July 2008 Archives

Back a few moons ago I was working in sales
for another company and making what I
thought was a pretty good income. At a
meeting with a group of businessmen
someone asked me if I was ready to take
the next step.

"The next step," I said, "what are you
talking about?"

He said, "Adding another zero to your
income."

At the time, I was making around two
hundred thousand a year, and he was
talking about two million. That's a good
jump, and I didn't know how I would take
that big a leap.

So I said to him, "My company will never pay
me that kind of money."

To which he replied, "Jim...there all hundreds
of companies that will pay you big money, all
you have to do is call them."

"I said, "You mean start my own company?"

"Why not?" he said.

At the time I had all kinds of excuses why not.
But just weeks later, the company I was working
for really jerked me around. They had jerked
other people around who had accepted it, so I
guess they expected me to stay too.

But I didn't.

I scratched out a business plan on a yellow
legal pad and went to work. I found an office,
had telephone lines put in, and bought some
old office furniture, including desks, chairs,
and filing cabinets, and went to work.

In those first few months I made thousands
of calls. I was on the phone from 8 AM till 8PM.
Sometimes I would sleep on the couch in the
back room. I made so many calls that I lost my
voice and had to rest it for a couple of days.

But soon, everything began to pay off, and I
started making some very good connections.
I hired some office help, which freed me up to
do more selling. The first year ended, and when
I addded up all the numbers I was truly astonished.
I had added another zero to my earnings.

I accomplished this without ever really thinking
about it. I just thought about building a good
business without any interference from managers,
accountants, or lawyers. I had free reign to make
all the decisions, and to do all the things necessary
to build good long term relationships with my clients.

I did things that other sales experts told me never
to do, and they worked for me. I did learn some things
not to do, but I learned those on my own.

In the old days I used to call myself Salesman
Extraordinaire, but back then it was an inside
joke. Now I had really become what I had joked
about, so I appointed myself Chairman of the
Board. Pretty soon I will have to think about
another designation.

It really all started with another zero.

Add another zero to your goals, and see if
your life doesn't start changing very, very soon.

From the big saddle,

Jim Whelan
The Chairman of the Board

P.S. Somebody asked me, "How do you make
$500 million?"

I said, "Just repeat what you did the first
time 500 times."

thejamesrwhelanagency.com
206 407 3124

I've never been one for blindly following orders,
and quite frankly, it earned me a reputation as
a pain in kiester in a couple of sales organiztions.
But sometimes the marching orders you are
given are tantamount to shooting yourself
instead of your competition.

There's a good joke that illustrates this
phenomenon well.

A young married couple moves into a new
apartment and decide to repair the dining
room. They call on a neighbor who has the
same size dining room and ask, "How many
rolls of wallpaper did you buy when you
repapered your dining room?"

"Seven," he says.

So the couple buys seven rolls of expensive
paper, and they start papering. When they
get to the end of the fourth roll, the dining
room is finished. Annoyed, they go back to
the neighbor and say, "We followed your
advice, but we ended up with three extra rolls!"

"So," he says, "that happened to you too."

Which is why I ask a lot of questions.

Sometimes when you ask a lot of questions
you find answers to things you didn't even
know needed fixing. Or you find out that a
project you assigned to someone doesn't
really fit their skill set, and would be better
off in someone elses hands.

You might even find out that your own brilliant
idea has serious flaws that you couldn't see.

Ask a lot of questions, and encourage your
people to do the same.

There will be a time to put an end to the
questions and get moving, but that decision
is yours, and with a little practice you'll know
when that is.

From the big saddle,

Jim Whelan
The Chairman of the Board

P.S. Why haven't you contacted the fastest
growing ad agency in the country? Are your
sales as good as they could be? Could you
stand to make a little more dough?

thejamesrwhelanagency.com
206 407 3124

I got to my office, or the center of the universe,
a little early this morning. I rode my bike for about
50 miles yesterday and I didn't feel up to a repeat
performance today. I pushed my chair back, and
put my boots up on the desk.

I grabbbed one of the financial papers and set
about doing a little reading. On page 4 or 5 there
was an interesting story about a company I was
very familiar with. I had known, and done business
with the gentleman who owned that business for
almost two decades, until he sold it for a "tidy
little sum," as our British friends would say.

The company, eleven months removed from the
old ownership, was in trouble, and writer attributed
this to a change in the market, and financial belt
tightening.

What a crock!

The original owner started the company with
$10,000 of his own money, and without any
financial help from bankers or investors
had built it into a multimillion dollar operation.
It was an extremely profitable business.

So what happened?

My friend sold the business to a very large
corporation, and they quickly assigned their
talented team to run the operation. My friend
was retained as a consultant, but it was made
very clear to him that the managing team had
their own ideas about how to run things. After
a few weeks, he decided to just stay home and
collect his check, and nobody had any objections.

The new management team soon had everybody
in meetings, and planning sessions. Sales starting
dropping off after three months, so the team had
more meetings and strategy sessions.

Then the team cut the customer service division
by two thirds. This was done to make the company
more efficient. Then the marketing department was
cut in half. Again, the justification was effiency.

It has been about eleven months since my friend
sold the company, and the company is in serious
trouble. The sales have fallen by 75%, and the
management team is still having daylong meetings
and strategy sessions.

I gave my friend a call.

He told me he got a call from the CEO of the
parent company, who, unknown to his ace team,
offered the company back to the original owner.
At the moment they are ironing out the details
of what may be one of the best buys in the business.

Essentialy, the big conglomerate is going to
pay the original owner to buy back his company,
and then some. He figures he can restore the
company in 12-18 months on their money.

