Here's your chance to learn why the people of Dan's Camera City were chosen to grace the cover of Bill McCurry's newest book, "It's Your People . . . Really!"

Frank Ponder - Retired Dealer - now out spending the kids' inheritance

A long time ago, I looked at our ad budget. I figured I could add a couple of hundred bucks per month to the budget.

I added a "Disgruntled Customer Fund". That fund was to be used when we had a customer who had a problem we wanted to solve, but we knew we were going to have to pay for a camera or repair.

I empowered my managers to spend the money every month. All I wanted was an accounting and a "fair" reason why they spent the money.

It's not in your mailbox yet, but here's a chance to see the complete program for 2007's DIMA/PMA/PPFA/SPAA/ISPA convention and educational sessions in Las Vegas.

You might want to make hotel reservations soon, because once more NASCAR will be in town!

We have special permission from PMA to spread the word to the world, so here it is. We suggest you right-click on this address and download the 5 MB PDF file to your computer.

Gary Grinaker - The Photo Express - Bismark, ND - cleverlyhidden . com

This might be a good one as an end of year bonus for the newsletter Chris.

Internal marketing is very important to staff moral. Our employees are critical to success at The Photo Express.

A check is just a piece of paper with numbers on it. Employees just drop them at the bank and away the paper goes. Rather than hand out boring old bonus checks, we spice it up.

At our staff meeting the qualifying employees each receive an envelope stuffed with $1 and $2 bills. We even scrunch up the new bills to make the stack feel thicker.

I always get positive feedback and a few stories. This year the mother of my newest employee stopped by and said thank you. "Kristen came home with a bag of money and it looked like she'd been in a big drug deal" she smiled. "She showed it off to everyone before depositing it into her college fund."

After her mother left we kidded Kristen "Never show your family your bonus. They'll expect you to do something sensible with it."

Another employee commented, "I've had fun using those $2 bills. Those 15-year-old store clerks have never seen one and ask where I got them." Then she added, "If they didn't know a $2 bill is real currency, why'd they take them? Maybe we should make up some $3 bills."

I hope she was kidding. :)

By the way, be sure to include the bonus amount on their pay stubs and pay all applicable federal and local taxes. Otherwise you might end up enrolled in the Federal free vacation plan for 5 to 10 (with time off for good behavior).

The last issue of the McCurry Marketing Idea Exchange will be published Wednesday, November 22nd, so you can read it before the USA Thanksgiving holiday.

We will resume publication January 4, 2007.

You can still earn your sweet reward by sending us your idea before our hiatus, even if it doesn't get used until next year.