Blowing Smoke

Saturday, February 23, 2008

It's been a week of not getting much done besides some long hours at work. I walked for 1.5 and 3.5 miles last weekend, not at all during the week, and then 3 miles today, which makes 14 miles for February, 53 for the year. Still nowhere close to where I was hoping I would be at this point, but much much more than any year since I took Basketball for my PE credit my sophomore year of high school. I'll say it for Wife: she was in 4th grade at the time.

Watching Memphis-Tennessee in a 1-2 college basketball game. It's a lot of fun to watch, amazing speed and athleticism, but I'm not seeing much in the way of defense or the ability to control the game. I think they're both great, but I bet neither makes the Final Four. I'm also still glowing as UT is now alone atop the Big12 standings with the tiebreaker over 2nd-place Kansas. I'm sure we'll still lose the conference tourney final to them, but it's fun for now.

Politics is starting to bore me. There are definite differences between Obama and Clinton, and I'm pretty firmly on the Obama side for the primary (although I'm greatly concerned about his seemingly anti-free trade stance which reeks of populist isolationism), but it's turning into allegations and arguing between both sides. Unless there's still something to learn about either of them or their plans, can all the states just vote now and decide this? I am looking forward to the caucus though.

Finished Left Hand of Darkness - never really got what was so great although it had a lot of original ideas in the world she built. Continuing A Distant Mirror and catching up on the magazines I was supposed to read while working out. Saw St. Elmo's Fire this week - Rob Lowe looked really funny. Not a bad flick. Tried to watch A Bit of Fry and Laurie, an 80s British sketch comedy show starring Hugh Laurie of House, and just couldn't get into it. Also watched The Player, which was pretty cool. Was anyone in Hollywood not in that movie?

One candidate for local office, Gary Cobb for Travis County District Attorney, made one vote easy. His campaign left a flier on my door, guaranteeing I will vote for his opponent. I guess it's probably not trespassing, but it is littering and creating a potentially unsafe situation if someone's on vacation and leftover flyers notify anyone walking by of this fact. I encourage anyone voting in Travis County to vote for his opponent, whoever that might be, and if he wins the primary, for the Republican in the fall. If you'd like to let him know what you think of this crass wasteful physical spam (but not as tasty as Spam), feel free to email him at voteforgary@gmail.com, or leave his office a voicemail at 637-7260. I know I will. :-)

Ron Paul's campaign did the same thing a few weeks ago, and would have caused me not to vote for him if I wasn't already sane. I don't have the phone number and email of the precinct captain who did it on-hand, but I will publish it soon.

For those who think I'm discouraging political activism, I would have loved to talk to representatives of either campaign, but even though I was at home, they just littered. Maybe they talked to my door - we'll see if it votes for either of them.

I've also been getting a lot of commercial fliers on my door. Is there any kind of don't-litter-on-my-porch list I can get on? Specifically I've gotten one from a company whose contact info I'm not listing here so they don't get the advertising. But if you disagree with littering spam, please avoid patronizing The Little Gym, Texas Floors, What's For Dinner Studio Kitchen, SpineMed, Round Rock Health and Wellness Center, and Austin's Pizza, who apparently paid for it. I like Austin's Pizza, but will call them next time I order Papa John's to make sure they know why.

Yep, I'm a crank.

posted by Unknown 9:34 PM | 8 comments

Comments:

Hi Charles

You can actually call Directly to the Door and get off of their list. Sorry for any problems this might have caused.

JD
Owner, Austin's Pizza

# posted by

Anonymous : 1:51 PM

What I don't understand why someone would cut down more trees to advertise there business when there are perfectly good billboards all over America that they can advertise on.

# posted by

happytheman : 2:42 PM

Below is a copy of a letter that will be mailed to Charles today.

_________

Dear Charles

Thanks, I received your message about not wanting to receive our flyer at your door.

I understand and respect your choice not to receive communication from us. There is a simple and effective handling for this: Placing a “No Solicitation” sign at your door.

Enclosed is such a sign with my compliments.

The companies we use for distribution are under clear instruction to honor such signs. We use the best companies in the business and pay more for their services, expecting our requests to be followed. In the four years of publishing our magazine, I’ve never had a second call from anyone to whom I’ve supplied such a sign. It appears to be very effective.

Incidentally, I get a request such as yours from 1 in every 20,000 homes we go to (0.005%.)

I noticed, with interest, a comment on your blog posting regarding this where the reader suggested we use billboards instead of paper. I am a fellow advertiser in the Directly to the Door magazine. My wife and I own The Studio Kitchen. We actually tried billboard advertising. After spending $6,460 dollars running on three billboards, we gained 9 customers from it. That is a cost of $717.78 per customer. A new customer ends up spending between $140 and $260 with The Studio Kitchen. As you can see, this is not a viable proposition. (I’m sure the blogger from the accounting industry would agree.)

Anyhow, we tried various other media. The results were as follows:

Vendor - Cost per sale
KEYE TV CBS - $$937.00
Reagan Billboards - $717.78
Community Impact - $233.62
Austin American Statesman - $140.53
Valpak of Austin - $138.35
Austin Kids Directory - $112.78
Parent Wise - $76.34
Austin Family Magazine - $76.17
Directly to the Door - $54.50

So, as for using less paper, our publication is by far the most environmentally responsible.

