Mary Anne Carter » At the Office

Sun shield for my car

Mary Anne — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 08:25:28 +0000

When we bought my Lumina I told my hubby that one of the first things I wanted to buy for it was a quality sun shield for the windshield. I bought a “universal” sun shield at my local big box discount department store but it does not fit well and keeps falling down. But this week I finally smartened up and realized that I can not just put my visors down to help keep it in place, but I can take them out of their little holder brackets and put them down at an angle, and that works perfectly!

Had a flat tire today

Mary Anne — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:40:30 +0000

On my way home from work I had a flat tire. I was glad it was on the way home from work, and not on the way TO work, as it would have made me late for work and the office has a pretty tough “tardy” policy. (Note to self – look for a new job, these people are not very nice!)

I was very glad that I have AAA insurance for just this kind of thing, I used my cell phone to call them and they sent a truck out with a guy to change my tire. I’m really glad my spare was good! So tomorrow I have to take my old tire to the tire shop and see if it can be repaired, or if I will need a new one. The guy who changed my tire seemed to think I was going to need a new one, and I suspect he’s right. If it isn’t one thing, it’s another! Money doesn’t seem to sit in my bank account very long!

Why don’t people knock on a closed door?

Mary Anne — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:06:41 +0000

At our office, the restrooms are the kind of room where there is only one commode, and one sink, and when you go into the room you lock the door behind you. If you don’t lock the door behind you, you could be embarrassed if someone opens the door. No privacy stall or wall of any kind. I was taught that when a door is closed, you knock on the door before you open it, and wait a moment to see if anyone answers before you open the door. Well, at our office it appears that no one else was taught that because everyone simply tries to open the door, without knocking first. I am always annoyed when I am in the restroom and I hear someone trying to turn the doorknob to come in, without knocking first. I think that is very rude! I always call out “just a minute” but I still think it is very rude!

Data Marketing

Mary Anne — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 03:01:06 +0000

Several years ago my sister was working for a small company in the Washington DC area that does database marketing. I never really knew what that meant until she worked there and I had a reason to find out. The company gathered information on people from a variety of sources and built consumer profiles on each American household.

Her company knew how many vehicles you have, whether you voted Democrat or Republican, what brand of cigarettes you smoke, if any, and all kinds of personal information. They then sold that information to companies to be used in telemarketing and direct mail advertising campaigns.

Telemarketing has become much more sophisticated now. The information used by the telemarketers is more accurate so calls aren’t wasted on people that don’t qualify, and the calls are better targeted to the demographics and lifestyles of people who might be interested.

Small companies can now use telemarketing in select markets to their advantage. It doesn’t have to be a bad word – you should check out some of the good things that telemarketing can do. And with the price of postage going up again, it may make more sense to use the telephone instead of the mailman to deliver your company’s message.