Where are the parent review sites?

If someone knows of a website where I can find out what movies and video games are appropriate for kids please let me know. Yes, I've seen the Movie Mom and it's not what I'm looking for. What I want is a site that lists what I will see in a movie. Does Joker call Batman's girlfriend a b***h? Or maybe the actor in a PG movie has a partially nude sex scene. Yes, I know IMDB gives me some of this stuff, but it doesn't go far enough.

And what about video games. If something is T for teen occasionally its just for blood and sometimes its for language or sexually suggestive material. And yes it does say it but the degrees vary in my opinion. I'd like someone to say: "the skateboarder will fall on his head and blood comes out, but you can turn that feature off so it makes the game less violent." Or something like this: "the guy runs around with a chainsaw and chops off zombie heads."

It's a niche that is wide open--who is going to fill it?

If its not a golden rule it should be

Yes, we all get busy, but how hard is it to call someone back within 24 hours to get business?

Recently I called one golf course to talk to their course pro about golf lessons (I'm worse than this implies). So while I waited for him to call me back, I called another course and found out their pro was away until the next day.

After 24 hours I was on the phone with the pro who was away and booking an appointment. The other pro still hasn't called me--a week later. Even if he was the best teacher in the world I wouldn't take lessons from him because he's obviously is too important to call me back.

It doesn't matter now because someone else got my business and I can only guess others have followed suit.

Shaking hands with the people

Free is great. Free concerts are better. Recently our city had a free concert in the park with a well known band from the '60s. The band got paid by the city, but the smartest thing they did was sign autographs after the show.

Here is the brilliance of this old-school business practice.

Triple the normal cost of your product because it is in demand. You could have bought the CD that afternoon at Best Buy for $10 but because you can't run there at the moment and need something to be signed you pay the $30. It's then free offer, to shake hands and sign an autograph that creates the costly demand. And then spend a moment or two with each person creates a buzz causing more people to jump in line.

My guess is that a few hundred CDs were sold. Not to shabby for a band that was already paid. Think of it as a $5 grand tip.

Lastly, if every person in line were like my mother than they were on the phone calling everyone they knew the next day. That reminds those who weren't their to buy the product. Also, we can't forget about those who came just to see a free show and walked away fans.

Why don't you have any customers?

My gym is packed. They are lucky.

My gym's juice bar is dead. So much for luck.

So why is a juice bar that has so much traffic so dead? Where do we start?

First, price is always an issue--especially now. Cost has to be competitive--just because your gym (or insert product here) is a luxury and expensive doesn't mean you can continue to gouge customers. Why would I buy one Gatorade there for the price of a 4 pack everywhere else? Customers are smarter than you think--never underestimate how much they know about prices and how much high prices can leave them feeling ripped off. That shouldn't be how any customer feels leaving your business. Don't think they won't go elsewhere to fill their needs--like crossing the street to save $5. Always be aware of competition even if it doesn't seem to be apples to apples.

Second, quality is very important. If you think you can charge double make sure your product is twice as good. Is the gym's Gatorade four times better than the grocery stores? Exactly. Their deli sandwiches aren't better than average, but priced like they are twice as good.

Why are their prices so high? Maybe its to cover the three people serving no one.

Now that everyone is turned off to your average, high-priced items how do you fix it?

1. Lower your prices. Trying to match profit margins from your other products is crazy. Understand what the market will bear. If you can't make money on your Gatorade then find a new wholesaler or make very little money and instill goodwill for your main service. The deli isn't their main business so don't inspire bad feelings that could potentially hurt your main business. Goodwill creates word-of-mouth which makes advocates for your product/service and brings you new customers. If you don't make much money from the deli so what--any profit is gravy.

2. Gyms have monthly, 6 month and one-year memberships. For anyone that has a membership give them $10 of club cash to use in the deli once a month. Track the club cash usage and then ask them to use the card every time they buy something to enter them into contests or get something free--that way you can see if the club cash card is actually working on the days they don't get something free. You have the traffic passing the juice bar door--now they have to get people to walk through it. If a price worries you and you want to be cheap just make sure they can buy a few things with whatever the price range is--don't limit them to one product because they may not want it defeating the entire purpose. All you learn is who wants X product and won't inspire new customers for your wider range of items.

3. Involve your staff. Have them walk the floor and just hand-out things that are in the bar--like frozen protein drinks. They don't have to be full-sized. Maybe its a small Dixie cup and they give out samples. Making members aware is enough to create buzz.

