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“Gee, you guys are tough to get a hold of…” “I finally tracked you down!” “I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for weeks.” This is not good. When your answer the phone and hear one of these comments, it means that your caller, potential customer, raving fan or transient website visitor who would just LOVE to talk to you, who FINALLY got a hold of you…

After watching yesterday’s Superbowl and its entertaining commercials (way to go Big Ben!) it’s fascinating to think about companies who spend millions of dollars creating a catchy, memorable new name for their hot new item…and compare it with businesses whose brand success comes from, ironically, having no name at all. I remember studying this topic in one of my marketing classes at Miami of Ohio. Actually, I think Roethlisberger’s…

Sean Murphy, aka “The T-Shirt Guy” and Customer Relationship Development Director at CustomInk.com GETS it. We became friends a few weeks ago during The Dana Carvey Incident. Go to his site. And you, just like me, will be instantly magnetized to this bar on the right side of the page. When I first saw it I thought to myself, that’s the most brilliant thing I’ve ever seen. It’s honest….

She wore a long, black cape and a colorful hat. Stunning. Beautiful. Sexy. And on the back of her garb read the word Viva! I smiled and she smiled back. Then she gracefully danced away. Two seconds later, I saw another one. Then another! Then another! And out of nowhere, four identical women banded together in formation and walked down the main street of downtown Puerto Vallarta like a…

Thanks to the good people at NBC who continue to push back my Today Show appearance; I’ve been experiencing some minor stomach issues. And by “minor” I mean “chronic pain everyday for three months.” So this week I went into Barnes Jewish Hospital for a minor procedure. First, a nurse prepped me with an IV and connected me to various beeping boxes. When she saw my tattoo under my…

You just never know. When you answer a phone call from an unknown number…When you engage in a conversation with a guest at your office…When you greet a potential customer who walks into your store…When you make small talk with a stranger you’ve just been introduced to…When you respond to a random email from a friend of a friend of a friend… You just never know. And because of…

So far this week, there’s been a lot of buzz about WOMMA’s Basic Training Conference; which makes sense since they’re the Word of Mouth Marketing Association! But while I attended (and spoke at) the event, my mind kept returning to an idea that I knew I wanted to come back and address: names. Of course, each person attending the event wore a nametag. Some people wore two. (And I…

Halfway through the WOMMA Basic Training Conference I received a strange voicemail on my cell from a (407) area code. Hmmm. Must be someone in Orlando, I figured. The reception was fuzzy and choppy, so this was all I heard: “Scott… name … Eddie Crandall … WOMMMA …. African … nametag …Dana Carvey… call back … meet in person …” What the hell?! I called the number back. “Yeah,…

It’s the Monday after WOMMA’s first annual Basic Training Conference in Disneyworld. I think I’m still recovering. But, that only means it was a great weekend! Andy Sernovitz and his team did an awesome job. So for those of you who missed out, here’s a brief overview: I always seem to make a friend on the plane… “Group 3, you are now ready to board.” That’s me! I walked…

ASAP is AP’s new multimedia service featuring original content designed to appeal to under-35-year-old readers, a coveted but elusive audience, and to connect with them – on their terms. (Click the article’s banner to see a high quality version. It’s an awesome graphic by P. Hamline – too bad it’s no longer available on asap’s site!) And check out the eagerly anticipated feature called Hi my name is…written all…