He'll do it the same way he built it the first time.

1) Customers are number one.
2) Sales and Marketing drive the business.
3) All other departments rank below Sales and Marketing.
4) Compliance, Acounting, and Management exist to support
Sales and Marketing.
5) His job, as CEO, is to constantly drive the Sales and
Marketing effort.

In other words, "If your company ain't sellin',
it ain't gellin'!.

Every time I hear a salesman tell me how much
time he spends in meetings it gives me a clue as
to how well his company is run.

Every hour spent in a meeting is an hour of
lost selling time.

I have never had a meeting that lasted longer
than forty five minutes. Never. And once a month
is plenty.

Meetings are a waste of time unless something
of earth shattering importance needs to be
communicated. You spend your time selling, you'll
be successful. You spend your time in meetings,
and pretty soon you'll need a psychiatrist.

From the big saddle,

Jim Whelan
The Chairman of the Board

P.S. The Cardinal Rule of any selling operation is:
Attract more customers!

thejamesrwhelanagency.com
206 407 3124

While the handsome, young, two timing Mayor
of San Fransisco got married over the weekend,
we were left to ponder the fallout from his city's
illegal, and immoral sanctuary policy.

San Fransisco has been shielding young illegals
for years in defiance of federal law. The mayor,
Gavin Newsome, often bragged about the city's
canctuary policies.

But a brutal triple murder may force some of the
city's liberal establishment out of office, starting
with the mayor himself, who has been positioning
himself as the lead dog for the state's governorship,
when the Terminator's time expires in 2010.

Arnold could make some real political hay with this
issue, but don't look for it to happen anytime soon.

Not only is San Fransisco flouting federal law, but
not one soul in the entire government expressed
one iota of sympathy for the family. Maybe there
were some private expressions, but you can be
sure that none came from the mayor, or the city
council, or any of the bureaucrats running this
dissolute operation.

Arnold could put a stop to all this nonsense, but he
only has a backbone in the movies. About two weeks
ago I saw the Los Angeles mayor talk about sanctuary
too. Los Angeles is ten times the size of San Fransisco,
and so this problem will only grow larger in magnitude.

But I smell a winner for Republicans, along with drilling
our own oil. And you can throw in health care for illegals
too. That's three issues that I can guarantee will get people
excited, just as the former and disgraced governer of New
York found out in his drivers liscense fiasco. He and his
tin eared sister Hillary found out quickly that they had
stepped over the line.

The same goes for the McCain-Kennedy amnesty, which,
when presented to the people, smelled like bad fish.

When three members of a family have to die to expose
these liberal bozoes it's a shame. But there is hope. Even
the French, doctrinaire socialists since the end of the
second world war, have gone conservative. The Germans
are moving to the right too, and even the Italians, whose
government could best be described as contolled anarchy,
are ready to oust the dogooders.

Let's hope the same change can happen in San Fransisco.

From the big saddle,

Jim Whelan
The Chairman of the Board

P.S. And just in case you didn't know, the patron saint
of San Fransisco is Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the
House, who has a history of not following the rules.

thejamesrwhelanagency.com
206 407 3124

I had a piece of office equipment go down the
other day, something that I use frequently, and
really can't be without. I got on the internet and
looked for a new one, since the piece I used
was six or seven years old and wouldn't be worth
fixing. If I took it to be fixed I would have to wait
at least a week, and I would be stark raving mad
by then.

I found what I was looking for in about forty five
minutes, and placed an order for expedited
shipment, paying an additional $35 bucks. Now,
expedited shipment means different things to
different folks in the shipping business. To some
it means overnight, and to others it means as fast
as they can do it.

(Which sometimes is not very fast at all.)

More than once this type of expedited shipping
has had me put a company on my NEVER BUY
ANYTHING FROM THIS COMPANY list, which is
growing in size.I won't name names today, but I'll
save that for a Top Ten List down the road.

This morning when I opened my email I had a note
from the company I ordered from apprising me
that my package is out for delivery today, and they
gave me a tracking number so I could look it up
online. I didn't need to do that, but I did it anyway,
and my package should arrive around 3 PM this
afternoon. That put a smile on my face, as I now
can finish some work over the weekend, and not
have to wait until next week. This earns the company
a lot of good will in my book.

Another company that has locked in my business
for life is Zappos.com, who is primarily in the shoe
business, but has since branched out into other
areas. I once ordered a pair of boots on Sunday
afternoon around 5 PM, and received them at 10
AM the very next morning. I have placed about a
half a dozen orders with them since, and I could
swear I'm their only client.

You can contrast this kind of service with Macy's,
and you don't have to wonder why people avoid
going if they can, opting instead for Nordstroms,
which was standing room only last weekend.

Customer Service matters.

I paid more for a wide screen television I could have
purchased at Costco because I wanted some questions
answered, and everyone in that out of the way shop was
helpful. And later, when I had a technical problem,
someone walked me through exactly how to fix it. That's
worth the extra money.

Years ago I was taught that the winning business
equation was: fair price, and good service. It is still
a winner, and smart people know it.

From the big saddle,

Jim Whelan
The Chairman of the Board

P.S. Get outside and enjoy yourself this weekend,
and that's an order.

thejamesrwhelanagency.com
206 407 3124

Somebody needs to slap the folks at the McCain
headquarters awake. They have been handed a
number of issues to blast Obama with, and they
are asleep at the wheel.

One of the biggest issues is health care, and health
care coverage for illegal aliens. Obama is trying to
sneak this issue by the public, just as Teddy Kennedy
tried to sneak college tuition for illegals by in 2007.

