I can't figure it out.  If you were to ask me what new vehicle I would purchase (if in fact I ever did purchase a brand new vehicle) ... I would have to give you two different vehicles.

And those vehicles are the EXTREME of one another.  The Dodge Ram 1500 Crew Cab Laramie and the Toyota Prius 3rd Generation V.  How are they extreme?

1. The Toyota nearly fits into the 'trunk' of the Dodge.

2. The Toyota gets 50 mpg and the Dodge 20 mpg.

3. One has Made in America stamped all over it and the other screams foreign.

4. One is considered green and the other a guzzler.

At the end of the day they both would get me from point A to point B.  I'm not sure why two favorites could be so opposite of one another.

How about you?  Do you have your own extremes?

Check out the Prius at Toyota.com or the Ram at Dodge.com.

Last year on my birthday I really thought I was a year older ... 37 insteaed of 36.  So, imagine how excited I was when my wife pointed out that I was only turning 36.

I got a whole year of my life back!

So, today I really do turn 37 or so I thought ... my wife tells me happy birthday this morning and says 'how does it feel to be 38'.  It took adding up the years to make sure that 37 it is:)

God is still in control and life is good.

Back in 2005 I had this great idea to write a book or blog someday called Flip the Funnel.  Since then I've been collecting ideas/thoughts/suggestions based on the experiences at InterAct Websites, Inc..

Wouldn't you know it that someone beat me to the punch with the book, but I've still got the website and have republished the blog.  I'll get the older articles and some newer stuff as well there soon.

Flip the Funnel is an idea/concept based on taking the sales funnel and flipping it upside down to keep more customers in your funnel vs having them escape to a competitor.  Exciting stuff and I've learned alot through our own trials and errors over the past 5 years.

If you are looking for customer rentention best practices and ideas then flipthefunnel.com may be for you.  Check it out!

How many times have you said yourself or heard someone say ... to be honest with you...

Have you ever thought of what that phrase really implies?  Think about it ... to be honest with you basically says that there is something you may not have been honest about.

It may seem silly for me to say because we 'all' know that it's just a phrase and is a way of getting someones attention during a conversation.  If you are a person who takes words literally then you might actually find yourself wondering the next time you hear someone say it.

Back in college ... 19 years ago, yikes ... I made the decision not to use the word honest in the phrase but rather use the word frank.  It seems you can use it interchangeably and it still gets the other person's attention when you say.

To be frank with you it seems I am not the only person who feels this way .. read more about the Honest Question Here.

I've always been a 'mall haircut' kinda guy.  It's convenient and typcially less expensive than what one might experience in a full service salon.  About a year ago one of our employees who worked for us, back in the day, finished her schooling/licensing and became a stylist in a full service salon.  I put it off for quite a few months, but eventually brought myself to go try it out and give her my support.

It's been very interesting to see and experience many of the little things they do at the salon where she works.  Things like..

1. It's always clean and tidy.
2. It looks and feels warm yet classy.
3. The receptionist takes your coat and hangs it up.
4. They offer you something to drink.
5. There is rarely a wait.
6. Your stylist greets you very quickly once you arrive.
7. Your stylist always remembers your name.

So, how do these translate into keeping customers happy and coming back to the salon?  Well, here's the key (match the same number to the numbered list above)..

1. There is no clutter to distract you from the experience of being there.
2. You feel comfortable and confident in your decision to get your hair cut or styled there.
3. Each stylist has a number in the coat rack area so when you leave they know exactly where your coat is without having to ask.
4. It's nice to know I can show up thirsty.
5. They encourage me to schedule an appointment to get the best service and who doesn't want the best service.
6. They use a computer system to check you in which alerts the stylist from the salon area that you are here and she quickly comes to the front.
7. The computer system also displays your name so they can remember it before they come to the front.

As I walked away with a very handsome haircut ... the thoughts were racing through my head of what little things do we do for our clients that could make a big difference?  What little things do you do for your clients?