Early Adopters vs. Trend-Setters

We only recently loaded our bird feeders, since the winter has been so snow-free 'till now. The progression of "customers" has been very interesting.

At first we got a pair of chicadees and no one else. (the "early adopters"). Woodpeckers and others watched from the periphery, but didn't partake. For days this went on.

One day a pair of tufted titmice (little Mohawks on top - really) showed up. Within an hour the woodpeckers jumped in. More titmice arrived, attracting a small flock of cardinals. It's evident the titmice are "trendsetters" in the bird feeder world.

The human world works the same way. It's nice to appeal to the chicadees, but you really want to capture the attention of the tufted titmice.

Note to Princess Cruise Lines: Selling class means acting classy

A friend and I recently went shopping for a vacation. I've been on 3 Princess cruises and they send me weekly emails telling me I'm in their "captains club", eligible for special offers. So I tried to take advantage of this "special" eligibility.

Of course their web site did not recognize me. I called their help line, and was assured the problem would be fixed. Two days later I called again, with the same result. Two more days of calling and emailing their "customer care" agent. Guess what? Still no access and no recognition that this would be my 4th cruise. The manager I finally got on the phone wouldn't or couldn't look up my cruise history and suggested I call my travel agent. Yeah, right.

We're sailing on Norwegian.

Bottom line: if you're selling class, you need to run your business the same way. Customers looking for class will pay extra, but God help you if you disappoint them. That's when they vote with their feet. Permanently.