The Democrats will be exposed for the total frauds
they are if they try passing this. They don't really care
about gasoline prices, or the economy, if they mount
this legislation.

If you think the economy is in trouble now, wait till the
bill comes due for paying for illegal aliens health care.
Everyday on the news the figure of illegals keeps
changing. One day it's only five million, then it's ten
million, and last night I heard that 40% of the 47 million
without health care are illegals. That would make the figure
18.8 million and growing everyday.

Last fall Americans by a huge plurality showed how
they felt about illegal immigration. They want the
borders secured, and they want it stopped, but
Washington isn't listening. The Democrats like it
because they see more votes for them, and Big
Business Republicans like cheap labor.

But if McCain has any sense, and the pounding
he took last fall should give him some, he should
begin asking Obama where the money is going to
come from. With the housing market in shambles,
and energy prices skyrocketing, Mr. and Mrs. John
Q. Public are not going to stand for the government
getting another hand in their pocket.

And McCain needs to stop with the "I'm as green
as you" stuff and start talking about drilling now.
Especially in Alaska, where 99.9% of Americans
have never been, and are not going to.
This fatuous argument of the Democrats that it will
take 7 to 10 years to get the product to market has
been going on for almost 4 decades, and its time
to put an end to it. He should start blaming the
Democrats for high energy prices, and make an i
ssue of the hypocrisy of Fat Al and all the other so
called environmentalists. According to Fat Al, we
should be able to have wind powered aircraft carriers
in 10 years.

Meanwhile somebody should get Fat Al a salad,
and have him cut down on his carb intake.

The issues are there for McCain. Let's pray he uses them.

From the big saddle,

Jim Whelan
The Chairman of the Board

P.S.If we don't get our energy act together we may
soon be buying power from the French. They figured
this stuff out a while ago by going nuclear. That will be
something, won't it? Having to accept the fact that the
French outsmarted us.

thejamesrwhelanagency.com
206 407 3124

Sisterhood is powerful.

Well, at least that's been said. But it must
not be true.

According to CBS anchor and sage Katie
Couric, we should be more worried about
sexism than racism. In other words, we
should worry less about Barrack Obama
and racism, than Katie Couric and sexism.

Liberals like Couric just don't get why nobody
is tuning in to hear what they have to say.
Couric, who can't hide her contempt for anything
that isn't liberal Democratic dogma, has been
making millions for years in the media business.

In fact, if I ain't mistaken, she is the highest
paid news anchor in America, bringing home
15 million buckaluckas a year, which ain't
chump change. She travels by limousine,
and wouldn't know what coach seats in an
airplane even look like.

Before she left NBC she had the reputation of
being a real prima donna, and nobody was really
sad when she left. And yes, there are plenty of
male prima donna's in the media, but that doesn't
make it right.

When Couric started at CBS her show was number
one for a couple of days, then it started tanking. It
has been last with a bullet ever since. Now...if a man
was last with a bullet for as long as she has been...let's
just say the network would have wished him well in his
new endeavor.

But here she is, making more money than her peers,
(a lot more), and being trounced in the ratings, and...she
still has her job, and she is not being paid a penny less.

The fact that nobody watches CBS News is not her fault,
it's sexism pure and simple. Because of sexism, poor
Katie has to do a traditional news show, which people
don't like. Except for the fact that they do watch NBC and
ABC. And then there are the folks who watch cable, or
something other than the news. Like reruns of The
Beverly Hillbillies, which I highly recommend.

Katie Couric is a snob, pure and simple. That's why
people don't watch. They see through the toothy
smile and perkiness that is only real if she agrees with
you, or is pushing your agenda. She ain't no Tim Russert,
or Tony Snow, who were liked on both sides of the aisle
because they were tough but fair.

My late mother always used to say you can't make
a silk purse out of a sow's ear. When you make $15
million a year and cry foul, you aren't going to win
any new fans either.

From the big saddle,

Jim Whelan
The Chairman of the Board

P.S. I'll tell you what, I wish I could find some
sexists to pay me 15 mill a year. They could huff
and puff until they blew the door down...because
at the end of the day I'd still be getting paid.
($41,096.00 per day)
Dat will buy a lot of cowboy boots.

thejamesrwhelanagency.com
206 407 3124

One of the greatest gifts we have in this country is the freedom to get our point of view heard, whether it's the prevailing party line, or as far from reality as is possible.

As an American we can stand on our soapbox and preach to whoever is willing to listen. On my last trip to New York I spent a few minutes listening to a street preacher whose message was that the world as we know it will cease to exist in the year 2012. It was lunchtime, the weather was nice, and he had about 50 people listening to him. I thought what he was saying was crazy, but at the same time I admired him for getting up and telling people how he felt. I even left a couple of dollars in his donation jar for the entertainment.

Jim Whelan Protesting in front of Wachovia Bank

Personally, I take the 1st Ammendment to the Constitution very seriously. I have done a number of one man protests where I live, and have traveled to other areas of the country to do the same. Some of my protests have landed me on the front cover of newspapers, and a few have gotten me huge publicity on the internet. More often than not my protests have gotten me on television, often at the expense of the big networks and their anchor, who wanted me run over with a truck.

Jim Whelan telling people his opinion about Wachovia Bank

At the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui in Virginia I was threatened by a SWAT team leader, who changed his tune when I told him who had authorized my protest. You can't be bullied when you know your rights.

We Americans sometimes forget that everyone has a right to express their particular point of view, no matter what it is, or how repugnant it may be.

