Category: Do Good

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Have you checked the back door lately? “Re-marketing” is knocking.

by: Courtney Pemberton

Any professional woman that can make a large crowd chuckle uncontrollably with the mention of a plumbers’ crack is pretty much my hero. Who is this delightful woman you ask? Suzanne Penley, CEO of Customer Focused Systems, a full service consulting, management and training firm. She recently spoke at the monthly AMA luncheon about the power of “re-marketing,” and I have to say it has been my most enjoyable to date.

We all know what marketing is but are you familiar with ‘re-marketing?” I suggest you familiarize yourself fast. The term ‘re-marketing” has received its own page on Wikipedia…and we all know that once you’ve made it to Wikipedia, you have hit the big times. Suzanne summed it up quite nicely when she said:

‘Do not worry about more customers…worry about more business.”

It’s so simple to do and yet we still have businesses lacing up their Superman Nike high-tops and racing to see who has the most clients at the end of the day. You spend tons of money marketing to possible clients that you forget about the ones that pay your salary…current clients. With that being said, I don’t think it would hurt to rent a mini-plane, fly it over Houston with a banner that reads, ‘Thank You Schipul Clients! If It Wasn’t For You, I Would Be A Hobo Under Highway 59 Right Now.”

Suzanne explained the fact that we are constantly trying to open new doors, but have you ever thought to check the back door? Personally, I think some of us are still spinning in the revolving door but that’s neither here nor there. ‘Checking the back door” can be as simple as calling a current client to see how they boded over at the ‘World Conker Championships.” That phone call had nothing to do with your product…but you have opened the back door to continued business. Do NOT underestimate the element of surprise…it’s a powerful tool and can often come down to whether you keep a client or not.

According to Suzanne, ‘re-marketing” exhibits 3 trends:

1.       Reliability: Take McDonald’s for example. You can go to a McDonald’s in Texas, Minnesota or even in Kiev, Ukraine and have the same exact meal. Granted, the happy meal toy and hamburger meat may vary depending on dining location, but the good news is…Ronald McDonald is still a ninja. The point I am trying to make here is McDonald’s has built their business around being reliable and it has worked. Suzanne put it in prospective when she said, ‘Don’t cut back on your main ingredients.” Continue to offer the same service that you offered in the beginning, don’t cut back…not even a little bit. What if I went to Starbucks everyday and ordered a caramel macchiato with whip cream on top, but one day they forgot the whip cream. That’s fine, it’s just one day. To my dismay, they continued to forget for an entire week…you better believe I am taking my business elsewhere…all I wanted was some whip cream people!

2.       Responsiveness: Clearly outline what customers can expect from you and stick to it. If you promised string cheese, a purple skip-it and a light saber, well by golly you better give them string cheese, a purple skip-it, a light saber AND a complimentary Dallas Cowboys key chain.

3.       Empathy: This was the most important trend and according to Suzanne, one of the leading sales and marketing techniques today. People enjoy doing business with people they like.   Stop telling people you are the best…show them that you are the best. Here’s an idea, be human! Nobody wants to discuss a business deal with a robot, and to be quite honest, I don’t trust anything that can’t perspire and enjoy a nice bubble bath.

Here’s the deal folks…existing clients are like your lovable grandma Camille…she’s old and repeats the same story about how she tooted trying to build a trampoline one Christmas, but if you listen to her and give her a call every now and then, she will always have fresh cookies waiting for you on the table.

Thank you for the awesome photo Jeremy Brooks!

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Houston Crimestoppers Looking for Information in the Murder of Brett Elliott – $5,000 reward

Photo of April 29, 2009 press conference, thanks to Jason McElweenie

Photo of April 29, 2009 press conference, thanks to Jason McElweenie

Brett Elliott, 54, was killed March 30 in his town home at 9850 Pagewood Ln in Houston. Elliott was a member of the Houston chapter of the American Advertising Federation and a friend of Schipul.

This morning, Crime Stoppers of Houston held a press conference with more details on the murder. According to Detective Abbey of the HPD Homicide department, the Houston Fire Department received a call at 5:45 a.m. on March 30 from a neighbor who saw smoke coming from Elliott’s apartment. When police and fire officials arrived on the scene, they discovered Elliot’s body.

Brett Elliot, you will be missed
Brett, you will be missed

According to Abbey, there was no forced entry. He would not comment on the injuries or stolen items as not to compromise the ongoing investigation.

Lisa Elliott, Brett’s sister, spoke on the incident saying the family “can’t grasp how this could happen.” She remarked on Brett’s character and wide circle of friends saying, “once you crossed paths with him, he stayed with you and you were friends forever.”

Crime Stoppers are looking for people who were out in those morning hours who may have noticed any unusual activity. If you have any information, please call crime stoppers at (713) 222-8477. If your tips lead to a felony charge, you are eligible for a $5,000 reward.

For more, visit Only in Houston’s Brett Elliott tribute page and Peace. Love. Brett. – Lopez Negrete Communications in loving memory of Brett Elliott.

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Why Dale Carnegie Would Be an Awesome Blogger…

‘Did you ever stop to think that a dog is the only animal that doesn’t have to work for a living? A hen has to lay eggs, a cow has to give milk, and a canary has to sing. But a dog makes his living by giving you nothing but love.” ‘Dale Carnegie

A few full moons and a gibbous ago, my boss Aaron Long handed me a book to read, How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie. My first thought was, ‘Does this silly elf think I have no friends? The nerve!”

