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9 Introducing Time-of-Use rates. Starting June 1, 2011 Book Review Courtesy of Halton Hills Library Business Links, Tuesday, April 19, 2011 Unmarketing: Stop Marketing, Start Engaging By Scott Stratten ISBN: 9780470617878 Review by Beverley King, Halton Hills Public Libraries A new way to better manage your electricity costs, help the environment & ease the strain on our system. 9.9¢ 8.1¢ 5.1¢ Ontario is introducing new Timeof-Use rates to help smooth "peak demand". With rates based on off-peak, mid-peak ,and on-peak periods, you can now decide when and how to best use your electricity. So if, for example, you run your dishwasher and laundry after 7 pm and on weekends (off-peak) you'll pay a lower rate. "Off-peak "use will also reduce the strain on our system and help the environment by reducing the * Note: rates will be updated on May 1, 2011. I n the spirit of Scott Stratten's Book, Unmarketing, I thought you'd like a trip instead. Let's un-review the book. Picture yourself in Las Vegas at the famous Luxor pyramid hotel. It's your first morning in Vegas and the first thing on your sightseeing list is a free 60-minute tour of Zappos headquarters. What else would you do? You drive about nine miles southeast to Zappos headquarters. Zappos.com sells shoes online, but what's important right now is that you've started your tour. You can tell something is very different about this company. It's fun and maybe a little weird. Along the tour a group of employees swarms your tour group and starts cheering and taking pictures of you! Another group breaks into song! In case you haven't heard, Zappos.com is well known for incredible service and relationship building with customers. Their free one-hour tours are popular and, now, they even offer boot camps and corporate culture training. Stratten took the tour and he was so impressed that his experience became Chapter 31. The Zappos chapter has all the details of his experience and an interesting story about how Zappos.com call center reps have no set time limit to talk to customers. Phone representatives are allowed "to source a product for a customer even if they don't carry it and it is from one of their competitors!" So what's the next thing on your list for Las Vegas? After an exciting tour of a company that is worthy of unmarketing, the next unreasonable thing to do is hide somewhere quiet and read the author's book cover to cover. That's probably a stretch, but will you read it on the flight home? You certainly don't need to read it cover to cover. It has 56 short chapters, so you can easily read it in small bits. You'll find some insights in this book that you can put to immediate use in your business to build better relationships. It leans towards social media, but it covers a wide range of modern marketing. Every chapter covers a lot of ground quickly. Each one is an entertaining mix of advice and Stratten's personal experience. Tweetathons, testimonials, trade shows, tele-seminars and internet trolls are just a few topics he uncovers. For the sake of this un-review, it's important to mention that Stratton should get an award for the funniest footnotes. I'll admit, I laughed out loud a few times. It's rare to find useful information that is compact and intentionally adds lighthearted humour. If you believe that your business is about building relationships then you'll get some practical insights from this book that you use right away. If you take a trip to Las Vegas maybe you should book a tour at Zappos headquarters and experience what a great example of unmarketing feels like. need to build excess electricity plants and transmission towers. For more information call or visit our website. 519-853-3701 www.haltonhillshydro.com www.ontario.ca/powersmarter EMPLOYEE OF THE QUARTER A sk a student what makes a great teacher? and you just might be surprised by the answer. Let's start by saying that it doesn't end when the lesson is over. Nicole Arthurs of GDHS wrote: "Over the past six years it has been a great pleasure to work with an intellectual, confident woman." What some people may not realize is that Patty Hall is a grade seven teacher at Centennial Public School and that the students only attend for three years. Since her teaching career started in 1977, she has taught at five different schools in the Halton Region. She has taught every grade from kindergarten to grade eight. Some of her roles have included; Special Education Resource Teacher and Phys. Ed. Teacher. Patty looks at her role of teacher as giving back to her students, what her children received from their teachers and coaches over the years. She tries to match if not surpass the dedication of others she has known. Mr. Paul VanderHelm, the principal of Centennial P.S. wrote: "She makes herself available during breaks so that students can receive additional assistance. Because she is well respected by her students, they work hard for her and accept her assistance when it is offered. She has an excellent under- standing of special education and modifies and accommodates so that every student achieves success in her room. She readily shares resources at team meetings and Patty Hall mentors new staff." Not only does Patty coach school sports, but she is an inspiring coach for Georgetown's Impact Volleyball Club. Just this year she was instrumental in adding a team for 15 and 16 year old boys. Of the last group she worked with, five have gone on to play in university volleyball, one of which has a full volleyball scholarship. When Patty asks for help for a planned event, others don't say no. Even when they find out that one of the events is the school ski trip. She says that she couldn't do it without the assistance of others. Patty recognizes the fact that there are other great teachers, some of which are right in Centennial. She is grateful for being the second recipient of the Employee Recognition Award. "It is men like Mr. Chong who help convince Canadians that their votes really mean something." National Post Editorial On May 2nd, Re-elect Michael Chong as your Member of Parliament 1- 800-837-7075 | www.chong.ca Authorized by the Official Agent for Michael Chong.