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July 08, 2005
A Dog's Gotta Have Friends
Hi gang.
It's been a week of glorious summer days in GuardDog-land. Eric and crew are headed to Michigan for a famility vacation and I am officially holding down the fort. Since it's Friday and the work week in winding down I thought I would pass out a few atta-boys for the following folks:
1.) Penn Cycle
Penn is one of the Twin Cities metro's best bike dealers. Minneapolis is a bike-crazy city and if you need anything from bikes to helmuts and other gear - Penn Cycle is the place.
2.) Woodcraft Supply
Woodcraft is one of the newest GuardDog costumers. Seventy-five stores strong + catalog and web. They specialize in Woodworking tools and accessories. They are a first-class outfit and we appreciate the business.
I'll admit to being a bit of a baseball freak. Many a night when the wife and child retire to read stories (When I am not in the rotation, that is) I can be found working at the PC, the crackling din of the AM Radio in the background with Herb, John and the Dazzle-Man, Dan Gladden doing play-by-play of the beloved squad from Minnesota. Part of the fun in recent years has been to also follow the team by reading the so-called baseball bloggers, who augmnent the local Strib and Pioneer Press coverage with a range of articles both SABERMETRIC in nature as well as straightforward commentary.
While Twins Geek and AaronGleemen.com are the Godfathers, there a a few notable newcomers. I've worked Stick and Ball Guy into the regular reading rotation. He's a good baseball mind and lately he's been trying to re-position himself and develop his own niche among the bloggers. One thing we do find humorous is his ongoing, what seems to be, a one-sided fued with novelist, Anne Ursu, a.k.a. Bat-Girl, the Twinsblogger most beloved by the media. We can't really side with SBG on this one - but we will keep reading, nonetheless. We love the diversity of opinions.
4.) Foss Swim School
Simply amazing. While we have spent plenty of time in and around the water, we had not done any formal swimming lessons. In less than two weeks the kid was swimming underwater retrieving rings, flipping back to front and otherwise getting it done. Very impressive. We've re-upped for another two weeks.
Anyway. Thanks again for checking back. Talk with you soon.
Posted by webdog at 07:35 PM | Comments (0)
July 06, 2005
The Personal Touch
Over a decade ago, when I was a young whipper-snapper working for a start-up company that was literally fresh out of the pages of Inc. Magazine, I started a policy which required me to read and answer all e-mails and letters personally. I always felt that intimate contact with customers would make me a better marketer. Sure, there were times when I took some real heat, but for the most part I think people really appreciated the extra effort. I also think it helped the business.
GuardDog customer Bill Akins is workin' hard in his authentic GuardDog Workin' Dog T-Shirt.
As time went on the once small company I worked for was acquired by a multi-national corporation. I still tried to field as many of the calls and e-mails but the layers of bureaucracy tended to get in the way and sometimes even prohibited me from effectively solving the customer???s problem.
Flash forward to today.
When we started GuardDog, one of the first things I did was to make sure all consumer emails crossed my desk. I must say it's one of the best and most-fulfilling parts of my job. I???ve learned a lot so far. Organic vegetable farmer Tim Hogan wrote to offer some product improvement suggestions. Building Contractor Bill Akins (pictured) wrote to get a replacement part and gave me a great source for buying bulk, whole-bean coffee, and Carol McDonald called to explain how the GuardDog could be redesigned to work better for women.
I???d like to thank all who have taken the time to write. It certainly has enriched my experience and hopefully our commitment of service has strengthened our chances for long-term success.
Take care.
Mike
Posted by webdog at 09:42 PM | Comments (0)