Q&A / 

June 17, 2008 AsktheBuilder News

What's in This Issue

HORRIBLE FLOODING
TESTIFYING IN FRONT OF A CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE
HONEST-AND-TRUE STAIN SOLVER STORY
NEWEST COLUMNS AND VIDEOS


Horrible Flooding

If you watch the national news, you surely are aware of the horrible historic flooding that is happening now in the heart of the Midwest. There are all sorts of heartbreaking stories about this, and you yourself may be a victim. If that is the case, I am truly sorry for your misfortune.

But here are some things you can take away from this event. If you have homeowner's insurance as I do, be aware that you have a better chance of flying to Mars flapping your ears than you will have of getting a check from your insurance company for flooding losses. Virtually every insurance company does NOT cover flood damage. If you want insurance for flood damage, get a policy from the Federal Government. Go here for more information:

opens in a new windowFederal Flood Insurance Information

On a much smaller scale, if you have minor flooding on your own lot, a flooded crawl space or a chronic wet basement each time it rains, I can help you. You must read the customer review and see the photographs that Jim Sanders sent to me yesterday. He had all but given up hope, and his quality of life was suffering because of Mother Nature's whims. No more my friend. Jim has become another AsktheBuilder.com evangelist.

Go read this column, then look below it for Jim's comments and awesome photos he sent to me. If you suffer from flooding in your home, I believe I can take your pain away

Jim Sander's Trench Drain opens in a new windowJim Sander's Comments and Photos

Even though this column is about crawl spaces, the same Trench Drain device works for wet basements. I urge you to read ALL of the columns in my Drainage category to discover exactly how to install one of my Linear French Drains, and more importantly, why they work. When you do this you will get some insight into my college education. I believe you are in for one of those "I would have never guessed Tim has a degree in......"

Here is my opens in a new windowDrainage category.


Testifying in Front of a Congressional Committee - Gulp!!!!!

U.S. House of RepresentativesYesterday I received a letter from the US Congress that started off:

"Dear Mr. Carter:

I am writing to invite you to testify at a hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business, Subcommittee on Regulation, Health Care and Trade, entitled "The Impact of Online Advertising on Small Firms". The hearing is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, June 25, 2008, and will take place in Room 1539 of the Longworth House Office Building."

It's the real deal. I am going to Washington DC to do this. Personally I feel it is an enormous honor, but I have to admit I am filled with apprehension. For years I have done expert testimony and been in countless depositions as well as testified under oath at trial. But golly, the US Congress!!!!

I desperately need your help, and I need it now - today or tonight. The rules of the Committee require that I submit my written testimony no later than next Monday. What written testimony you ask? Well, I have to write out my feelings about the impact of online advertising.

How can you help? There are forces at work that are trying to convince lawmakers that online ads are not all that great. I have the opposite opinion, and I have tons of proof - but would like more from you.

So tell me, are you a small business, or even a consumer who has been impacted by online advertising? If so, what has been the impact?

Have you benefitted from seeing an ad online that helped you in a time of need?

If you are a small business like me, how has online advertising helped your business? Has it allowed you to reach more customers than ever before?  Would your business be as successful if online advertising didn't exist in its present form?

Here is what you might not know about online advertising. In many respects, it is contextual. What that means is the ads you see are often targeted to or match the content that is on the web page you are viewing. A simple example is one of my roofing columns. Let's say you are trying to figure out how to stop a leak in your roof. Please go to AsktheBuilder.com and opens in a new windowsee this column.

If you look at the Google ads in that column, you should notice that the ads deal only with roofing. Look closer and you may see names of *local* companies that you recognize. These are contextual ads become an aid not a nuisance because they directly relate to the problem you are trying to solve - your leaking roof. You don't want nor need to see car ads, tennis racket ads or ads for pumpkin pie. You need a roofer!

My contention is that this type of advertising is good because it helps you and I solve problems. You do realize there are only two primary reasons you and I get online, don't you? They both begin with the letter P - Pleasure and Problems.

The bottom line is I would love to include your story of how you have been helped by online advertising. Allow me to take your story to our lawmakers. Please hurry. I especially need to hear from you if you are a small business person or work in a small business. Tell me how online ads have changed your life and that of your family.

Time is of the essence.


Honest-and-True Stain Solver Story

Yesterday I was in my office late and the order phone rang. Something told me to pick it up even though it was after hours. On the phone was Marcella from Lancaster, Kentucky. She wanted to order my Stain Solver - the miracle oxygen bleach.

Marcella was a first-time buyer. Just days before some sheets of hers that were outdoors drying under a deck got stained from rainwater that dripped down through the boards. She tried everything to get out the wood stains, but nothing worked. A neighbor - who was one of my customers - gave her a small amount of Stain Solver in a plastic bag. Long story short, my Stain Solver made the sheets look like new.

You may think big deal, but what blew me away was the size of Marcella's order. I was thinking she would buy four pounds, maybe eight. Some might think she would get the twelve-pound size. Nope. Marcella bought the 50-pound size. Yowzaa! That's how impressed she was with what it did. I asked her what she planned to do with that much Stain Solver, and her reply was, "Tim, I plan to clean everything around my place now!"

I never cease to be amazed at the phone conversations I have with customers. Call late in the day and there is a darned good chance you will get me on the horn.

If you want to try any size of Stain Solver to get the same results as Marcella, then use this Promo Code now to get a 20 percent discount. You need to act fast as the code is only good for a few more days in June. (Expired on June 30, 2008.)

The promo code is:

june30 (expired on June 30)

Be sure you use lower case and no spaces when you enter it.

opens in a new windowPlease go here.


Newest Columns and Videos

opens in a new windowScreened Porch Design

opens in a new window Laundry Room Cabinets

opens in a new window Drilling Holes for PVC Pipe VIDEO

opens in a new window Cleaning A Roof with a Pressure Washer VIDEO

Index of past newsletters.


SPONSORS / 

Leave a Reply

You have to agree to the comment policy.