Jim Whelan fed up with poor customer service at Comcast

For instance, when Code Pink, (an anti-war group), picketed a military recruiting station in Berkeley, I was fine with it, even though I disagree with their point of view. When they tried to shut down the station they crossed the line. The military are allowed their point of view too.

This really is the only place in the world where you can say whatever you want to. If you tried my one man protest in Cuba, for instance, you'd get thrown in the hoosegow. The same thing would happen in Zimbabwe, and you might find yourself with a burning tire around your neck.

Jim Whelan starts protesting comcast and how terrible their client services are.

In China, even though it has made vast strides, you could get re-educated or do time. In Myanmar you could get shot. In many places in South America you could just "disappear."

Jim Whelan in heated debate about why the Chamber of Commerce is a Ripp Off

Free speech means that both Jesse Helms and Cynthia McKinney get to say whatever they want to. It means that we'll tolerate both Larry Flynt and Ann Coulter, Pat Buchanan and Frank Rich,
Michelle Malkin and Maureen Dowd.

It means that Howard Stern can say what he likes, and so can Rush Limbaugh. The airwaves will even tolerate Keith Olberman
and Bill O'Reilly.

Nobody has to like what any of these people say. You are allowed to disagree at the top of your lungs. And like me, you are even allowed to make a big sign and picket a huge corporation.

But you are not allowed to shut anybody up, or to take away their right to protest.

All because some stand up guys in powdered wigs wanted to make sure that all Americans could voice their opinions without fear of reprisal.

From the big saddle,

Jim Whelan
The Chairman of the Board

Jim Whelan expressing his disatisfaction with the Presidential election in 2004

When I last wrote on Thursday I was preparing
for a colonoscopy on Friday morning. You prepare
by being on a liquid diet for the day and drinking
a Hurricane. It's not exactly what you would get in
New Orleans while you are celebrating.

No, this Hurricane is designed to blow out
everything in your system so the camera
doesn't run into any obstacles during the
procedure. You need to stay close to the
porcelain for a couple of hours, and then
you can just go to sleep.

I arrived at the surgical center early Friday
morning, and changed into a lovely turquoise
gown. The nurse ran through her preflight
checklist, and then I was visited by the
anestheseiologist, who put in a line. 15
minutes later they wheeled me into the room,
and the anesthesiologist put a plunger full of
things in the line, and seconds later I was snoring.

I woke up about 45 minutes later, had some
juice and Cheetos, and then was visited by the
doctor, who told me he had removed 2 polyps.
(That's down 3 from my last procedure, in which
he removed 5.) He said both polyps looked benign,
but they send them to the lab to make sure.

If these polyps are not removed they can grow
and turn into something ugly, like cancer. The
doctor now says that I need this exam every one
to two years.

This something that no man should put off, or
not do. The procedure is absolutely painless,
and you lose only one day by having the procedure,
and then following instructions.

The procedure is designed as preventive medicine.
You want to beat cancer to the punch by having any
polyps removed before they can get big enough to
do any damage.

It's a very small price to pay to keep yourself in
good health.

If you are in 45+ age bracket and you haven't
had a colonoscopy, get one scheduled as soon
as you can.

From the big saddle,

Jim Whelan
The Chairman of the Board

P.S. Pick up the phone and make that appointment
now. You'll thank yourself later.

thejamesrwhelanagency.com
206 407 3124

Tomorrow morning I'm having a little medical
procedure that takes about half an hour, but
it can save your life, and that's why I'm writing
about it today.

It's called a colonoscopy.

If you are a male over forty five, you should
definitely have this procedure done. It's painless,
and it only takes up about half a work day from
start to finish.

When you have the procedure the doctor is
looking for polyps, or growths of any kind, and
if he finds them, he removes them. He takes
them out so they cannot continue to grow, or
become cancerous.

Colon cancer is a killer. Recently it took Tony
Snow. Back about 20 years ago it took Katie
Couric's husband, and he was only a hair or two
past 45. And every day it takes people that aren't
famous.

Men tend to put off seeing the doctor. They like
to tough things out. But when your opponent is
cancer, you're gonna have a helluva fight on
your hands, and it will make this simple procedure
well worth the little bit of inconvenience you will be
subjected too.

Don't put this off. If your are 45 or older and
you haven't had this done, you are gambling
with your life, and the odds aren't stacked on
your side of the table. Every year that you put
it off raises the stakes.

Find a good doctor, and give their office a call now.

From the big saddle,

Jim Whelan
The Chairman of the Board

P.S. I'm serious, you can find the name of a
top notch doctor in less than half an hour.
This is just one of those things you have
to do now, not later.

thejamesrwhelanagency.com
206 407 3124

The government has come to the aide of
two quasi-governmental companies, Fannie
Mae, and Freddie Mac, who together hold
two thirds of all the mortgage paper in the
country. The Bush administration has pretty
much guaranteed that they will not let the two
companies fail, or fall.

This comes on the heals of the government
making sure that Bear Sterns was purchased
by another behemoth. It reminds me of something
I heard a lot of moons ago. I can't remember who
said it, and my guess is that it was in a movie I
saw way back when. An older guy tells a young
thief, "If you're going to be a thief, make sure
you steal big."

I guess that's the same thing they teach at the
Harvard Business School, which is where a lot
of these CEO's come from. You would think that
these guys would avoid situations that could bring
their entire enterprise crashing down, but as we
can plainly see, their greed outstripped any other
emotion they may have had.

If we had a real free market economy these
guys and their henchman would get what they
deserve. They companies they run would crash
and burn, and they would have to take
responsibility for their actions. It wouldn't be
pretty, but it would serve as a good lesson.

