.
I went one day to take escort her from work to the club, but found out that she had called in sick that day. I went to the club, where Rosa, an older, black woman, volunteered to make sure Bracha came to the next meeting. And Rosa kept her word.
Bracha was a regular member of the RTP club for many years, giving about 6 speeches in as many years. She enjoyed being Table Topics master because she liked having total control.
Bracha was recently on a panel discussing the situation of Jews from Arab countries, where she did an excellent job. She was poised and confident and she received a number of compliments.
Bracha does have a way of getting her point across effectively. It’s obvious for those that know us, that Bracha and I have an ideal relationship working together in our garage. Bracha is well aware, that because of my Toastmaster’s experience, I listen attentively to every word she says and all my evaluations use the Oreo-cookie approach.
I can’t imagine what my life would have been without Toastmasters. I have made many friends throughout the years and developed a support group and contacts.
I want to mention a few of my mentors – Angus Jackson and Merle Nall who were in High Noon. We have created an award – the Merle Nall Spirit Award in High Noon and the Angus Jackson Award for Talkmasters to honor their commitment to the goals of Toastmasters.
I have been fortunate to be involved at levels higher than the club. Through Toastmasters, I literally have friends in every part of the state. I especially want to mention Past International Director Jay Nodine from Kannapolis. Although only about 5’ high, he is one of the people I look up to. Many years ago, Jay was in a coma for 12 weeks and said that prayers from Toastmasters saved his life. Jaywas recently awarded a “Lifetime Achievement” award for his activity on the state conference last month.
At the club level, John Castleberry has been a real inspiration. And I owe a big thank you for the friendship, help and advice Mary Kreul-Starr has given my family and me over these many years. And I look forward to her receiving her DTM shortly!
I want to thank High Noon for organizing this event.
I am very proud to be associated with such a wonderful group of people who become involved in the organization.
I have certainly taken the long road to reach this accomplishment. As you can see, I am a long way from being a professional speaker. However, my goal has been to make friends, have fun and learn new things – something that I accomplish at every Toastmasters meeting. And, with G-d’s help, I can be telling stories at Toastmasters for many, many more years.

Daily Motivation

2007-05-08T07:40:00.001-05:00

This was given to me by Allen Brooks:

********** DAILY MOTIVATION **********

TODAY IS A GREAT DAY TO BE ALIVE!
I AM A WINNER!
I LOOK, ACT, SOUND, THINK, AND FEEL LIKE THE WINNER I AM!
I BELIEVE IN MYSELF!
I RESPECT MYSELF.
I LIKE WHO I AM.
I HAVE MADE THE DECISION TO WIN IN MY LIFE AND THAT’S WHAT I AM DOING!

I AM ORGANIZED AND IN CONTROL OF MY LIFE.
I AM HEALTHY, ENERGETIC AND ENTHUSIASTIC.
I AM CREATIVE.
I HAVE TALENT.
I HAVE DETERMINATION, DRIVE AND SELF-BELIEF.

I WORK HARD.
I DO EVERYTHING I NEED TO DO WHEN I NEED TO DO IT.
I ENJOY GETTING THINGS DONE.
I ENJOY DOING THINGS ON TIME (AND IN JUST THE RIGHT WAY)!
I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH HASHEM WHO STRENGTHENS ME!
I DO EVERYTHING WITH HONESTY AND LOVE.

I HAVE A GREAT MEMORY!
PEOPLE ARE IMPORTANT TO ME.
I AM COMMITTED TO BE THE BEST SERVER I CAN BE.
I AM GENEROUS TO OTHERS AND GIVE ASSISTANCE TO OTHERS.

WHAT I THINK AND HOW I PROGRAM MY MIND IS WHAT I WILL BECOME.
MY SUBCONSCIOUS MIND HAS NEW POSITIVES AND FERTILE GROUND FOR GROWTH AND
ACHIEVEMENT.
MY MIND IS CONSTANTLY IN TUNE WITH THE POSITIVE.
MY MIND IS BRIGHT, CHEERFUL, AND FULL OF GOOD POSITIVE THOUGHTS AND IDEAS.
MY MIND IS QUICK, ALERT, CLEVER AND FUN.

I AM INTELLIGENT!
I DON’T WASTE THE POWER OF MY MIND GIVING INTO THE PETTY INCONVENIENCES OF LIFE.
I TACKLE PROBLEMS AND I SOLVE THEM.
WHEN FRUSTRATION OR DEFEAT THREATENS ME, I BECOME STRONGER, MORE POSITIVE, BETTER
ORGANIZED AND MORE DETERMINED THAN EVER!

I SET MY SIGHTS!
I KEEP MY BALANCE.
I DON’T HESITATE!
I DON’T HOLD BACK!
I KNOW THAT THE WORLD IS FULL OF OPPORTUNITIES.
I USE MY ENERGY FOR SOMETHING GOOD!
I CHANNEL IT.
I CONTROL IT.
I FOCUS ON IT.

I AM OPTIMISTIC!
MY FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS ARE POSITIVE AND PRODUCTIVE.
MY GOOD ATTITUDE IS ESSENTIAL TO ACHIEVEMENT OF ANY KIND!

I BELIEVE IN HASHEM.
I SET MY SIGHTS ON HIS SIGHTS AND NEVER EVER DO I GIVE UP!
I AM A DOER OF THE WORD.
THE BIBLE TELLS ME: “YE SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH AND THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE”.