4. Make a better product. Quality is worth paying extra for, but if you are selling the same product as everyone else then be competitive. If you want to sell a deli sandwich for $10 make sure its twice as good as the "12 Subway sandwich across the street.

You can turn a bad situation into something fun. There is nothing more exciting than making money, satisfying customers and having fun at the same time. Don't be afraid to try something new--the worst thing that can happen is your back doing what you are today.

Random thoughts

I like to save money. So occasionally I take the train to work.

Every time I get out of work and pickup my car in the parking lot its hot and takes minutes to cool down. When I park at work in the parking garage its not nearly as hot. It's really obvious I know--but that isn't the point.

The point is something that isn't new but should be implemented everywhere. Parking canopies in every parking lot with solar panels. It kills two birds: keeps your customers happy with cooler cars and supplies the grid with power.

Wanna win customers over?

There are a few different movie theater companies in the Salt Lake City area but there is only one that we frequent with our kids. Why is that the only theater we go to when the screens and seats are mostly the same? It's simple: the convenience of reserved seats.

Who cares you say? I do. I like to sit in an aisle seat so that any member of the family can freely get up and go to the bathroom. Kids in particular seem to change their minds about when they have to go and crawling across people's laps is never fun. I like that I can buy my seats online, or when I walk in, and know exactly where I'm sitting. That way there is no rush while grabbing popcorn, using the restroom and other things that could come up before the movie starts.

I'm sure other cities have theaters with reserved seating, but I've lived in, and visited many cities, and this is the first time I've run into a theater that does this.

So here is a thought: What about event parking with the same idea? Everyone rushes to the arena way to early just to get a parking spot. Wouldn't it be great if you could just order and choose your parking spot online. Maybe do an auction for the great parking spots or just charge more for them?

My son and I went to a Jazz playoff game and for a few dollars extra we had the reserved parking area. Sure, I was guaranteed a parking spot, but for all we knew it could have been the farthest spot from the arena. But, what if I knew that in the beginning? I could have planned accordingly.

Certainly people would pay more for the privilege of choosing their parking spot at each event. It would also make it easier for parking attendants to cycle drivers to their areas which would speed up the whole process. Convenience is king and someone is always willing to pay for it.

How much is a customer really worth?

also, about how good the stylist is and she takes an hour to do my hair, massage neck, etc. and why she'll always be my stylist--because she tries harder and is inspiring.

Coupons and when they really inspire customers to be marketers

I took my daughter in to get her haircut. And while she was in the process, I setup and appointment for the following weekend. Simple enough right?

Well I arrived the following Saturday at 10:00 AM for my appointment and mysteriously my name was missing. I even called earlier in the week to verify my appointment because I had misplaced the appointment card.

My options were now limited: wait another week for a haircut or come back in an hour to get squeezed in between appointments. I chose the latter and ran some errands.

When I came back for my haircut they continued to apologize and gave me ten dollars off my next haircut. I wasn't very mad to begin with, but this not only helped to smooth things over. The true value is incalculable because it made me a more loyal customer.

Just do the math. Here is the difference in one year of potential loss of a customer.

Unhappy customer leaves and never comes back:
17 haircuts a year (estimated) at around $30 a haircut is = $510.
Then factor in that my daughter goes there as well. So double that amount.

Now think about how much that ten dollars cost them.

How much does it cost me for you to sell me something?

Here is the scenario, and maybe a few of you have gone through this, but I'm still shaking my head over this experience.

It's July 4th morning, my son and I are looking for something to do. We occasionally like to take a day and veg and play video games together. I decided to buy a new video game and Gamestop happens to be the closest store. The problem is that I have no idea if they are open for the holiday because the information isn't available online ( *Holiday hours may vary. Check with your local store for more information). That's the first mistake. But that is minor compared to what I got next.

The phone rang and rang but no answer. After about a dozen rings a recording came on and said that if I wanted someone to call me back I'd have to pay $.95. That's right, I have to pay them in order for them to make more money off me. If that is Gamestop's idea of customer service I don't want to be their customer. Wal-Mart answered their phone for free and were happy to have my business. Sorry Gamestop, find someone else to pay your phone bill.

Xbox 360 and the red ring of death

If you own an Xbox 360 then chances are that you have heard of the "red ring of death." It's when the green lights on your Xbox 360 turns red. It is a Xbox 360 owners worst nightmare. I know because I've experienced it.

About a month ago, I tried to put in a DVD and there it was--three rings of red. I shut it off and looked at my wife with completely horror on my face and said "it's dead." She asked how I knew and I only said, "I just know."

