Saturday, February 25, 2006

Today is My Birthday!

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Yes, I made it to the big 4-6! That is a picture of a Gorn at the Las Vegas Hilton's Star Trek-themed Quark's restaurant, not me! Although some days I feel like I look that way... Tomorrow I'll put up a pic of our awesome view from our hotel. We used our Restaurant.com coupon and had an awesome meal at Quark's at the Las Vegas Hilton on the last night of my 45th year...

Hey: Elvis only made it to 42. I'm four years better than Elvis...

We are in Las Vegas and are really having the time of our lives. We've economized given current realities. But when you are offered a few nights – comped – in a suite at the Paris and $400 in spending money and your flight was just $403, a $3 trip to the land of fun is hard to beat!

I credit Bob Shaw for introducing me to Vegas way back in 1994. Since then, I have spent a few days in Sin City around my birthday every year! And Vegas rewards loyalty. Our Las Vegas/Harrah's friend, Steve Opdyke, has kept us in a suite at Bally's or the Paris for the past several years and we couldn't be happier. During my very first trip to Las Vegas, the very wise Chris Golbeck told me: "The thing about Vegas is that you can have whatever you want, as long as you are willing to ask for it."

So we ask, and we get. Today is part of the Cash Bash weekend at the Paris and after we bet for a couple hours at the Paris, they'll give us $400. And then we'll dine at the Ah Sin! restaurant – our favorite restaurant on the strip. We'll devour those cashew-encrusted crab legs. Later tonight, my choice for my annual birthday show is Roseanne Barr at the Stardust. And then, when we get back to the Paris, casino host Rudy will escort us to the balcony of the Risque night club for an unforgettable view and a nightcap.

A 46th birthday to remember, to be sure!

Thanks to all who have called or emailed! I am so glad to have so many friends that your calls have cut short my gambling! :) Thanks for thinking of me!

I am happiest that I have the best birthday present ever: Mary, my partner in crime. We plan on more adventures to come, so stay tuned!

More later,



Mark

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Dinner for two for $14!

There are few greater joys in life than scoring a great bargain. Today I am going to share how you can use the Internet to save real dollars on dining out – and demonstrate a cool interactive concept, to boot!

Studies tell us that Americans in growing numbers are doing their shopping and making other consumer choices online. I probably did 90-plus percent of my Christmas shopping on the Internet – for the past three years!

Now there are many sites set up to explain Internet shopping do's and don't's – and I will just add that you need to make sure you are dealing with a reputable organization that uses a secured server to protect your financial information. As much as I have switched to online shopping, I was a victim of identity theft – but only as a result of using my debit card while shopping at a local retailer the morning after Thanksgiving in 2004. So far, I've not run into any negative experiences online.

There are great bargains to be had online and many websites set up to alert you of these bargains. My favorite is www.slickdeals.net but there are others that serve a similar purpose. More importantly, there are several sites set up to monitor online coupons. Let me explain: Retailers often offer a coupon – usually a numeric code or a combination of letters and numbers - which can be added during the checkout process to increase savings. A site like:

Savings-Center.Com

is a great resource since it seems to feature an inexhaustible collection of "free coupons" from every conceivable retailer. One retailer is

Restaurant.Com

Now, Restaurant.com is a unique business marketing concept which features $25 gift certificates from thousands of restaurants to purchase for $10 each. After purchasing, you simply print the coupons on your home (or work!) printer. Usually, the certificate will require a purchase of two entrees and a minimum of $35. So, while you save $25 off $35 – you've spent $10 for a total savings of just $15. Now, that's not bad, but it's not great.

Enter Savings-Center.com! Search for Restaurant.com and you will discover coupon code 91971 which will save you 60 percent off your $10 restaurant.com certificate when you are checking out. So, you will now pay $4 for the $25 gift certificate and a savings off those two entrees totaling $35 is now $21! Sure, the taxes and tips normally associated with dining out still apply and drinks are not included in the coupon, but a couple of nice entrees at a quality restaurant for $7 each is a heckuva deal, bloggie.

Now, when Mary and I go the Las Vegas – as we do each February to celebrate our birthdays - we like to hit the Las Vegas Hilton's Star Trek-themed "Quark's" restaurant. There we enjoy a 110-ounce drink for two called the "Warp Core Breach" which is awesome! And it costs $25. Now, since Quarks has a gift certificate on Restaurant.com, we can have a couple of nice entrees for just $14 more!

Play around with your Zip Code or the Zip Code of a planned destination at Restaurant.com and you might be surprised at where you could be dining more cheaply tonight. Think of me when you are having a terrific time!

What's more, this concept is ripe for customization (or cannibalization) by traditional media like newspapers who already have standing relationships with many of the establishments on Restaurant.com. If you think about it, this is really just a gussied up buy-one-get-one-free entree deal that restaurants have traditionally offered to build traffic. However, with clickable maps and menus, Restaurant.com has put that age-old concept on steroids for a total user experience. Plus, because the user has invested $10 (or, if they listen to me, $4), they are more likely to use the certificate.

The Restaurant.com team took an old idea, added a twist, offered options to a motivated audience and created a sustainable revenue model that also builds invested restaurant traffic. And consumers are better for the experience.

More later,


Mark

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Call it 'Zintuitive!'

Here's a real WOW site! Get ready to have your socks blown off.

Not wearing socks? I'll wait for a moment while you put some on...

