What really happened to the U.S. Post Office?

Today’s headlines blame the economy on the fact that USPS is in the red over $2.8 billion. For the purposes of this blog, I’m going to lump the woes of DHL and Circuit City’s bankruptcy news in this today as well. After all, their challenges all have one thing in common…and it’s not the “bad economy.” It’s the inability for these entities to accept responsibility at an opportune time in which the economy can be blamed.

Now let’s get to the truth of the matter.

How about the fact that the USPS has lost a significant amount of trust with its consumers nowadays? High-count direct-mail marketers are strongly cautioned against sending out all of their mail on the same day due to historical instances in which the postal employee recipient will merely throw them away. As a result, not only do large-scale mail marketers have to separate their outgoing mail among several different post offices (which costs them more in the bulk mailing costs they pay) but they also have to be sure to plant “seed” addresses in their lists. In other words, have the items be mailed to individuals who they can trust and confirm that a mail piece was received.

What ever happened to “through rain, sleet, or snow?” Many business owners are reporting that the post office is refusing to deliver mail to any floor above the first level regardless of the presence of an elevator. Instead, regardless of what kind of sensitive documentation your business may receive, the USPS will hand over your mail to a business on the 1st floor and expect it to get to you. And thus wash their hands of any responsibility to do what they actually get paid to do…deliver mail to the addressee.

In this same situation, business owners are complaining that certified mail isn’t even being delivered to and signed for the intended recipient. It’s merely signed for by some mindless individual at the office that the post office determines will accept the mail for the entire building.

Have you ever noticed that smiling customer service is rare at a US Post office? Long lines all year round. Minimal supplies when they are available. Waiting in line only to be told that you didn’t need to wait in line or you have to do such and such and then get in line again. How does a post office run out of stamps on a regular business day? Isn’t that a big part of what they are supposed to do?

I don’t know about you, but over the last two years I’ve been receiving a significant increase in mail that’s not addressed to me. Not even close. And yet when I put it back in the mail box to be delivered to its appropriate addressee, my postal worker informs me that it will merely be returned to sender as undeliverable. Holy cow! The address is right on there only a couple blocks away!

And yet for all of these stellar benefits, we give frequent “raises” to the post office in the form of regularly increased postage costs.

Our office used DHL exclusively for some time, until we just got too fed up with packages not being delivered on time, being nickled and dimed with additional fees, and DHL not accepting any responsibility when a package was delivered incorrectly.

On the opposite side of this business, our Fed Ex delivery person once attempted to deliver a package to our office at Christmas time only to discover my husband and I had already left. So he drove over to our home and delivered it there! Fed Ex doesn’t deliver perfectly either. But when Fed Ex messes up on a delivery, an immediate credit is issued without having to wait on hold for 20 minutes to share the unpleasant tale.

Circuit City has been getting too big for it’s britches over the last two years as well. Winter shopping at this retailer proved to be confusing, frustrating, and altogether unpleasant—clearly reflective of their employee training program and management standards they have in place.

But hey. Let’s blame the demise of USPS, DHL, and Circuit City on the economy, shall we? That takes the blame and focus off of the real problems. That way no one has to accept accountability and learn from these horrendous mistakes. Too bad Enron didn’t close down in the midst of an economic crisis. No one would have gone to jail.

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.

Joe the Plumber

Joe the Plumber vs. Rick Sanchez—the talking head of CNN. And the winner is…Joe Wurzelbacher. On the other hand, at the risk of sounding like the amateur mass media, Rick Sanchez is this year’s entrepreneurial putz.

In his November 4th interview with the newly famous Joe the Plumber, Rick Sanchez appeared to be as knowledgeable of the abilities of entrepreneurs as the Mr. Clean knows hair care.

Mr. Sanchez’s mindless questions of Joe the Plumber demonstrated that he had clearly NOT done his research of this nation’s entrepreneurs. He joined the mass of misperception when he underestimated entrepreneurs all over the world as indicated by empty-headed questions to Joe Wurzelbacher. Sanchez’s ignorance was manifested on at least 3 separate lines of questioning.

