Hi all,
I did not write this orhave this experience but I found it a great example a real creative. It gives David in this David vs Goliath world a refreshing chance. I thought it worth sharing so I just posted it here for you to read.

Making Your Employees Into Your Advocates

Aug 20, 2009 - A few weeks ago, I was attending one of those wonderful small-town community festivals that pop up all over the United States during the summer months.While we were there, we had a minor medical emergency of sorts - nothing too serious, but something that required a stop at a pharmacy. Since we were unfamiliar with the town, we asked around. "Where's a good local pharmacy?"The first person we asked pointed us toward the local Wal-Mart, but at the end of that conversation, a nice lady walked up to us and said, "I work at a pharmacy on Water Street. Here's a card for it ... here's the hours and the phone number. If you give them this card there, they'll give you 10% off whatever you buy!"I thanked the lady and then asked her about why she handed out the cards like this.She said, "Each time a new customer comes in the door with that card, I get a point. At the end of the year, the employee with the most points gets $500." I flipped the card over and saw that it featured her signature. "All you have to do is sign the back of the card yourself, just to make sure I'm not giving the cards to the same people over and over."I was impressed - and, not surprisingly, we immediately decided to use this pharmacy. And it was a good experience - not only did I pick up the medical product we needed, I also picked up a beverage and a piece of candy for my son and for my daughter. When I handed the card over, they knocked ten percent off the purchase (and gave me a card without a signature on the back).This business tactic is a brilliant one - it turns the employees of the business into public advocates for the business while also providing a great hook for getting people in the door in the form of a 10% discount. Without that program, I would have never even heard of that pharmacy, let alone gone there.This small-town pharmacy didn't have the resources to afford a sales department. What they did have is people that were already members of the community working for them. By simply giving them a bit of a carrot - in this case, the "points" program - these people happily become advocates, spreading the word in the community on your behalf without costing you much at all.Many small businesses don't need a big marketing budget in the traditional sense. Quite often, they have everything they need already in the form of their most valuable resource - their employees. Treat them well and give them incentive and they'll come through for you time and time again.

The Power of $1.00

Well, here goes it. My first blog, for a new business. A business I have been in my whole life but have just never done it as "my" businesses. This first post has nothing to do with a web site or a video, but it was inspirational to me and made me really realize the power of a dollar. More importantly, it made me realize and embrace the spirit of the entrepreneur.
I was recently driving away from a job, in a nice quiet neighborhood in the middle of nowhere. As I was driving up the street, I noticed a group of what appeared to be 3 or 4 young kids, probably around 6-8 years of age. I noticed a table in their front yard, and one of the kids was holding a sign of some sorts. As I drove closer I had no idea what they were selling but being in a similar situation before I could only surmise, great... a lemonade stand. I am dying of thirst... I could go for a glass of badly watered done, barely cold lemonade. This will hit the spot. Or so I thought... as I drove closer to the stand and stopped, I was disappointed not to see a cooler and a bunch of plastic cups filled with half drunken lemonade. Instead when I pulled up, a young girl walked up to my car and asked me " do you want to buy something?" as I looked beyond the young girl to the table, I realized there was a table full of rocks. Yes, you guessed it... I had fallen for the oldest trick in the book...you've probably read about the guy who sold pet rocks and made millions... I said to the young girl"well, what are you selling?" She said, "I don't know... wait a minute, I'll be right back... Mmmm...Full of curiosity as to what I would be getting for my dollar, I could only assume it was going to be something that featured one of the finest rocks in town that a 6 year old could craft upon. After about :30 seconds or so, the you girl returned with one of the finest rocks as I wisely suspected. But... not only was it a rock, it was a rock with stickers on it that simply read "Great Job." Wow?...I thought, just goes to show that anyone can dream.. and anyone can have an idea, and anyone can make money on a product if it is positioned properly and priced right. Even a group of 6 year old kids, with enough ambition, can make a go of it. I thought, Damn it.. if they can do it... so can I! As I handed the little girl her hard earned dollar, you would have thought I just told her Santa Clause was coming to town!. She ran away saying thank you and hollering and celebrating her recent sale and screaming to her friends that they just earned a dollar. They were so excited... It was absolutely the best dollar I have ever spent... and to top it off... The kids actually taught me a lesson and left me with something to think about... "Great Job."