Give me a break guys.

That’s like knocking on people’s doors, handing them a price list and walking away.

Hardly endearing, and just makes me want to shift delete.

Try adding value, try doing something useful.  You may be surprised…

[image credit: damo1977]

98,000 tweets

1500 blog posts

and so on (see the infographic below – thanks to business insider).

It’s pretty crowded out there – what are you doing to distinguish yourself?

________________________________

Dear xyz,

We all get gifts that just aren’t right, it could be the size, the colour, or the gift itself. This year, leave your gifts in the shrink wrap.

From 8 – 9 January 2011, you can list your Brand New unwanted gifts for FREE starting at 99c or less.

Use the money you make to buy yourself a Brand New gift that you really want.

Clever you!

________________________________

Wow – how cynical is that?

Then again, I hear that the cost of unwanted Christmas presents is estimated to be in the billions…Maybe there’s something better that could be done with these though?

- give them away to charity

- create an exchange for people to swap things

- create a way for people to find out and get something more meaningful from the start (seems obvious)

- combine them all together…

There’s a business that I think would take off…

What do you think?

Then listened to an interview with the CEO of one of the world’s biggest companies and wondered whether ‘Blah Blah’ is a pre-requisite for that kind of job…

[Image credit: Tony Kaarttinen]

Maybe better to just take it out of the room…

Beijing Hilton - the stairs

But what I really loved, what really made a difference was that they did away with the annoying little mini-soaps in the bathrooms and had a sensible soap dispenser. This is not new technology by any means, but it will save a ton of waste for the environment, and of course their bottom line.

Finally - a soap dispenser in a hotel bathroom

Great work guys!

Sometimes though Bad timing can kill your business (or you as per this hapless spider who decided that it was a good time to sit on the edge of the car door…)

Are you watching your environment – checking your timing?

Recently though with some demolitions and fancy new shops going in, it has become the promenade for a buzzing shopping and entertainment area – behind the bakery.

Providing a walkway through from the main street was a brilliant idea, clearly added another service of value to customers and let them smell the delicious bread as they went through.

They had to squash up a bit in the baking area at the back, but it looks fine – and how do I know – because they put their team and equipment on show with big windows for the passing public to pause and watch – which they did.  Another great move…

[image credit: rc!]