MarketTech Solutions

Runners are expressing themselves through new company

2010-08-16T11:53:00.000-05:00

The Medill School of Journalism did a story on another business I started.

Runners are expressing themselves through new company

5 Small Biz Web Design Trends to Watch

2010-08-10T09:46:00.000-05:00

5 Small Biz Web Design Trends to Watch

mobiReady - dotMobi compliance & mobileOK checker

2010-07-26T11:23:00.000-05:00

See if your web site is ready for viewing on mobile phones

mobiReady - dotMobi compliance & mobileOK checker

What Surprising Number Will Change Your Business? | Fast Company

2010-06-22T13:47:00.000-05:00

What Surprising Number Will Change Your Business? | Fast Company

New client web site finally finished

2010-01-20T20:36:00.003-06:00

I just finished a site for a client that does residential and commercial construction in Chicago. Check out www.schillacigroup.com

4 Myths About Social Media and Business : Technology :: American Express OPEN Forum

2010-01-14T14:59:00.000-06:00

4 Myths About Social Media and Business : Technology :: American Express OPEN Forum

How do other people see your web site content?

2009-12-17T16:16:00.001-06:00

Easily see what percentage of people will see your content without scrolling.

30 Free sites for online promotion

2009-11-19T16:33:00.003-06:00

BUT, if you use them, make sure you keep them up to date. Nothing worse than old content (which I have been guilty of as well, but, hey I'm only one person)

Does your company need a dedicated Tweeter?

Small business marketing tips from Mashable

2009-10-28T16:41:00.000-05:00

Are you this client?

2009-05-27T22:53:00.000-05:00

Cheap wristbands

2009-05-16T14:18:00.000-05:00

A site I helped work on just went live. www.wristco.com. Get cheap wristbands for your bar/party/whatever

More bad customer service

2009-04-29T18:53:00.003-05:00

For another business I run I'm trying to set up an account with a distributor -- in a very competitive area for distributors, mind you. I had to get a new sales tax id from IL and give it to them. I sent the form in and received a call that went something like this:

Them: That taxpayer ID is not valid in IL's system. But your paperwork is fine.

Me: It's a new registration. I have been incorporated for 8 years but just changed my registration to tell them I will be doing retail sales and collecting sales tax.

Them: It's not active in their system and I have a ton of these applications. Can you call me back in a few days to have me look it up again? It usually takes a few days. You won't need to redo paperwork or anything, just call me so I can look it up again.

Me: Sure. Thanks. Have a great day.

What I meant was "No. If you don't have a CRM system to track your potential customers then I am not going to do your job for you. I already have 2 other LOCAL distributors for the same products."

When is it ever okay to put the onus on your customer to remember to follow up on your paperwork? How many customers are you losing from paperwork falling through the cracks?

Prime time ads going to remnant advertisers. Doesn't bode well for internet publishers

2009-02-14T13:14:00.002-06:00

If prime time commercials are going unsold how long until internet advertising craters leaving a whole bunch of publishers with no revenue?

Another reason Yahoo will lose the war with google

2009-02-09T21:00:00.002-06:00

Yahoo blocks emails from small publishers all the time claiming them to be spam. Their response?

Try using DomainKeys (a Yahoo developed standard) or try using CertifiedEmail.

How much does CertifiedEmail cost?
CertifiedEmail costs $2.50 CPM on average (cost per thousand messages sent) in addition to the $399 accreditation fee.

I wonder what Yahoo's cut of that is...

Yahoo has cost me countless hours wasted trying to resolve mail issues now they want me to PAY to deliver mail that the customers requested? How's that for poor customer service? They also have blocked emails I have sent to fellow board members of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and Community Counseling Centers of Chicago. Talk about a PR gaffe.

I have filled out their form 7 (yes, SEVEN) times and received the exact same form response every single time. Thanks Yahoo. Prepare for even further bad press as I block Yahoo email addresses wherever possible.

I have never had such issues with other email providers.

Domain Renewal Group = Scam

2009-01-28T17:54:00.002-06:00

I got a notice in the mail today from the Domain Renewal Group. This company obviously preys on small business owners' ignorance. They "offered" to renew my domain for $30/year, $50/2 years or their "Best Value" $95/5 years. That's $19/year. I can go to godaddy and register a domain for $9/year. This "offer" titled "Domain Expiration Notice" is conveniently disguised as a bill. These people should be ashamed.

If you have a domain name don't fall for this. They claim it's a good deal since they offer hosting as well. Guess what? If you have broadband you already have the ability to host a site. You don't need their scam service.

Class action against Yahoo for their email

2009-01-26T22:53:00.001-06:00

I host 5 web sites on one server. I never spam (my sites are all double opt-in and I have never ever purchased email lists). In spite of numerous attempts to get the issue resolved (filling out their forms, directly emailing them, etc) they continue to bounce my emails. This is affecting my work, my free web sites, and, more importantly, my work on the boards of directors of Community Counseling Centers of Chicago and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

I am certain I'm not the only one affected. Anyone interested in forming a class for a class action suit against Yahoo please contact me.

Negative publicity for music label = positive publicity for Death Cab for Cutie

2009-01-26T16:34:00.001-06:00

This is why big music labels are doomed. Good for Death Cab that they shined a light on the ignorance of the Warner label.

Branding = favicon?

2009-01-20T14:07:00.001-06:00

My new money making venture. Raise a delinquent who gets killed robbing someone, collect $2.25 million

2009-01-13T19:32:00.002-06:00

Don't cut advertising/marketing dollars in a recession

2009-01-13T15:50:00.003-06:00

Poor customer service abounds

2009-01-13T15:41:00.002-06:00

I was thinking about buying some Bowflex SelectTech dumbbells. The same day I got an email from BeachBody.com (yes, I bought P90X) saying they had a special offer. I clicked through, NO SPECIAL OFFER. I emailed them and was told to contact them via phone. WTF? Why not just put the "special offer" on the damn site or quit spamming me!!!!

Response (Prawin)	01/13/2009 05:40 AM
Hello John, Thank you for contacting customer service. We apologize for the inconvenience. We would request you to contact us via phone to get details about the Dumbbells. For further assistance via phone, please contact Beachbody Customer Service at 1-800-454-2639 and/or 1-877-471-0969. Hours of operation: Monday - Friday 9am - 9pm EST Saturday and Sunday 10am - 6pm EST Please let us know if there is anything else we can assist you with. Please visit us again at www.beachbody.com. For further questions, you can reach us at the following link: http://beachbody.com/jump.jsp?itemID=222&itemType=CONTENT&path=63 Thanks again and best of luck reaching your fitness goals!
Customer (John Fitzgerald)	01/12/2009 12:16 PM
You sent me an email claiming "Private" offers on Bowflex dumbbells. I followed the link; it's the same price everyone gets. That's a great way to piss people off. Thanks for wasting my time.