1) “Why would you be so upset about people who clear more than $250,000 a year—having to pay taxes, when you’re nowhere near that category?”

One does not need to live in a leper colony to have sympathy for their plight. Wurzelbacher made it clear repeatedly that he objected to the principle of the wealthier paying more taxes simply because they had more of it. Like most entrepreneurs,

2) “…you are not in a situation where you’re going to be able to make that money any time soon.”

Who is this talking bobble head to dish out the socially acceptable level and speed of any person’s achievement or fulfillment in this life? (business owner or not)

The fact of the matter is, every entrepreneur is very near making $250,000. Many have succeeded in making multiple times that in one day. Some are content to choose to earn less, and some push themselves to earn more. There’s no mandate that it must take decades, years or months to earn this kind of income. No initials after your name are required. No special gene pool. It’s not a secret and it’s accessible to any literate human being in our nation. It requires applied knowledge, a restlessness with the status quo, and a combination of passion and commitment.

3) “You’re nowhere near being able to buy a business that clears more than $250,000 a year because that would take millions and millions of dollars, right?”

Another mistaken assumption. It does not take millions of dollars to clear $250,000. In fact, there are many well known business owners who have brought in significantly more than that for significantly less. Entrepreneurs of all kinds know how to create huge profit margins. Paul Hartunian, for example, paid $500 for the discarded wood of the Brooklyn Bridge walkway to be delivered to his home. He then cut the wood up in tiny little square pieces, wrote a killer press release, and made millions of dollars actually selling the Brooklyn Bridge to people all over the world. To this day he is STILL getting free press about this and subsequent feats of similar style.

Credible information marketers such as Dan Kennedy, Lee Milteer, Michael Cheney, Rich Shefren, Matt Bacak, Shawn Casey, Tellman Knudsen, Jeff Walker, Bill Glazer, Andrew Fox, and countless others regularly clear 7 figures within a matter of days in exchange for a weeks worth of writing and sharing their expertise—and do so repeatedly! Write, launch, reap, repeat.

Here’s the ultimate problem with Sanchez’s skewed vision of the world of capitalism. He’s forgotten about freedom combined with human potential. For every story of failure, there’s an enduring story of success in even greater proportions. In my opinion, there are equal amounts of ways to succeed as there are to stumble.

One of my clients recently earned over $500,000 on one transaction. Granted, he had to make his way through whole lot of “suspect clients” in the last 9 months to get access to the real deal, but he did so. And now that he’s accomplished this, no Rick Sanchez of the world can ever convince him that his ideas of success are impossible.

One significant success will breed a confident, unshakable entrepreneur.

My hope is that one day entrepreneurs will be viewed as the standard of success, genuine security, and credibility. In my opinion, they certainly deserve the respect, sincere assistance and accolades more than Wall Street, Big Corporate America, or the sacrosanct banking institutions do.

Here’s my challenge to all entrepreneurs—and a special invitation to Joe. Register as a Primary Member of 3M Mastermind—FREE. No strings attached. No charging your credit card later when you’ve forgotten all about it. Get real information so that you too can prove the mindless naysayers wrong about the strength and necessity of business owners. Simply go to www.3MMastermind.com

Entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of every economy in the world.
They are the fire behind invention.
They are the seeds of security.

Because of this unconquerable belief, Monetary Intelligence has paid enormous sums of money, put in countless hours with an army of researchers—and most of all their heart and commitment—to give today’s entrepreneurs the helping hand up they need. We’ve investigated a mountain of the “success systems” of gurus, experts, doctors, etc from all over the world. We’ve spent the last year implementing their theories and creating some of our own as a result.

Whether you’re in business or hoping to be, MI has created a training division, 3M Mastermind, to deliver substance to today’s frazzled business owners in the form of monthly live webinars and so much more.

We’ll prove to you your abilities now, for your market today.

Come off of the observation deck and take the wheel! Get access to your original content, exclusive training system for FREE right now! Go to http://www.3mmastermind/ to begin your journey with a partner who truly cares, and is willing to prove it. We’ve already invested in you. Your future success awaits.

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.