I BELIEVE THAT EVERY MAN, WOMAN, AND CHILD IS CREATED IN GOD’S IMAGE.
BECAUSE OF THAT, EACH BEING HAS WORTH, DIGNITY AND UNIQUE POTENTIAL.
THEREFORE, I CAN DREAM GREAT DREAMS FOR MYSELF AND FOR OTHERS.
I GIVE LIFE TO MY DREAMS.
I GIVE STRENGTH TO MY VISIONS, FOR I WALK BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT.

I AM ON TOP OF THE WORLD!
I HAVE A CLEAR PICTURE IN MY MIND OF WHAT I WANT!
I CAN SEE IT IN FRONT OF ME!
I SEE THE “BIG PICTURE” AND I THINK BIG!

I CHOOSE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY FUTURE.

MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, IS MY VERTICAL ALIGNMENT FOR LIFE.
1ST: HASHEM
2ND: MY SPOUSE
3RD: MY CHILDREN
4TH MY HEALTH
4TH: MY BUSINESS VENTURES AND THE DREAMS THAT GO WITH THEM.

AMEN!!!

Waiting for the inevitable

2007-05-04T13:12:00.000-05:00

On hold as I wait for my aunt to pass away. Plan on attending funeral in Chicago. Hard to get focused or make plans for next week knowing the inevitable is about to happen.

Setting up a meeting with MeetUp.com

2007-04-26T14:05:00.000-05:00

I am trying to figure out how to use Meetup.com to increase my business. I have set up a meeting and at least have a few people sign up. Information is at http://www.marketplace-mail.com/directory/merchant/142/594

I am going to use my brother's Flexible Thinker techniques to make this meeting fun. http://www.marketplace-mail.com/directory/merchant/75/563

Any suggestions? Any visitors?

The meeting will be in Wake Forest.

Friend with a heart attack

2007-04-25T11:42:00.000-05:00

Just got word that a friend had a very serious heart attack yesterday. Really puts things in perspective in a hurry.

Prospecting & e-mails

2007-04-24T08:28:00.000-05:00

Is there a sure-fire easy-to-use guaranteed way to increase business? Wish there was! Just sent out 755 e-mails of lobbyists in N.C. to handle their mailing.

Bill to Stop Advertising Mail Would Destroy NC Businesses and Hurt Consumers

2007-04-23T14:38:00.000-05:00

A bill recently introduced in the North Carolina General Assembly would destroy the business my wife and I have built over the last 20 years.
Not only would it destroy our business, it would impact over 103,000 jobs that are directly tied to the advertising through mailing industry and hurt many small businesses in the state. It would also impede the free flow of information to consumers.
The bill, House Bill 1699 introduced by Susan Fisher of Buncombe County, is titled “Option to Stop Junk Mail.” If enacted, the bill would effectively shut down all bulk mailers in the state – except, of course, for political advertising.
Advertising mail, commonly known as bulk mail, plays a critical role in the success of our country’s businesses, large and small alike, as well as nonprofit organizations. It allows small businesses to reach out to customers with information targeted to that customer’s interests.
Consumers appreciate the savings from special offers, coupons, and notices about new local businesses and services. According to the Direct Marketing Association, advertising mail contributed more than $660 billion in increased sales in the U.S. economy. Without the ability to advertise directly to consumers through mailings, businesses would see a major impact on sales and profitability.
The United States Post Office also relies on advertising revenue. For instance, my postage bill in October was over six figures!
Not only would my business suffer if this bill becomes law, but the graphic artists, printers and list brokers I work with would also be hurt. My clients would have their ability to advertise cost-effectively compromised since only direct mail allows them to precisely target their audiences. The people who supply my equipment would also feel the consequences. Multiply this by hundreds of individuals and organizations and you can see the potential impact of a bill.
In short, this bill is overkill. According the definition of a bulk mailer – a person that sends out “substantially similar pieces of mail to 25 or more postal patrons” – people sending out Christmas cards would fall under the bills harsh provisions.
No direct marketing business wants to waste resources contacting people who are unlikely to buy their products or services. The Direct Marketing Association already offers an easy-to-use “Mail Preference Service” at www.dmaconsumers.org that can reduce the amount of mail consumers receive by as much as 80 percent.
For credit cards, consumers can stop all prescreened credit offers by calling 888-567-8688 or going to www.optoutprescreen.com.
I encourage all readers to send a letter to their representatives to protect consumers and NC businesses. Let’s make sure this bill does not become law.

New postage regulations

2007-04-23T06:34:00.000-05:00

I have finally found figured out how much postage is going to go up on May 14. It's going to be ugly for some of my clients while others will feel very little.
I have posted some of the new rates at http://www.marketplace-mail.com/images/postage_increase.pdf
It's all about ease of processing and distance -- the harder it is to process and the further it has to go, the bigger the difference.
It will be very interesting to see what happens to my business as the new rates take effect.

Organizing to stop the "Option to Stop Junk Mail" bill

2007-04-21T07:25:00.000-05:00

Wednesday afternoon, I received a call from WUNC radio, the local NPR affiliate, asking me for a comment about a bill that was introduced into the legislature.
I had no idea about the bill, which I have since found out has the short title of "Option to Stop Junk Mail."
A close reading of the bill at http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2007&BillID=H1699 indicates that someone sending 25 Christmas cards could be in violation of the law.
This bill, if enacted, would be big blow to my business -- and many others. I contacted the Direct Marketing Association who gave me information, which I have posted on my website at http://www.marketplace-mail.com/directory/merchant/147/594.
There is a convention on May 2 of the Greater Triangle Postal Customer Council. Look at http://triangleareapcc.com/ for more information.
I am trying to figure out how to block this bill by forming a coalition of printers, mailers, mailing houses, small business, graphic artists, postal employees, etc. to stop this bill.