holiday Archives - Peter Lyle DeHaan

April Fools Day Is No Day To Market Truth

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD

The month that follows March kicks off with some tomfoolery; we call this April Fool’s Day.

As a publisher, each year I receive some April Fool’s Day press releases. While the best ones quickly become self-obvious, there were a couple that I wasn’t sure about. I scowl and press delete. This is a great reason to never, ever make a serious announcement on April first. You don’t want your important missive to be dismissed as a joke.

I remember years ago, the head-scratcher goes to a book announcement for:

“A Paradise for Some is Paradise for None. Based on actual stories, it tells you about Ron Edelweiss. A former Swiss banker Ron Edelweiss spent eight years in the Caribbean tax, a legal and regulatory haven of the Crocodile Islands, and the challenges he and his family face there, and then in Switzerland as a consequence of his determination to resist the corrupt system.”

Although based on “stories,” the book jacket said it was “an entirely and completely and decidedly and deceptively fictional novel.” A Google search of the title gave no matches, but the author is presumably real—and has a website and blog about his ordeal. The book was listed by Lulu, a publishing company that offers books-on-demand and e-books.

The whole thing smacks of subterfuge, but if it is, it is an elaborate ruse. In any event, had I received the announcement on April 2, I would have accepted it as real. As it is, I’m not sure what to think. Perhaps that joke was on me.

Read more in Peter Lyle DeHaan’s Sticky Series books, including Sticky Customer Service, Sticky Sales and Marketing, and Sticky Leadership and Management featuring his compelling story-driven insights and tips.

Peter Lyle DeHaan is an entrepreneur and businessman who has managed, owned, and started multiple businesses over his career. Common themes at every turn have included customer service, sales and marketing, and leadership and management.

He shares his lifetime of business experience and personal insights through his books to encourage, inspire, and occasionally entertain.

What If There Was No Mail?

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD

On Monday this week (in the United States) we had no mail delivery because of Veterans’ Day.

To miss mail for one day is not a problem, but what if this occurred on a regular basis? What if Saturday delivery was omitted or we only received mail three days a week? (These ideas are considerations to help the USPS — United States Postal Service — save money.)

I could deal with that, too.

But what if all deliveries stopped? Looking at what I receive via US mail, what would be the contingency plan?

Magazines: I like my magazines but would not start reading them online (at least not how it works today). I guess I’d go without — and that would give me more time for other activities. (Of course this would be a problem for those in the magazine business.)
Bills: More and more companies send invoices and statements via email. This allows me to move one step closer to paperless bill paying.
Checks: My business receives some checks via mail. But payment could be made by credit card or electronic funds transfer instead.
Formal communication: Invitations and thank you notes, as well as cards are typically mailed. If need be, they could go online as well.
Shipments: Although the USPS is sometimes the least expensive option, it’s far from the only one.
Ads and junk mail: I could do without this category of mail, but I supposed they’d go online too and start spamming me.

The USPS isn’t likely to stop all mail delivery anytime soon, but if they did, we could get by.

He shares his lifetime of business experience and personal insights through his books to encourage, inspire, and occasionally entertain.