I'm all for tying the pay of top corporate officials
to performance. Give them a decent salary, and
reward them if the company does well, and only
when the company does well. If the company goes
downhill, or underperforms, there are no bonuses.

And we should kill the golden parachute. If a board
wants to get rid of a CEO, fire him, just like corporate
managers do with employees. Board members
should also not be paid if the company doesn't do
well. Pay their transportation, meals, and lodging
costs, but nothing else unless the company performs.

I always found the corporate ratings system a
great exercise in hypocrisy. Managers would rate
employees, but nobody ever rates the guys making
the decisions. Except when it comes to paying out
big bonuses to themselves. At that point the superlatives
can run into several pages.

Many of the CEO's involved in this financial
debacle should be put in jail, or be forced to work
at a garbage facility for years, taking in the smell
of what they created.

From the big saddle,

Jim Whelan
The Chairman of the Board

P.S. Somebody please tell Bret Favre to shut up.
I'm tired of listening to a guy who can't make a
simple decision about whether or not he wants
to play football or not.

thejamesrwhelanagency.com
206 407 3124

Today I got a call from an old friend who is
going to "unretire." He retired after he sold
his company a few years ago, and spent that
time traveling and playing golf. He told me on
the phone that he has been everywhere, and
has played all the great golf courses around
the world. "What am I supposed to do now?"
he said, "PLay them all again?"

He's bored.

He has an itch to get back in the game, and
he is throwing money at a number of projects
that he says are all winners.

Nobody wins all the time. In fact, in the business
world, if you hit one out of every five ideas out of
the park you're doing pretty well.

The problem is that he doesn't have a plan,
and that's a big problem. Not only that, he
doesn't have a budget, which compounds
the error.

He should know better. But this is a big
problem for guys who go out on top. Its a
problem because businesses are built
bottom up, not top down.

A good plan is the foundation of any business
venture. A plan can never be perfect or avoid
all mistakes, but it can sure eliminate the majority
of problems that will arise from no plan.

A salesperson without a plan for his or her day
isn't going to sell nearly as much as one who does.
A venture without a budget is going to spend a lot
of money on things they don't need.

Planning is a discipline. Working without a clear
plan is just plain peddling backwards.

From the big saddle,

Jim Whelan
The Chairman of the Board

P.S. Advertising needs to be planned. To find out
how to do that call us at 206 407 3124, or contact
us at: thejamesrwhelanagency.com

I can't remember when I first saw Tony Snow
on television. But I do remember saying to myself,
"That's a very likable guy."

Then came FOX NEWS, and he was all over
the place. No matter what the subject, he always
had a smile on his face. I always thought that he
would be welcomed wherever he went or by
whoever he talked to.

He really made "FOX NEWS Sunday" a program to
watch. I always liked the fact that it came on early,
so I never had a problem watching it, and then Meet
The Press a little later.

It's hard to believe that Tony Snow and Tim Russert
are both gone, and way before I would have liked.

Now we're stuck with Mega Mouth Matthews,the
desultory Keith Olberman, and periphrastic Bill
O'Reilly. That's three steps down, or back,
depending on your point of view.

The don't have that "one of our guys" feel, even
though they are desperately chasing it. They
aren't guys you would want to hang out with for a
few hours. Or even minutes, in some cases.

Some guys spend their entire life trying to be
respected and well thought of, seizing every
opportunity to tell you where they rank in the
grand scheme of things.

Tony Snow just did his job well, no matter what
it was, and did it with good humor, and a smile.
He worked for two Presidents, and played with
Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull. He was a good
husband, and father.

I hope someone comes along to take his place,
and soon.

From the big saddle,

Jim Whelan
The Chairman of the Board

P.S.

Leo Buscaglia once said, " Too often we
underestimate the power of a touch, a smile,
a kind word, a listening ear, an honest
compliment, or the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential to turn a life around."

thejamesrwhelanagency.com
206 407 3124

John McCain hasn't done himself any favors
by hiring a heavy percentage of the Old
Republican Guard as campaign advisors.
Phil Gramm, who got McCain in hot water,
ran for President once himself, and his
personality didn't sell very well with the public,
outside of Texas.

Gramm called the American people a bunch of
whiners in an interview in Washington, which
was immediately seized on by the Obama
campaign, and all the pro-Obama media,
which includes almost everyone who doesn't work
at FOX NEWS, and even some of them.

Obama himself seemed to have a lot of fun with
Gramm's remarks,and thats perfectly fair.

But in some respects Gramm is absolutely correct.
I have never heard such whining and complaining
as this year about how terrible everything is. Much
of this phony angst is being caused by the very people
bashing Gramm and McCain. The newspapers, magazines,
radio and television are filled with tales of whoa like
never before. Yet as I look around my business and
neighborhood everything looks pretty much the way it
looked last year.

Is there a For Sale sign in the neighborhood? Yes,
but that's no different than the year before, or the
year before that. Have businesses closed? Yes, but
many new ones have opened.

Have people stopped going out? Movie receipts
are way up.

Are restuarants suffering? Not judging by the ones
I frequent.

Are people complaining more? Yes. Why?

Most nights I try to watch "Big Idea" on CNBC at
10 PM EST. It's hosted by an affable Donnie Duetsch,
and every night brings a story, or stories, about
successes that could only happen here. This should
be required watching for all Americans, but they are
busy watching "The Batchelor," or "Living With the
Lohans."

Then they wonder why they are stuck in the same
old rut, and whine and complain.

Gramm was right about the whining. But he should
have kept his mouth shut. He might have acquired
some wisdom during all his years in politics, but
obviously that's not the case.

