Business articles by Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD PR firms often want to send me books. Their hope is that I will review them in one my magazines or blogs. Sometimes the books directly relate to the magazines’ focus, other times they cover a parallel topic, and occasionally there is no connection whatsoever. (If you hire a PR firm, […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Five years ago, the call center industry was confronted head on with the DNC (Do-Not-Call) legislation. As millions signed up to block most telemarketing calls to their home, the pool of prospect numbers shrank dramatically. Since then, the face of outbound calling in the United States has been unalterably changed. […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD In recent months there has been a great deal to cogitate about. There was a media preoccupation with the U.S. presidential election, coupled with a focus on the credit crisis, which seemed to worsen every day, eventually turning into a financial crisis and threatening the global economy. Throughout it all, businesses […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD My bride and I recently watched the movie Get Smart. As a long-time fan of the 60s TV series, I was greatly anticipating this flick—and was not disappointed. There were a good number of subtle tie-ins and allusions to the show, but not so many as to be excessive or […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I once received a flier for one of the most bizarre promotions I have ever seen. It was a “Back to School Special” — to have my septic tank pumped. I hope that it is obvious that I have never listed “pump septic tank” on my back-to-school to do list—and […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I recently received a perplexing postcard. In exchange for taking a two-minute survey, they promised me some substantial rewards—free lodging and gas. Here is the front and back of the postcard: I called the number on the card and entered my twelve-digit code, as instructed, into their automated system. The system […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD For AnswerStat magazine, I have posted on directories of medical call centers (call centers that provide services to the medical community). This information has been compiled from information provided by the companies listed. As such, they made a choice to be listed; they want to be there—ostensibly to gain new clients […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I continue to be amazed at the way certain products are packaged. There is often waste and much more packaging material than is needed or justified. The black hose fitting below is accompanied by the blue holder. Both made of plastic, the holder, or packaging, is about 25 to 33% of […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD One of the side effects of replacing my cell phone was having to transfer my number directory from the old unit to the new one. The cell phone company had a nifty device that would do this (surely there must be a means to accomplish this using the cell network […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I read a wide assortment of magazines each month. Most of them are free publications, effectively supported by the companies that advertise in them. Only three of the magazines that I read are paid subscriptions. One of them, a popular business magazine, used to be my favorite. Its arrival was greatly anticipated […]