My first experience with direct marketing came in the 1950s or early 1960s when I went door to door with my neighbor Stanley Scharping, who was a Grit newspaper boy. I don?t know how many people remember Grit, but it was a national newspaper aimed at the rural lifestyle and those who lived in and appreciated small-town life.
Stan had no fear and would boldly walk up to a front door and knock. When an adult came to the door he would quickly blurt out, ?Do you want to buy a Grit??
Many times the answer was no, but many times it was yes. That is as direct marketing as one can get.
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I believe Grit was one of the first national newspapers on the scene, launched in 1882 by a German immigrant. You can read its long history at?http://www.grit.com/grit-history.aspx#axzz3Bpw2hjtr
It was first a broadsheet, then later a tabloid and today a glossy slick magazine, but only bi-monthly available in print and online.
It was also once owned by the Stauffer family, publishers of the Capper?s Weekly in Topeka.
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It has really been fun being able to use my new shop to make things.
Recently, I remade our steps into the house from the garage, along with a cabinet and shelves to go with the steps. I reused all of the boards from the old steps and added a few boards from my stash to finish the job. With deck screws, I can take it apart as fast as it went together?if I ever wish to paint it or something.
The worst part about reusing materials is the amount of time needed to clean up the old boards from nails and, in our case, staples used to fasten outdoor carpet to them.
All I have left now is to add a frame and a door to the front of the cabinet, which I can get to later. Lots of my projects have a ?later? built into them.
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I would hate to be in the shoes of management of the pro football franchises, who have to cut their rosters from about 95 to 75 players and then to the final 53 in the next week or so.
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Have you ever had ads follow you around on the Internet when you are surfing the Web?
For example, I have been searching for flights to Redmond, Ore., lately and now everywhere I look I see ads to click for cheap flights to Redmond.
If your business would be interested in having this service for your use, the Free Press marketing staff can assist you.
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I was checking to see how many of these columns I have written in a row since the Free Press started in 1998. I know it is 886 without a miss, plus a few more for leap years when one of the first two days of the year is a Wednesday. I think I can get to 1,000 straight, so that is my goal for now.
If you wish to share your comments or ideas, my e-mail address is joel@
hillsborofreepress.com.
