Glad you asked Phil. It's doing fine.
Yesterday a new client contacted me and in his email he asked a few questions. In the course of such he told me a little about himself and that he was switching "allegiance" from another chess vendor to me. "Allegiance" is my word, but it means the same thing he wrote. He liked the way I write and what I write about. I can't take credit for that, I give that to God.
Loyalty of any kind has become a scarce "commodity." There is still "branding" out there (look at Apple, or Best Buy, Facebook, Borders, and such), but nowadays people also think Amazon, Wal-Mart when it comes to watching their wallet or purse. But as I've explained before, Amazon doesn't CARE about YOU, no matter how much or how often you spend with them. They don't cook up "events," they don't "know" you, and whether or not you are a chess master or an average player means ZIP to them. That's the SCALE of their business (to read more on SCALE and Business levels, go today to: sethgodin.typepad.com). But they STILL don't care.
As you have noticed while reading the past week, I am looking at a trip to Minnesota for a couple days, probably July, to be with people I know and want to know better; read my posts for the past week. My new client is interested too! Does that mean he will come? Maybe. But he's interested... that makes THREE of you already, up from none last week!
This is HOW I get things started. Then, I go into action. It juices my brain. Interaction also fuels more ideas and finally, there is some kind of a program... but the main emphasis always IS: that you have a good time because THEN I have a good time! I have to provide BENEFITS for you, first.
THINK ABOUT THIS: Older folks KNOW where it's at! (You can quote me on this.) I know this is true because EVERY time, locally, a new joint was opened which catered to the 50+ crowd, it was eventually RUINED by also attracting the YOUNGER crowds. They "liked" what we were doing, the music, the atmosphere. But the original crowd didn't like their barging in and ultimately it would change everything. The older folks left (the ones with the $$$) and eventually the place would go belly up and everyone would wonder, "Wot happened?" I said "locally" but it happens nationally too. I can remember my sister-in-law. She and her husband retired and moved from MASS to NC, where the "people were such hicks," in so many words. The pace of work was slower, etc. They said "people down here don't like people coming down from the North to retire because they try to tell the North Carolinians how to live." Guess who was there first?
So I welcome my new friend, but I won't mention his name since that might make his previous vendor sad, upset, or pissed off... and that's just not necessary.
Now I need to make a couple phone calls and get more information about who and when and where. Thanks for reading... feel free to offer suggestions. Years ago, for Chess Festival III, Allan Savage suggested I have the new and young Scottish GM Jonathan Rowson as a guest. A very fine idea as he had just written a terrific chess book. I had him come and he wowed the crowds (about 54 paids + others). That's how it sometimes gets started.
Contact me at: bob@thinkerspressinc.com
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