Tip #2 for Getting Money

Be Polite and Kind to Your Customers
Part 2 of a 5-part series on the Golden Rules for Making Money, as set forth in P.T. Barnum's 1880 guidebook Art of Getting Money

"Politeness and civility are the best capital ever invested in a business," writes P.T. Barnum in Art of Money Getting. "Large stores, gilt signs, flaming advertisements will all prove unavailing if you or your employees treat your patrons abruptly."

Politeness begins with fair pricing, Barnum says.

"Men who drive sharp bargains with their customers, acting as if they never expected to see them again, will not be mistaken. They will never see them again as customers. People don't like to pay and get kicked also."

Civility shows in how a business treats not just friendly customers, but the customers from hell.

Barnum tells of an employee who wanted to punch a rude customer.

"He is the man who pays, while we receive," Barnum told the employee. "You must, therefore, put up with his bad manners."

The employee agreed—and asked for a raise.

A Few Good Men

Recently, I received an email from a conference promoter. I'll quote it in part:

"From the creators of The Event Marketing Summit and The Event Design Summit comes the Second Annual EventTech Conference and Expo. Join hundreds of event designers for two days of education and training. Crowdsourcing, gamification, digital influencers and social media streaming—these are just some of the 'wired' strategies you’ll get a perspective on. Plus, new technologies and the best ways to 'plug' your live events into the future. Receive a total tech tune up for 2013."

Despite its length, the email provides only half the information a prospect needs to consider the offer.

The email states Who, What and Why. 

But it neglects to mention Where, When and How. 

Pretty important stuff.

I guess the promoter has never read Rudyard Kipling's poem about writing:

I keep six honest serving-men

(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.

Tip #1 for Getting Money

Advertise Your Business
Part 1 of a 5-part series on the Golden Rules for Making Money

Showman P.T. Barnum published a little book in 1880 titled Art of Money Getting.

In it, he shared his "Golden Rules for Making Money," including this one, "Advertise Your Business."

If you want to get rich, "Be careful to advertise," Barnum says.

"If a man has got goods for sale and he don't advertise them in some way, the chances are that some day the sheriff will do it for him," Barnum warns.

But advertising alone isn't enough.

You have to advertise a lot, Barnum insists. Like knowledge, a little advertising is "a dangerous thing."

"Your object in advertising is to make the public understand what you have got to sell, and if you have not the pluck to keep advertising until you have imparted that information, all the money you have spent is lost."

Facedown with Facebook

Chunka Mui, writing for Harvard Business Review, applauds Facebook's decision to stop using facial recognition software to identify people in the photos you upload.

Facebook's decision comes after Ireland's data protection commissioner scolded the company for violating users' privacy.

The self-imposed ban applies only in Europe.

Facebook claims facial recognition eases sharing.

But critics like Mui think it will "accelerate the creation of a de facto photo identification database long before anyone understands the ramifications."

With such a database, retailers could identify you the moment you enter their stores and begin badgering you with offers.

"Facebook's conciliatory moves in Europe will not stop the erosion of privacy but will, I hope, slow it," Mui writes.

Twote the Raven

Once upon a Debate Night dreary,
Appeared on phones a Tweet so eerie,
'Twas hard to think it really real.
Nonetheless, the missive's source,
Not knowing he was truly coarse,
Had pushed it out like some football score.
It revealed a strange alliance
(the GOP and a kitchen appliance) 
Which no one knew of heretofore;
Only this and nothing more.

His firm moved fast to hit delete,
But not before the tasteless Tweet
Had whirled about the Twittersphere. 
The guy was sacked without delay.
Now he's polishing his resume;
Wants work as a Social Media Connoisseur.
But a big bird's Tweet predicted his chances
Of a future job and steady advances
Are worse in fact than very poor:
Twote the Raven, "Nevermore."