The left wing loons will find out very soon that
the government can't fix everything.

And they'll whine, whine, whine, and then complain.
Hopefully, by that time no one will listen.

From the big saddle,

Jim Whelan
The Chairman of the Board

P.S. If you want to read something that makes
sense, start reading Wesley Pruden's column
in the Washington Times. He just may be the best
political writer in America. You can read him online
at washingtontimes.com Maureen Dowd wishes
she was that good.

thejamesrwhelanagency.com
206 407 3124

Last night when I got home I took a little
nap in my recliner, and woke up when my
dog started howling like something was
seriously amiss. When I looked outside I
saw a squirrel about ten feet from the glass
doors, right smack in the middle of my
hounds territory. I didn't open the door for
him to chase the squirrel, which is what
he wanted.

I went back to my chair and turned on
the television and watched five minutes
of something absolutely forgettable, and
then a commercial came on.

You may have already seen this commercial
because I really don't watch a lot of television,
and use it mainly as a sleep aide.

The commercial was for Dove soap, something
I have never used, since I consider it a woman's
product. But I do remember many Dove commercials
over the years which mainly had to do with soft
skin, and no greasy film, or something close to that.

This one had a different theme altogether. It was
all about women and self esteem. (And soap)
It starts out on the premise that little girls have no
self esteem, or very little self esteem, and then goes
on to say that Dove Soap has sponsored workshops
on self esteem that two million girls have attended.
The girls now think of themselves as beautiful thanks
to the workshops sponsored by Dove, and so if you
are a woman with no esteem, or have daughters with
no esteem, you should attend self esteem workshops
sponsored by Dove. And, of course, you should buy
Dove Soap.

What a bunch of crapola.

If I was running that company, (Dove is a Unilever product),
I would have kicked that creative team down a few flights
of stairs with my sturdiest cowboy boots.

This is exactly what happens when you have low
self esteem people working on your behalf. They
want to project themselves into your life and try to
convince you to fix problems that don't exist in the
first place.

And that certainly couldn't be fixed by a bar of soap
and a celebrity.

Dove...the soap for women with low self esteem. And
their offspring.

And just in case the soap doesn't raise your self
esteem, you can go to the website, dove.us...and
order up free self esteem exercises for moms and
girls to do together. You can also get a DVD to learn
how to run a Dove Self Esteem Workshop.

And you can win...a celebrity hosted workshop.

I want the one hosted by Rosie O'Donnell.

Now after I kicked that creative team down several
flights of stairs I would bury them right next to the
guys who came up with the Budweiser frogs.

Self esteem and soap. They go together like good
wine and moldy bologna.

A quick check of the stock performance of Unilever
shows it isn't a stock I'd want to own. If they're wasting
money on stuff like this in one division, you can bet
it's the same overall.

From the big saddle,

Jim Whelan
The Chairman of the Board

P.S. I nominate the Dove ad for Worst Ad of the
Year, and you will really have to work hard to beat
it. But I can tell you this: In some large ad agency
there is someone working on it, trying their level
best to be the Best of the Worst.

thejamesrwhelanagency.com
206 407 3124

I love a good success story, and today I have
a good one. It involves a salesperson named
Mary Anne, who got to the top of the mountain,
fell, and reached the top again.

Mary Anne started her sales career about 12
years ago, and became Rookie of the Year in
her organization. She finished in the top five
the next year, and hit numero uno in year three.

She held that position for three years, and
then fell off her throne, tumbling into mediocrity
for years.

A lot of things happened over the years, an
unsuccessful marraige, too much booze, and way,
way too much food. When Mary Anne started her
sales career she weighed around 135 pounds,
and it would be fair to say that she turned a lot of
heads. After the marraige broke down she gained
a little weight.

Like 100 pounds in two years.

She was, as she she will tell you, fat. And the
fatter she got, the worse everything got. She
will tell you that the old saw about fat people
being jolly isn't true at all.

She tried dieting, and failed at that a couple
of dozen times.

She entertained thoughts about killing herself.

Then by chance she found herself at a restaurant
buffet in front of a very fit looking man. As she was
loading up her plate in true buffet molester style,
she heard someone say, "Put that back."

She turned, and he said, "That's enough food for
a family of four." Then he smiled, and said, "Bon
appetite!" She took her plate back to her table
and took a few bites, and then couldn't eat anymore.
She took her plate, located the fit looking guy and
dropped the plate off on his table. She then walked
away in tears.

She was a couple of steps out the front door when
she turned and saw he was right behind her. He
handed her a card, and said "I can help you." Then
he went back in.

It took her six weeks to call. She made an appointment,
and went in.The fit guy barraged her with questions for
over an hour, then told her how much his services cost.
He wasn't cheap. In fact, he was expensive.

But she signed the contract. Every time she visited him
over the first six weeks she thought she was going to die.
He had handouts and instructions and plans and even
visited her home to clean out her pantry,refrigerator,
and freezer.

At the 12 week mark she discovered that she looked
forward to their sessions. Another strange thing was
happening at work. She was climbing back to the top
of the chart.

At 24 weeks she had lost 54 pounds. She discovered
that the guys at work had a pool running on her weight
loss. A lot of them were betting against her.

At 36 weeks she had shed 70 pounds, and was back
in the top five performers. A lot of men seemed interested
in her again, and the sales just kept rolling along.

At 51 weeks Mary Anne weighed 135 pounds, 100
pounds less than a year previous. The next week, when
all the sales figures for the year were released, she was
number one by $100 dollars.

