The Shopping Nazi

Thursday night I left the house and went down to the local fairgrounds to walk through the annual Idaho Sportsman Show. This is one of over a forty I attend in the course of a year. Why? You may be asking, “What possible benefit could I gain from going to all these trade shows?”

Can you think of a better place to find out about products and services in a non-committal environment. Here I can quiz sales representatives. I can sample gourmet foods. Watch demonstrations on the latests and greatest gadget. My wife can get estimates on putting a hot tub in the backyard. Then if I am really lucky, I get to win a prize from one of the vendors. Read the rest of this entry »

The true test of any product or service is the amount of repeat business it gets. New customers will come and go, but the ones that keep coming back is the true test of the business’s merit.

Repeat business is dependent upon that first impression. Rarely does a business get a second chance to WOW a customer to the point when they will return. Most of the time a customer does not return to that business because there was no overwhelming WOW factor.

Years ago we went with Tmobile as our cell phone carrier, because they offered a great deal on a nice flip phone for my wife and myself. Over the years they have always given us good service at a reasonable price. So we keep using them for our cell phone carrier. Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday, I shared, with you, some of the great benefits I have experienced since I moved to Idaho 15 years ago. Today, I want to share with you the top 7 businesses that impress me the most when I went to the state capitol building as part of annual Buy Idaho event.

Idaho Candy Company has been around since 1901. They are not a world player that competes with Nestle or Mars candies, but they do offer some tasty treats. The Cherry Cocktail and Idaho Spud are two of my favorites.

Dream Chocolate is another candy company. Well not just another candy company. They specialize in great chocolate bar with a custom label. Can you think of a better way to impress a future employer than by attaching a candy bar with your picture on it to your resume. Read the rest of this entry »

My dad always said, “Charity begins at home”. I believe this also holds true when it comes to any form of economic recovery. It is not the large corporations that will create jobs and make the United States a world economic leader again. It will be the small individuals and the business that is started in spare bedrooms and garages which will have the biggest affect on our economy.

When I was originally offered work in Idaho, all I knew about Idaho was that it was where potatoes were grown. Since then I learned that Idaho was much much more.

The first thing I noticed about Idaho was the drivers on the road were so polite. In the general people talked slower. Not as slow as people south of the Mason Dixon Line, but definitely slower than California. In addition to many other great factors, living in Idaho lowered my stress level and cost of living. Read the rest of this entry »

TV Commercials are one of those loud neighbors that you wish would just move away, because they serve no useful purpose.

Back in ancient history when everyone got their television through rabbit ears or rooftop antennas, the television stations got money for programs by selling advertising in the form of commercials. This I could understand. Today, when many of us pay a cable or satellite, this makes us paying two times to watch the same program.

It has often been know that the volume of the typical television commercial is louder than the current episode of NCIS. That is so you will hear some fast talking smiling individual sell you a car. Did you know that there is a bill before the US Congress to force TV commercials volume to be no louder than the TV show itself? Read the rest of this entry »

During the first three month of the new year I visit at least one trade show per week. In each one, I have meet over a dozen different people who were pitching their networking products. Some people refer to it as multi level marketing.

I first came across a networking marketing scheme when I was in high school. A friend of the family talked me into selling Amway products. Today, it is hard not to find at least network marketing scheme for any product category.  There are even a few out there for services, like cleaning and computer repair.

If you ever set through one of their sales presentations, it sounds so easy to make a lot of money. The products are suppose to sell themselves. If you want to make the big money, all you need to do is get other people selling those products under you.

Read the rest of this entry »

It is not hard to give a woman some money and say, “Get a new outfit”. Some may like it to turning a kid loose in a candy store or putting a guy in the tool department at Sears.

I must stop here and give you a disclaimer. Like any red blood guy, when it comes to shopping with their wife, it can be quite a traumatic event. I give my wife a rough budget. She walks into the womens clothing section and I head the other way.

Most of the time when a sales person asks if they can help, their end goal is to get as much money out of you bank account and into theirs. This was not the case last Thursday.

That is what happen on January 21st, 2010. After going to several discount clothing store, my wife just could not find the right dress or outfit. Then she walked into the DressBarn.

Read the rest of this entry »

Guild Mortgage of Boise Idaho announces “Home Path”.   Another great Boise home loan financing program.

Home Path targets Fannie Mae (FNMA) REO properties.   It allows Idaho home buyers a great opportunity to purchase the home of their dreams.   A few of the high lights are

• Only 3% down payment which can be gifted or granted
• NO Mortgage Insurance is required-this part is great!  Mortgage insurance usually runs from $50-$200 per month.
• NO Appraisal-the purchase price will be determined by the real estate contract that is negotiated between the buyer and the FNMA representative.
• Only 10% down for an investment properties with 1 to 2 units. Again no MI!
• 30 year fixed financing
• Credit Score needs to be above 660

Here is the link to check to see if a property qualifies.  www.HomePath.com

Guild Mortgage – Boise Home loans – Craig Ballhagen                    208-713-3309

Christmas and New Years is over. We are 16 days into a new year. Most businesses use this time to regroup, examine profits and plan sales strategies for the 2010. Other stores are trying to unload unsold products.

After looking around, I see a lot of businesses who have closed their doors. There are still others who are downsizing. I cannot help think that all the stores that are currently empty and have gone out of business was because of driving customers away.

I know for myself the way I am treated by a business determines if I go back or not. Below is a list of the top 5 things that annoys me about a product or service.

Read the rest of this entry »