Site is here.. now the promotion needs to start

[Tom Snyder]

In another thread, we began the discussion of business cards at the retailers. My suggestion was a counter card with cards or tear-off take-aways.

Time to flesh out a consensus and a plan.

Input?

[RickNeff]

Well, I suspect the first thing would be to see if stores would even be willing to have such a display.  I think unless it's known that such a display will actually be available and referenced, any work or costs may be in vain.

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Richard Neff
Proud Toshiba 56x81 owner!

[Todd Wiedemann]

Well, as far as retailers go, I've spoken to the sales manager at Flanner's; he's cool with it. As referenced in another thread, my wife spoke to a guy at Colder's and he was ok. I'd suspect two of our members, both AmericanTV guys (Steve Miller & Doug Scott) would be willing.

We have about $14 left in the 'kitty'. I'll do the design and post it. I'd like contact info on there, though. Phone #'s ? E-mail ?

Can we set something simple up, Tom, where an email from the outside gets posted here, automagically, and we can give a group response ?? ... or something like that.

[Tom Snyder]

I think we make the site the contact point... I'm not sure we want to be posting our phone numbers out there.  

As far as posting incoming emails on a Web site,  I don't know if it's proper to take an email and post it for public viewing.. that's kinda like putting a phone call on the radio where the caller doesn't know that they're live on the air.

We can begin to set up those individual email addresses @milwaukeehdtv.org that we spoke about. Anyone here can have one, and we can either forward those emails to your regular email addresses or set up a Pop3 mail accounts that you can log into and grab those specific emails from.

We should do an info@milwaukeehdtv.org email address for newbies to send to (and post on the cards)... just need to decide where it should go.

[Todd Wiedemann]

I agree, Tom. I was just brainstorming. My thought was regarding responsiveness. The 'info' box is the right way to handle it, but who gets the e-mail ? Perhaps a web-based way to retrieve *that* box ?

I'd just like to make sure we are responsive to the 'general' public  

(I'll take todd@milwaukeehdtv.org if you're offering   )

[Steve Mann]

 

Originally posted by Todd Wiedemann:
(I'll take todd@milwaukeehdtv.org if you're offering   )

Hmmm... I'd like to have steve or stevem@milwaukeehdtv.org, but I can see a conflict or two with other memembers.  

stevemann@milwaukeehdtv.org would work.  

[Matt Heebner]

Also, if there is a cost problem with printing cards or fliers, I would be willing to kick in some more money to help cover costs. Todd, just email me.
I am going to be going to Audio Emporium hopefully sometime this weekend. I will run the idea by those guys. I am sure they won't have a problem with it. Do we have any kind of contacts with Best Buy?

Matt

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My wife looked at the new STB sitting on the rack and she asked me,"This is never going to end, is it?"

[mcneguy]

I fear that the Best Buys and Circuit City's of the world won't welcome this with open arms.  Let's face it, those type of stores aren't looking for informed consumers and one of us will wander in there and come back here and tell our story, which I almost guarantee you will not be favorable to them.  I think American would be ok because they have salespeople who at least know what is going on for the most part.  Audio Emporium would be a great place, I'm almost sure Dave would help out because an informed customer is what that type of store favors.

[Tom Snyder]

If you guys want to email me with the address you'd like me to forward it to (if you want it forwarded to another email address) or if you'd like a Pop3... no need to clutter the board up with all the requests. If you want a Pop3, email me a choice of password as well.

I'm tom@wirestone.com

If we set up a Pop3 for info@milwaukeehdtv.org, we can distribute the login and password to a couple of us so there are multiple folks who will check regularly.

[tenth_t2]

Todd,

Let me know if I can help out with Flanners, I've been there a lot lately and have a brother in law that probably has his own personal viewing room there by now.  I've also got John's ear available.

I also agree that the Best Buy and CC folks would be a tougher sell.  I like the idea of Audio Emporium, Flanners, and American in the first wave, we just need to be sure to be sensative to their interests as well.  They are after all competitors.

Maybe we pitch them to display/hand out referrals to our organization, maybe we could offer a banner ad/link from our site as well as get one on theirs?  I'd like to see them possible contribute towards our kitty, but again we need to assure that it's $$ well spent for them.

Would it be unreasonable to have each retailer sort of appoint a representative or two for channeling some of our dialog?  Also, when we get a request like I did thursday, friend looking just to add another VCR, lives in Oak Creek, was planning to pop over to American-- I mentioned Steve.  This approach will also be beneficial from the angle that we may at some point pass a sales lead and we want to make sure the salespeople are as interested and enthused as we are.  We probably need to think through some protocols of some kind.  Our methodology could probably be extended later to stations as they need to show interest/activity to drive their efforts and investments.

Sorry, lots of ramblings here.

Greg O.

[Tom Snyder]

While banner ads are typically a source of revenue, I don't know that we have enough traffic here to make charging for a banner with a link to their sites justifiable... yet.

However, in the short term if they make a link to their Web sites a condition of putting our cards in their stores, does anyone have a problem that?

[Pat]

Tom, a link to their sites would be good.  Another thing we should consider is to ban the badmouthing of dealers (or any person, as far as that goes)-- I believe the HomeTheaterSpot has such a rule, and the site is very civilized as a result.

Some were legitimately upset over the turn the Colder's thread took last week.  Those kinds of comments accomplish very little, but do alienate retailers.

[Matt Heebner]

I agree with Pat. I have "differences" with certain retailers in the Milwaukee area but would be more than willing to set this aside to further our agenda.
I hope that everyone else with "differences" with reatailers can look at the bigger picture....that we need more, more, more HDTV!!!!!

Mat

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My wife looked at the new STB sitting on the rack and she asked me,"This is never going to end, is it?"

[Todd Wiedemann]

I agree ...

The "Colder's" thread was *not* a bashing type. Simply, the postings were meant to encourage us to be proactive; to realize that many folks are truly unaware and uneducated regarding something that we all are passionate about.

I'd like for this group to emulate the SPot in its kindness and civility.

It's worth noting that we are the minority. Our mission is to educate and inform. That includes retailers, consumers, educated, uneducated and the media   .

We're not here to alienate anyone. It's important to be a legitimate voice, free from dissention.

Including retailers is a GOOD thing (Martha Stewart mode off) ...

I'd hope that CONSTRUCTIVE criticism was accepted. Personally, I encourage that. It's an important part of growth.

Thanks.

[Kortjester]

Here's an idea guys. I've found personally, when working with my customers, that word of mouth goes about 10 times further than a business card. I've begun mentioning this site as well as actually writing the webpage on a couple of my receipts when dealing with potential HD'o'philes. An impersonal tear pad or stack of cards may create some traffic, but I doubt it would go half as far as a positive nod from a salesman at the close of a deal.

I say this only because I know American cannot display merchandise of this nature. They are more than willing to do so, however are limited for various conflict in interests. Now, that is not to say that keeping a stash of these cards and handing them out "under the table" so to speak would be frowned upon. In fact that may even be encouraged. What exactly the difference is I cannot really say, but by just mentioning it at the close as I stated before will most assuredly do more for the site then an impersonal card found lying where the guy before him left it.