This year she leads the pack by $50,000. She has
two pictures on her desk. One is her Rookie of Year
picture. The other is her buffet molester picture,
where she weighs 235. Most people don't believe
both pictures are her.

There is a huge relationship between fitness and
performance. I can attest to that personally. I've
never been fat, but the more exercise I get, the
better I feel, and the more sales I make.

Every company should have a fitness program.
If you want to lower the cost of health care, this
is where to start.

From the big saddle,

Jim Whelan
The Chairman of the Board

P.S. Things are pretty shipshape around the
office today, I think I'll take a nice spin on my
bicycle. It seems like perfect day for a 30 mile ride.

thejamesrwhelanagency.com
206 407 3124

I love buying things on the internet, but there
are some drawbacks that drive me nuts. Internet
marketers are a savvy group of people, but
sometimes they do things that are just inexplicable.

Today I ordered a program to help educate a
couple of my people in a specific area of my
business. The material was very good, and
there was some great bonus stuff included.
Not only that, but the price couldn't be beat.

So I ordered up the product. Everything was
going fine with the downloaded material until I
got to what I considered the most important
part of the package.

I can't open it because it's in a special sort of file
that my less than a year old laptop doesn't support.
That is driving me nuts, and here is why. All the other
information is in PDF files, or something that I am
familiar with, and can deal with.

Here's the problem.

Internet marketers are usually way ahead of their
readers and customers when it comes to technology.
Not only that, but they are rabid buyers of the latest
and greatest tools, gizmo's, and gadgets. God bless
them for spreading the wealth.

But...the rest of us, who are not tech junkies, often
run into a problem when they implement some of their
new toys. I have never heard of, or used the type of
file this document is stored in. Not only that, but no one
in my office has ever seen it either. My first calls to tech
genius friends left them stumped.

So now the price isn't a bargain anymore. I have to
find some who can open this document so that I can use
it. Not only do I have to find them, I probably have to
pay them too.

Not only that, but I feel compelled to send a letter to
the seller telling him what a pain in the back of the
ship this experience has been.

I'm glad internet marketers use the most up to the
minute technology, but somebody should have raised
a hand and said, "If we send this out, can everybody
access it easily?"

But obviously no one did.

I'll let you know how this is resolved.

From the big saddle,

Jim Whelan
Chairman of the Board

P.S. Am I going to stop buying things on the internet?
No, I'm not. But I am going to suggest to somebody
that making sure you can deliver your product to
everybody be taken into consideration.

thejamesrwhelanagency.com
206 407 3124

Bill Gates was once asked, "If you could point
to one thing that helped build Microsoft into the
world's most profitable company, what would it be?"

Gates replied, "An extremely thorough and
complete knowledge of the Tax Code."

Many in the audience were stunned. They
thought the answer lay in software, or new
management techniques, or brilliant marketing.
And Microsoft had some of all those things.
But Gates knew that money management was
the golden key to success.

If you had asked me the same question, I
would have said persistence. I am somewhat
famous for my persistence, and many clients
have told me that they gave me business so
I wouldn't call them as often. I have records
of how many calls I have made to my clients,
and some of those numbers are pretty high.

I have joked that "no" only means "not right now."

And the more advertising I sell, the truer that
becomes. Decisions made on Monday are often
reversed on Tuesday. Personnel changes are
made. Money suddenly becomes available.

Over the weekend I met a top notch salesman
who told me a great story about persistence.

He started calling on an account every week.
Landing this account would be like going hunting
and bagging the Queen Elisabeth II. He called
on the account every week for four and a half
years, and was turned away every week.

Then one day he walked in, and was ushered
to the office of the company CEO. He was told
he had five minutes. He replied he didn't need
that long. His presentation lasted exactly sixty
seconds. The CEO leaned back in his chair and
didn't speak for five long minutes. Then he said,
"How much will that cost?"

The figure was named. The terms were discussed.
A check was issued, and the salesmans commission
was $100,000.00. The client was so happy with the
service he put all the company marketing in the
salesmans hands. For the last 11 years this company
has been worth an average of $400,000.00 a year to
the salesman who never gave up. Not to mention what
the account has been worth to his company.

Four and a half years. That's how long it took to
capture that account. Only a very special salesperson
has that kind of persistence. As I review my largest
accounts, about 75% of them were acquired after 30
calls or more.

The difference between a good salesman and a
great salesman is the amount of rejection they
can tolerate. My new friend heard the word "NO!"
234 times before he got a "YES!" But it didn't keep
him from following through, persistently asking for
a yes, for four and a half years.

At industry functions I'll sometimes introduce myself
as the guy who has called you 80 times. That line
alone has closed a number of deals.

Winston Churchill gave a valedictory speech at
Oxford that lasted less than a minute.

His words: Don't quit! Don't ever quit!"

So when you feel like no one will ever buy
anything from you, pick up the phone, and
make that call.

You never know who might say yes today.

From the big saddle,

Jim Whelan
The Chairman of the Board

P.S. The persistent advertiser always wins to.
Keeping your message in front of people on a
consisent basis always pays off.

thejamesrwhelanagency.com
206 407 3124

Every now and again I wander out on the
Internet to see what other advertising agencies
are doing. This morning I spent about two
hours looking at websites that I had heard about
or was referred to.

The astonishing thing was that not a one
of them was worth a second look, and I'm
talking about some very large agencies.

First, the ice cold designs are immediate turn offs.

Second, most of them read like a bad corporate report.

Third, you have to think that if they can't
design a website well for themselves, how
are they going to do it for you.