Ready? Go here:

Zillow.com


This is a new online real estate service that is unlike anything I've seen before, And it is as simple to use as it is amazing.

Plug in your home address - or the address of a home you are interested in buying. Hit return. You will likely be greeted with:

a.) A current satellite image of your home and the entire neighborhood.
b.) "Zestimates" of home values for all.

It is pretty cool, even if it is just in beta. The site claims that 60 million home values are online covering most of the in-demand areas of the U.S. You can even go in and adjust your particular home value with your upgrades. Redoing every bathroom in the house, installing all new kitchen appliances, the new furnace, the architectural shingles, et al suddenly seem like pretty smart investments, now.

There are a couple of bugs: The satellite map seemed off in our neighborhood and some parts of the country are not listed yet. But overall this is an impressive merge of existing data, new technology and untapped consumer needs.

You might even call it intuitive...

More later!


Mark

Monday, February 13, 2006

"Wow" is spelled D-E-L-L

Here's a shock from a old-time Mac guy: Dell Computers just WOWED me!

During this past holiday season, my friends at www.slickdeals.net alerted me to a cool contest: "The Dell End of Re-Gifting Holiday Game" at dell.com. Each day you could visit and pick a stocking for a chance to win anything from a 2005 Chrysler Crossfire Coupe to a discount on Dell products.

Now, like most of you, I am suspicious of such games. Who really has EVER won any of these prizes? Ever met anyone who has? Well, late one night, while playing the game during a Thanksgiving visit to Mary's mom, instead of the customary "Sorry!" message I read: "Congratulations! You have WON a X51v Axim from Dell. We will be sending you an email shortly to inform you of how to claim your prize."

They weren't lying. An email promptly arrived congratulating me. I was elated.

They sent the prizes out at the end of January and while I was happy to be a winner, frankly, I was a little underwhelmed. The Dell Axim 51 I received was NOT wireless-enabled and since I knew it would not sync up with my iBook G4, it's lack of wireless connectivity would make its use vexing to me. I couldn't sync it up to my laptop to add movies or, uh, important files, and I couldn't access the web with it, either...

Then, last week, I received this letter from Dell's Hillary Robinson:

"It has come to our attention that we mistakenly sent you the Axim X51, instead of the Axim X51v that you won in Dell’s “The End of Re-gifting Holiday Game." There are a few differences between the 2 models. The Axim X51 you received has the following features: 416MHz, 128MB ROM, 64 SDRAM, and a 3.5 inch QVGA screen. On the other hand, the Axim X51v includes: 624MHz, 256MB ROM, 64MB SDRAM, and a 3.7 inch QVGA screen."

"You may choose to keep the X51 that was sent, OR you may choose to return the X51 and receive the X51v. If you decide to return the X51, please contact Hillary Robinson ... prior to 2/17/06. We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused and appreciate your patience in this matter. Once again, we wish to thank you for participating in the Dell Holiday Game."

I was completely stunned! I wrote back to Hillary: "I wish to make the exchange. Although I was excited to win, I was somewhat diappointed that this unit was not wifi-ready and I have been unable to find the appropriate wifi card on the market."

Her response:

"The Axim X51v that you will receive has wireless capabilities. You will receive an airbill to return the original Axim, but please keep the second battery that was sent with the original because it is interchangeable between the models."

And I responded:

"Thanks for the great news and, more importantly, thanks to Dell for being a stand-up company. I never would have looked a gift horse in the mouth and complained. So, knowing that you made the extra effort to contact me and make this offer actually means a lot more than the original win to me. This is why Dell enjoys such a good reputation for customer satisfaction. Please share this note with the appropriate supervisors to let them know that no matter what else happened today in Dell world, Dell made one customer very happy and that customer plans to share this experience with others!"

Which I am doing now...

What's even MORE amazing: The Dell Axim 51v arrived to me BEFORE the airbill return slip! It arrived while I was out of town and I plan to spend Monday setting it up.

I am beyond impressed with Dell. And I wanted to share the news and make a broader point: In today's business climate the ability to be a market leader almost entirely pertains to one's ability to exceed customer expectations.

It is no longer enough to meet expectations (if it ever was). It is not even enough to beat so-called "industry standards." You must "wow" to the point that a customer will share that excitement with his or her social network. This is now what is commonly referred to as "social marketing." It is one matter to use traditional marketing methodology to get a message out but successful market leaders of today will utilize social marketing networks to leverage branding to specific audiences thus generating more solid audience connections.

Said differently: Marketing IS customer service and customer service IS marketing!

More later!


Mark

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Who will be No. 2000?

Hey, all: I just noticed that the clicker on this page is nearing 2,000 hits! That's amazing! I remember how happy I was at 400!

Anyway, I am offering a small token of my appreciation for the 2000th visitor. It will be a VERY small token. Practically worthless. But very representative of how grateful I am that you stopped by to read whatever it is I might have to say.

Obviously, we're on a trust-based system here (although you Mac users can take a picture of your screen with shift-apple-3 and email that to me as proof). But if you visit and find you are lucky No. 2000, then email me at marksweetwood@aol.com and include your name, address and favorite cut of diamond (hint: that is just for my amusement ... you are NOT winning a diamond) and I'll have that special, small, prize out to you ASAP!

Thanks to all visitors! You are ALL winners.

More later,


Mark
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us NFLShop.com Memorabilia
NFLShop.com