* Full block format means that all the elements of the letter are left-justified so that the start of each line is at the left-hand margin. This is the more formal style, so use it if you’re unsure which to go for.

* Modified block format means that some elements of the letter are shifted over to the right. Nowadays, this style is appropriate in most contexts.

How to Format a US Business Letter

We as a industry are obsessed with death. And its a trap that clouds your thinking. Facebook did not kill MySpace, YouTube did not kill Hulu, Google did not kill eBay, Pownce did not kill Twitter, and I could go on and on and on.

Yes, like cars and soft drinks, web services compete with each other for customers/users. But there are almost a billion internet users globally these days. And you can build a very nice business serving millions or ideally tens of millions of users.

So I’d like to suggest that we stop focusing on who is going to kill whom and instead think about market share, business model, sustainability, and profitability which are the measures that people in most businesses tend to focus on.

The Death Trap : A VC

The Idea:

- Take your customer to work day (a twist on take your kids to work day)

How It works:

- Invite your customer into your workplace to shadow an employee; parties are encouraged to sign up and then paired

- Open your office, back-shop, or factory doors for the day to give your customers a behind the scenes glimpse of your working environment

- Your employees represent your brand for the day

- Customers see for themselves what truly makes your company special

Why It works:

- It’s the ultimate case for accountability and transparency

- Responsible businesses will be rewarded for their good practice; irresponsible competitors will be exposed. Can you imagine the charade some companies would try to pull? False scripting points and employee actors!

Obviously this idea would be difficult to make happen. But if a few influential partners jumped aboard and issued a corporate challenge, I believe it could potentially make a real, positive impact. What do you think? Does anyone spring to mind that might be interested in championing such a crazy idea? Anyone? Bueller? Godin? It’s an idea I’d love to share out.

Take Your Customer To Work Day « her Nature his Nurture

Barking as a customer acquisition strategy is a relative affair, whether spamming bloggers with press releases, peppering a neighborhood with door hangers , dressing up a mascot to stand on a street corner, or pimping a new website on Twitter. Real marketing is designing elements into a business that will get the attention of customers so you don’t have to yell.

Are you a barker or an attractor?: Church of the Customer Blog

Stuff happens in every organization that has a system. You can’t eliminate it. The question is: what do your people do when they see ‘broken.’ What do you encourage/permit them to do?

I’d install a BROKEN button. When you hit it, you can do anything and everything to fix the problem. Train people when to hit the button and then trust them to do the right thing.

Seth’s Blog: What do you do when your systems break?

you don’t only make a business in this process; a business makes you.

What a Business Makes | Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing

If it’s important enough for you to send to me, it may be important enough for me to write back.

I know it’s horribly expensive and inconvenient to work your way through the replies, but aren’t the replies exactly what you need to see? What an opportunity.

Here’s what you do:

1. Send the email to your permission list, an announcement that’s anticipated, personal and relevant.

2. Set up a “reply to” that’s a different address.

3. In the email, at the bottom, give people a web address where they can go to give feedback, or give them an email they can write to that will be read by a real person.

4. If they hit reply, the replyto will automatically send the note to the right person.

Seth’s Blog: If you don’t want to get email

The most common misconception about Long Tail thinking is that if you don’t succeed at pocket 1, don’t worry, because the tail will take care of your product and you’ll just end up in #2. That’s not true. #2 isn’t a consolation prize for mass market losers. Mass market losers are still losers. In order to become a mass market star you make choices about features and pricing and quality–and if you lose that game, there’s no reason to believe that those choices are going to pay off for a different market.

Seth’s Blog: The Long Tail and the Dip