A few minutes after trying the potential fixes from the official Xbox 360 site and getting nowhere; I called customer service. This post isn't a rant, it's more about how Microsoft can make the bad PR for the notorious "red ring of death" and market it in a positive way.

Here is my breakdown of events and how they could have made the experience a great one:

1. The customer service person was really helpful and polite. Bonus for Microsoft.

2. They sent an email that kept me up to date with all the phases of shipping, fixing, and sending my 360 back. Another bonus for Microsoft.

3. They sent a free month of Microsoft Live. Let's call this a draw--I'll explain later.

4. They sent a box with clear instructions on how to send the 360 back so it was virtually hassle free. But it was UPS ground that takes 3-5 days and I had to drop it off at a UPS shipping center. This was again a draw.

5. They extended every owner of the Xbox 360 warranty to 3 years--which was good for me because I've owned mine for about 2 1/2 years. And under the initial 1 year warranty I might have just tossed the 360 out. This is a draw--Microsoft knew the product had defects so they felt compelled to do this--it fixed the bad PR that was blossoming around the "red ring of death." It was their fault, but to their credit they covered their customers.

So far Microsoft is relatively on track with a good display of customer service. But here is where they could have really made the service great.

1. After the fix, Microsoft could have gave me another year on my warranty. With a half-year left, and it just being fixed it, it would give me peace of mind. So what if that part fails? There is no extra coverage.

2. I was without my Xbox 360 for 3 weeks. It took 2 days to fix it. The rest of the time was nothing but a shipping turn around and I lost 2 days of trying to find a UPS store. If they would have shipped it overnight or even 2 day I would have only been without my Xbox 360 for a week with overnight and 8-10 days with 2 day shipping. That would have really made me happy. Instead of telling everyone about the great experience, after being so angry, because of the quick turnaround of my broken Xbox, I ended up telling them about how aggravating it was to have to deal with this 3 week loss.

3. Microsoft could have scheduled a same day or next day pickup of my 360 by UPS. Instead I had to bring it to work and go out and find a UPS store during my lunch hour. I know... poor me.

4. Microsoft gave me a free month of Xbox Live, but I lost 3 weeks off my Live account so I only really received one free week. That's not much of a bonus. Why not three months? It doesn't cost Microsoft a penny. In fact, Microsoft would have made more money. Think about it. I would have certainly purchased points to buy games and add-ons for the games I already own. That's a big missed opportunity.

5. Maybe it's overdoing it--but it would have been nice to know what ended up being broken on my 360 just in case it happens again. Instead, you get an email telling you its fixed and will ship the next day. I'm a big fan of transparency and I didn't get any of that. I was happy however to be notified it was fixed and on its way.

Microsoft did a good job--but they could have done a great job. Hopefully they won't take forever to realize their missed opportunity to turn Xbox 360 users into Xbox 360 and Microsoft evangelists. They have to be getting tired of all the Apple evangelists. We want to love Microsoft--it's up to the company to help us.

Marketing and fun

Isn't marketing fun? Seriously? Business can be fun even when its tough. It's even easier when you make note of things you'd do differently if you were X business.

This blog is nothing more than musings about interesting observations from every day life on business and marketing.

One example that came to me as I'm writing this. I happen to be watching television and Spike TV advertised a UFC fight on July 19th. That's great news... especially because I don't have to pay for it. But. Will I remember by July 19th? Not unless I put it into my calender on my Blackberry.

With all of the modern technology within my cable box how hard would it be to allow me to bookmark or record a show so that I can be warned that the show is coming on.. either when I'm watching television or by email in case I happen to take the kids out for ice cream? I haven't had DirecTV in a while but I know a few years ago they were experimenting with similar tools. How could a company like Comcast be so far behind? This isn't rocket science.

So how am I going to remind myself? I went into my Blackberry and had to put it into my calender manually. Spike is spending a bunch of money advertising the show--you'd think they'd want to make sure I don't forget. And this goes for all shows advertising new episodes or new shows. If something spikes the users interest its in the companies best interest to help the customer. Yes I can schedule something to record if I want to look it up in the guide.

But we as consumers are lazy and want everything to be made easy. The best thing the cable company and their partner stations could do is make life easy for people who want to use their products. Otherwise people will migrate to the web like I have. I still to this day don't know when "30 Rock" is on television. And I don't care because I watch it on NBC.com whenever I want. Sorry Comcast, Cablevision, and everyone else who thinks they have a monopoly.

See, marketing is fun.