We offer a very good product at The Studio Kitchen. Families can eat at home and enjoy restaurant quality food for less than grocery store prices. Families using us save hundreds of dollars each month. So we feel it is important to get the word out on what we offer – not only for our own viability but for what it does for our community.

Business owners wish they did not have to spend any money on advertising. That includes me. But, as long as it remains clear that we have to spend money on making ourselves known, I intend doing so in the most effective manner. If 0.005% if the public don’t like how we do it, I suppose we have to live with it.

As I said, we understand and respect your choice not to receive our communication. I trust this sign will work for you.

I also hope you have a better understanding of our (and other business owner’s) intentions to make themselves known and survive as responsible, hard working entrepreneurs – exchanging products, services and money with their public and staff.

Best regards

Daniel Bezden

# posted by

Daniel Bezden : 2:43 PM

You see, Daniel, it isn't that we don't want to prevent the kids next door from selling us wrapping paper or Girl Scout cookies or candy bars. It's just that we don't want to be peddled by YOU, or anyone else who doesn't have the courage to actually ring our doorbell. We'll be happy to greet anyone who knocks on our door, whether their purpose is charitable, commercial, religous, political, or otherwise. A No Soliciting sign makes us seem unneighborly, rather than tired of being the target of random marketing.

So are you taking us off your list, or are you just mailing us a sign? The owner of Austin's Pizza seems to think that we can call and get off your list. Is that what's happening? The letter you copied here didn't seem to indicate that you're doing that.

# posted by

Anonymous : 1:57 AM

I must say that I concur the sediments of Charles and his wife. Leaving items on one's doorway without first trying to contact them is quite rude and putting our homes at risk. What if we're on vacation? The littering of the front stoop is one of the signs people can use to assess if you've been away for a while.

I also must agree about the no solicting sign mentioned in another comment. No solicting signs tend to give off bad vibes to the neighborhood you're in. I also do not want to discourage neighborhood kiddos trying to help their organizations and who actually have the guts to go door to door and talk to people face to face with their requests.

So, it might be "cheaper" for you, but the majority of your flyers get put into the garage can without a second glance and then wind up in our landfills or littering our neighborhoods and parks.

# posted by

Anonymous : 6:50 PM

I mailed the sign, yesterday, as promised. From what you communicated, I understand that this may not be a workable solution for you. I’m sorry.

The reason I’ve always felt it best to suggest the sign (and supply a free one) is because I know there are many other companies that deliver items to doors, so rather than creating my own do not deliver list, a sign has the benefit of making it known to others who do not have such a list.

Thus far, the handful of people who called me about this have always been happy to use a “no solicitation” sign and were clearly people who, unlike you, did not want a flyer nor anyone knocking on their door.

So, alas, I will start a list. And your name will be the first on it. It may be the only, as I will still suggest the sign to anyone else as the most effective solution.

You may want to make your own sign stating: “No flyers please. Solicitors welcome.” One person I spoke to travels a lot and after talking it through he decided to put a letter box at his door with a label that says “Flyers and door hangers in here please.” So there may be other creative solutions to this and I hope you find one that works just right for you.

As for courage, I can assure you I have no lack of it. The same goes for my fellow advertisers. They are, each and every one, very fine people with the guts and determination it takes to be in business for themselves – not to speak of courage. I do in fact make many cold calls each week. Mainly to sell advertising. And that is a real test of courage.

So no, it is not a lack of courage that would keep me, or other entrepreneurs with something of value to offer, away from your door. It is a lack of time. I can reach 5,000 homes a day with my flyers. I create jobs for others doing so. If I was somehow able to create the time to personally knock on 5,000 doors a day and talk to people, I would happily do so. It hardly consider that it would even require any courage on my part. I like talking to people. But somehow this universe does not allow such a thing. So I use other means to make what I have known. And the right to do so, the right to communicate, is, for now, still pretty well secured in this country. That my method of doing so is not acceptable to you is your right. And you have the right to say you don’t wish to receive my communication. That is fine. I respect that and will take all action necessary to put your name on my do not deliver list and make it known to my subcontractors when we deliver in Pflugerville.

Best regards

Daniel Bezden

# posted by

Daniel Bezden : 11:54 PM

On “cheaper” let me explain this again.

By buying effective advertising, it means you have to buy less of it. Or even if you want to spend more on it you end up printing less of it because it is more effective. So more effective advertising (the kind I produce) creates less waste because it is more effective.

Let’s say, as a business owner, you realize you have to find 100 customers each month. If the paper you put out there, such as Valpak or the Austin American Statesman gets you a customer at $140 each, you have to put out $14,000 worth of advertising (and the paper it takes to print it) out there. BUT, if you can get a customer at $54 each, then you only have to put $5,400 worth of advertising (and the paper it takes to print it) out there.

So if you were truly concerned with landfills and waste, I should be applauded and Valpak and the Austin American Statesman should be vilified. (Not to speak of the Community Impact Newspaper).

# posted by

Daniel Bezden : 12:19 AM

Wow Charles....look at you. You have created quite the controversy on your blog. I like it!

# posted by

Brooke : 7:08 PM