By the look and feel of these websites you
would think that none of the people involved
here have ever sold anything. In fact, I'd be
willing to lay a pretty large wager that none of
the people involved in these agencies have
any belly to belly sales experience at all.

And my second wager would be that the
"creative" people have way too much influence
over how business is done. Creative people are
a nice thing to have, and I employ numbers of
them for various projects at The James R Whelan
Agency. But they never have the last word.

Ever.

I always make all the final determinations about
what is good and what isn't.

There is only one determining factor about an ad
that is important. It is an extremely simple exercise,
and today it is forgotten while the industry pats itself
on the back for a job well done.

If an ad makes money it's a good ad. If it doesn't
make money it's a failure, and I don't give two hoots
in hell about how many awards it wins for this or that.

Make money...good.

Fail to make money...get fired.

Ads don't have to be pretty, they don't have to have
beautiful models in them, they don't have to have
the best photographer on the planet, and I could go
on and on.

What they have to be is effective, and you know an ad
is effective when consumers take out their wallet and
hand over their cash or credit card. That means that
all the right triggers were pulled and that the consumer
wants what you have to sell. And hopefully, they'll need
your product over and over and over again.

Don't get sucked in to the dog and pony shows these
mega agencies put on. They could care less if your
product sells.

Here at The James R Whelan Agency we care about
whether or not you make money. We're a profit
driven business, and we want you in the win column.

One website I looked at today has floating colored dots.

Floating colored dots!

That would never have passed muster here.

Spend your hard earned money with an agency that
knows what it's doing.

We are the straw that stirs the drink.

From the big saddle,

Jim Whelan
The Chairman of the Board

P.S. Have a happy and safe Indepence Day.

thejamesrwhelanagency.com
206 407 3124

This morning on the television it started. The Fourth
of July is almost upon us, and the anti-meat eaters
want to spoil all the backyard fun with their gruesome
stories of cancer and a myriad of diseases they try
to link to animal protein.

I say lets BBQ some vegetarians for the Independence
Day celebration.

One of the pitches these yokels were trying to sell
was a veggie riblet. I can't even imagine what hallucinogens
you would have to be taking to think that a pressed veggie
riblet would be better than a slab of baby back ribs just
pulled from the grill.

Or that one of those disgustingly dry Boca Burgers is
really a substitute for a medium rare slider complete
with lettuce, tomato, onions, and pickles.

(Ketchup and mustard optional)

And I don't want chickpea salad substituting for old
fashioned German potato salad with bacon.

It just isn't right.

And why would anyone listen to somebody like
Pamela Anderson, who while she doesn't eat meat,
allows herself to be a guinea pig for chemical
enhancement. There must be something in her diet, (
I think it's the eggplant), that keeps her from
generating new brain cells, and coming back to
Tommy Lee.

There's a Puerto Rican joint not that far from where
I live that roasts whole hogs. If I get just one request
before I pass on it will be one more stop for the big
pig platter there. It might be too late, but maybe I can
have them cater my Independence Day Backyard Blowout.

The menu will be simple.

Bring meat.

Lots of it.

And some cold beverages.

I'll be the grillmaster.

(You'll know it's me because I'll be the one wearing the fur coat.)

From the big saddle,

Jim Whelan
The Chairman of the Board

P.S. I know a lot of people are taking a long
weekend, so be careful out there, and please
don't drink and drive. Eat plenty of meat,
and thank God you live in the greatest country
in the world.

thejamesrwhelanagency.com
206 407 3124

Last night I had a very interesting conversation with a young
group of salespeople who had been trained wrong. Most sales
companies have training programs, but not many of them are
any good. Oh...the company thinks they're good training programs,
and so do most of the sales executives or managers, but the truth
is they are turning out mostly robots.

Hear a certain phrase used by a prospect...use a certain line
to get a response. This is all fine and good in uncomplicated
situations, and for small deals, but it is useless when things
get larger, and more complicated.

Here you need to learn the fine art of horse trading, or giving
to get something in return.

A friend of mine in restaurant sales demonstrated this to me
many years ago. He walked into a clients restaurant around
lunchtime, and he found the owner desperately trying to get
ready for lunch because employees had decided not to
show up that day. He took his jacket off, hung it up, and
started pitching in. He had me do the same, and gave me i
nstructions as he went along. I got my first lesson in
"busting suds."

Within thirty minutes the kitchen was ready, and he told
the owner to go out front, and we would handle the kitchen.
Together, we handled about 150 people for lunch, and
then we cleaned up, leaving about 230 in the afternoon.
The owner was extremely grateful, and thanked us profusely.

The next week we met for lunch and I asked him about
that account. He told me that prior to that day we pitched in,
he owned about 25% of the business in that restaurant.
After our day in the kitchen, the owner gave him almost
80% of the business, which took him from being a secondary
supplier to the primary supplier.

His weekly commission rose from about $55 to over $400.
When you annualize that...it is $2860 versus $20800. That's a
very substantial increase. And all because he was willing to
give something without ever asking for anything in return.

He used this priciple all the time, and very rarely did it not
work. One time at an industry function I asked some folks
about his chef skills. One guy told me, "He's forgotten more
skills than most chefs today have acquired."

That's pretty high praise.

Another told me that he saved his job by showing him how
to put together a menu that was first class, and made money
something that isn't easy to do. "After a while," he said, "You
just ended up doing business with him."

This is a very simple philosophy. Give...and you shall receive.

From the big saddle,

Jim Whelan
The Chairman of the Board

P.S. Give yourself a gift, and contact us here at:
thejamesrwhelanagency.com, or call 206 407 3124.
We can help you put more money in your pocket starting
today.