On that note, name-calling does not get you friends. Instead, it will give you a cafeteria table all to yourself, unlimited movie nights alone, and ample time to catch up with your imaginary friends named Toffice and Skidmore. Livin’ the dream right? But I digress….

Come to find out, elves have terrific taste, and I haven’t put the book down since the waning gibbous moon.

So who is Dale Carnegie and why do I believe that if he was still alive and kickin’, he would be one of the greatest bloggers of our time? Dale Carnegie is your classic rags to riches tale. Grew up on a farm in Missouri, walked uphill to and from school, became a public speaking teacher, wrote a book blah blah blah. Don’t get me wrong, the man’s life is one to be marveled at. But more importantly, he lived his life with a genuine interest in other people. He realized the value in this notion and put it on paper to benefit humanity. I kid you not, after reading his book I answered all my phone calls with a huge smile, listened attentively during conversations and proceeded to rescue every stray dog that came in my path. No cats though. I have built up animosity towards them due to all the ‘deposits” they leave in my backyard on a daily basis. I didn’t say Carnegie’s book made me perfect ok?

What I am saying is if Carnegie was still around, I would invite him to come have a beer, watch a Dallas Cowboys football game, and discuss his latest blog on why ‘a man without a smiling face must not open a shop.” So without further a due, here are the top 5 reasons why Dale Carnegie would be an awesome blogger:

  1. Even in 1936, Carnegie’s network of friends was unparalleled. Imagine discussing Pearl Harbor while sipping tea with Franklin D. Roosevelt, running lines with Clark Gable, sailing the Pacific with Martin Johnson or debating the manufacture of steel with Charles Schwab. Granted the locations are questionable due to my vivid imagination, but Carnegie’s connection with these prominent figures were real. A successful blog has an immense following…Carnegie had this following without [gasp] the internet.   Carnegie discovered from personal experience that ‘one can win the attention and time and cooperation of even the most sought after people by becoming genuinely interested in them.”
  2. Carnegie wrote stories…excellent stories. He knew how to ‘bait the hook to suit the fish” if you will. Aren’t blogs essentially a compilation of news, recent happenings, daily occurrences, and stories? Alright then, I rest my case.
  3. Remembering people’s names was of utmost priority for Carnegie. This leads me to believe that he would have done quite well on a network such as Twitter; @dcarnGmoney perhaps? Responding to people by their name, replying on Twitter, and commenting on blog posts once again reinforces Carnegie’s idea that if you take interest in someone they will take interest in you. Why not give a little smile and a wink while you’re at it, even if it’s only an emoticon. We all know Carnegie would have ;-).
  4. Dale Carnegie ‘hustled.” To put it simply, he worked his derrière off. Carnegie started with a set of rules on a note-card; evolving fifteen years later into a best-selling book and continues to influence people decades later. Over 15 million copies of his book have been sold and if there was a way to configure that into number of followers on a blog I would. I’m no scientist but I’m sure the data would be staggering. Modernly speaking, ‘…you too can have 70,000+ readers and write your own ticket to internet fame’ but it won’t happen by playing World of Warcraft every night.” ‘Chris Guillebeau, ‘How to Be Awesome”
  5. In the words of someone who truly understood the art of human relations, Carnegie said’…the royal road to a person’s heart is to talk about the things that he or she treasures most.” I don’t think I need to thump you on the head to understand this one. Carnegie would have been an awesome blogger.

*I also feel he had excellent music taste but I will leave that for another day.

Thanks Mexicanwave for the cool flickr pic!

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Do Good: Client NPTA helps craft and pass life-saving Emily’s Law

A major part of our Schipul company Vision is to Do Good.   That’s why we love working and connecting with people and organizations that are as passionate as we are to make a difference in the world.

A great example of a Schipul client (National Pharmacy Technicians Association – NPTA) doing good for countless families after the tragic death of 2-year-old Emily due to a pharmacy technician’s error:

Kelly Jerry, the mother of Emily, became resolved to ensure that another family would never have to encounter such a tragic and preventable loss. In 2006, the National Pharmacy Technician Association (NPTA), based out of Houston, reached out to Kelly offering support, guidance and lobbying assistance. In 2008, with the support of Senator Tim Grendell (R), SB 203, now known as Emily’s Law, was introduced in the Ohio State Senate.

NPTA’s Chairman and CEO, Mike Johnston, CPhT, traveled on numerous occasions to Ohio to support Kelly Jerry and work with Senator Grendell in overcoming powerful, opposing lobbyist efforts and a few petty politicians. In a unique and unlikely series of circumstances, Grendell and Johnston were not only able to get all opposing parties on board with SB 203, but they were able to revise the bill, making it even stronger than the original draft.

“I am thankful for the assistance of the National Pharmacy Technician Association with the passage of Emily’s Law in Ohio,” explained Kelly Jerry, “due to their expertise, persistence and hard work, Ohio now has the most thorough and stringent laws regarding pharmacy technicians in the United States.”

Congratulations to the Jerry family, Mike and the NPTA team – your dedication and hard work have truly made a difference!   Photo with thanks to NPTA from their Flickr stream